Well, it's time to actually start tackling the chore at hand...uncluttering. I'm going to borrow from Mr. Mellen's advice as I offer these suggestions for uncluttering a kitchen. This is usually a good room to start with because there's normally so much to be done!





UNCLUTTERING THE KITCHEN

Your kitchen is a food preparation area, not a storage space!

Weed out what you don't use. Then, put everything else away, but be sure to group like items together and put each group away in it's own place.


1. Appliances: Machines that are broken or aren't used are just taking up space, so get rid of them. (In other words, don't keep that Crock-Pot with the missing lid that you say you're going to replace someday, or keep the bread maker just because it was a gift.)

2. Food containers: All your plastic storage items should have corresponding lids. (If you don't have one or the other, throw it in the recycle bin.)

3. Pots and pans: If there isn't a lot of space in your kitchen, use a pot rack. If you have the space, hang them along the wall for fast access. Otherwise, stack them the best you can in a cabinet or in/on something similar. Don't keep the ones with broken handles, deeply dented sides, chipped or worn enamel or Teflon, or any that you just never use.

4. Knives: If you're short on counter space, why not get the type of knife block that fits in a drawer. They also sell magnetic strips that mount to a wall or other flat service that can be conveniently placed near the counter area; knives can be "hung" on these strips because the magnet will hold them securely. (Never keep sharp knives with broken handles or rusted blades.)

5. Plastic bags: Everybody has a plastic bag full of other plastic bags. Use the bags as waste basket liners, or as garbage bags for food scraps. You can also take them back to the supermarket or to sites that accept bags for recycling. Learn to use canvas shopping totes or mesh shopping bags so you don't accumulate more plastic bags.

6. Cookbooks: Unless you're a collector or you have a lot of room, you do not have to have all those cookbooks! Keep those you use often, copy recipes out of the ones you only have because of a few or less recipes found in them. Then, get rid of the rest. (How do you determine if a cookbook really should be eliminated? Ask yourself, "How often do you use the cookbook?" If you've had it for years but it's never gotten a single stain or burn from use, donate it. If you've had it for quite a while but it looks pretty worn or bad, throw it away or recycle it).

I hope these hints do help. They sound pretty logical, so they should help get the kitchen a bit more organized and, if all things are done right, the kitchen will stay organized!