Declutter Your Kitchen: 10 Things to Toss Today! (Part 5)

Do you ever walk into your kitchen and just pass by a bunch of things, roll your eyes, and then rifle around and try to find what you really need? If this happens to you, it probably means that there are things in your kitchen that you need to get rid of. That’s right, it’s time to declutter the kitchen!

Magnets

Back in the 80s my mom would collect magnets with phone numbers on them – the local vet, her hairdresser… the list goes on. Times have changed, we don’t need these anymore because… duh, internet! Toss any promotional magnets, travel magnets, or any other magnets cluttering up the surface of your fridge. Only keep magnets that are serving a real purpose, or ones that have significant sentimental value.

Flyers and Take-Out Menus

Do you notice that whenever you order takeout, they give you a menu? It generally gets stuck in a drawer with an “I might need that later” thought. Or, you get a coupon in the mail for $1 off a hamburger and stick it in the same drawer. Ultimately you end up with a drawer full of papers you’ll never use. You can find all of that take-out information online, and if there’s a coupon you actually want to use, stick it in your wallet for immediate use, and get rid of the rest of that junk.

Glass Jars

I’ve talked about getting rid of old containers before, and this is one habit I’m very guilty of. Whenever I finish a jar of something, I always think: “I could reuse that“, and even if I’ve lost the lid I still keep it because “Maybe, one day, I’ll find the lid!” Let’s face facts, we will never find the lid or use that jar – into the recycling it goes.

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Excess Sauces

It’s time to toss those half-used sauces that you only kind of like. Face facts, if you were ever going to use it, you would have by now. Go through the fridge and pull out anything that’s on its last legs or expired. Dump it out safely and appropriately and then you can recycle the bottles.

Unused Appliances

When you’re ready to cook something, you want access to the small appliances that you actually use. I hate digging past things I rarely use (like my pasta maker, magic bullet, and slap-chop). It’s time to move on from those appliances. You’re probably not going to find a use for it any time soon and someone else will probably benefit from it more than you would.

Old Dish Towels & Cloth Napkins

When you open your drawer to grab a tea towel, dish towel or cloth napkin, you’ll probably find some that are stained, have holes in them or just look beat up. Go through the drawer and pull out anything that’s not looking so hot or fresh. You only want to have stuff that is in good condition ready to serve their purpose.

Rarely Used Cookbooks

I have five giant Williams-Sonoma cookbooks that I simply never use. It’s time to toss, give away, or donate them. Cookbooks take up a lot of space, and while the recipes look amazing, if you haven’t used it yet you’re probably not going. Find the cookbooks that you don’t use, save some space and get rid of them.

Single Serving Sauces and Cutlery

We don’t order takeout that often but when we do, we used to put all of the extra ketchup packets, little soy sauce packets, sweet-and-sour sauce, pizza dipping sauce, chopsticks, plastic cutlery etc. in a junk drawer. Get rid of all of it! You know why? You likely already have soy sauce, ketchup and all that other stuff, and does anyone really need that cereamy garlic pizza dipping sauce? If you’re ordering takeout and you know that you don’t want to have that waste, just let them know when you order.

Spices

You guys know that I like to cook and because of that, I collect myself a few spices here and there. Sometimes, I’ll go a little wild and I’ll pick something up that I think I’m going to use, but I never actually end up using it. So, go through your spice drawer, pick out anything that is old, unused, or has only a tiny bit left, and toss it.

Trinkets

When friends or family travel they often bring you back a souvenir. It might be a magnet or a shot glass, or some other knick-knack. While I’m really happy for them that they went on that trip, it sounded amazing, but do I really need that shot glass taking up space in my cupboard? Probably not. If you aren’t a cocktail connoisseur then find a new home for that shot glass, or magnet, or snow globe or that other souvenir you’re not using.