[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 5]
Let’s tackle our food storage, lunch/to-go containers this week.
1️⃣ Pull everything out from your cupboard or drawer.
2️⃣ Wipe every nook and cranny of your cupboard or drawer so that it is squeaky clean.
3️⃣ Match up all of the containers and lids.
4️⃣ Discard or recycle anything that doesn’t have a mate.
5️⃣ Place everything back into your drawer or cupboard. If you have the space, I recommend storing your containers with the lids already attached. It will be more efficient since you won’t have to search for a lid when you grab a container, and misplacing or losing a lid will be less likely. If you are short on space, nesting your items (like I did with the gray lid containers) will take up the least amount of space.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 5 – Wednesday]
Let’s clean up our spices.
1️⃣ Remove every single spice from your drawer, cupboard or pantry, paying close attention to the expiration dates.
2️⃣ Discard anything that has expired.
3️⃣ Wipe down your space until it is squeaky clean.
4️⃣ Return your spices to your space. If you prefer, you can use a three tiered riser, a turn table, or a spice stack etc. Or, you can just place them as is, alphabetizing them, and/ or keeping the spices that you use most often front and enter.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 6]
Over the past three years, I got rid of about 90% of my kitchen “stuff”. My husband and I each owned our own homes before we met, so when we got married, we combined items from two households, plus added some beautiful things we received for bridal shower gifts and wedding gifts. After 12 years, things just kept accumulating and accumulating. I didn’t need 65 coffee cups and 95 drinking glasses 🙅🏼♀️, so I donated almost everything that wasn’t clear or neutral in color. Doing so has given me extra space in my cupboards for things that use to be on my counters….toaster, knife block, blender etc. Of course, things still trickle in from time to time, but with yearly purging and minor reassessing, I can easily keep things under control.
1️⃣ Pull all of your drinking glasses and coffee cups out of your cupboard(s) placing them into “keep” and “donate” piles.
2️⃣ Wipe down your cupboard(s) until it is squeaky clean.
3️⃣ To create extra space within your cupboard, consider shelf organizers if needed.
4️⃣ Group like items together and place them back into the cupboard.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 6 – Wednesday]
3 years ago, the Mr. gave me a 2nd silverware set for my birthday. It was the perfect gift. In the past, I would run the dishwasher before it was full, just so we could have clean silverware. Now we have more than enough silverware and our household is running even more efficiently. When it comes to anything regarding your home, the answers are usually right in front of you. Is something bringing you stress? Remove it. Is there an object that takes up space, but doesn’t bring you joy?? Get rid of it. Is there a gadget that you haven’t touched in years??? Donate it. Is there something that could make your household run more smoothly? Add it.
Let’s focus on our silverware drawers for this “middle of the week” task.
1️⃣ Remove everything from your drawer, creating groupings on your counter as you do so.
2️⃣ Wipe down your drawer until it is squeaky clean.
3️⃣ Assess your groupings. Is there anything that doesn’t belong? Would it be beneficial to add something?
4️⃣ Use a drawer organizer to create compartments within your drawer.
5️⃣ Place everything back into your drawer in a neat and orderly fashion.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 7]
My pots and pans use to be stored in this cupboard, AND in another deep drawer. After placing a pan organizer and a kitchen helper shelf in the cupboard, I was able to fit everything in this one cupboard, creating even more space by leaving an entire kitchen drawer open. Sometimes it takes living in a home for a while to find out if you’re using the space that you have in an efficient way. Let’s tackle our pots and pans this week.
1️⃣ Assess your cupboard or drawer. Is the space being used efficiently?
2️⃣ Figure out if adding an organizing product would benefit you and be in your budget. (Both of the organizers that I use here are linked in the “kitchen drawers/cabinets” section under the shop tab on my blog).
3️⃣Remove every item from your space.
4️⃣ Wipe the space down until it is squeaky clean.
5️⃣ Place everything back into your cupboard or drawer in an orderly fashion. If you choose to use organizers, happily fill them up. If you have the space, I recommend storing pots with the lids on to prevent scratching and digging around for both pieces. If you must nest your pans, carefully do so, especially if your pans have a non-stick coating on them.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 7, Wednesday]
Here are my thoughts/tips for “under the kitchen sink” storage ideas. Back in the day, this area would have been filled to the brim with multiple cleaners or cleaners that I tried out just because they were on sale. No more. I turned to a more “clean” approach when selecting my products and I stick to my tried and true favorites. I remove bulky packaging when I can, and I decant my dishwasher pods into a cute little hinged bin. A few years ago, I also bought glass soap dispensers for every single sink in my home and refill them with the “Method” soap that you can kind of see (baby blue packaging) in the turntable…. it’s definitely a more cost-effective approach and results in less waste.
1️⃣ Assess the cupboard underneath your kitchen sink. Do you use every single product that you are storing?
2️⃣ Pull out every single item and place the stuff into a “keep” or “discard” pile.
3️⃣ Thoroughly wipe out your cabinet until it is clean.
4️⃣ Place your items back into your cabinet. Turntables are an amazing storage solution for keeping things corralled.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 8]
On my open shelves, I have acrylic dishes (yes, that’s acrylic, not crystal 😉). These dishes are probably one of my favorites things in my kitchen; they are kid-friendly and look pretty too. These are the dishes that my kids usually reach for when they want a snack or a drink. I also have another cabinet to the left of the open shelves that have more dishes that complete the ceramic set that you see in the open cabinet. Before I did my epic purge, I use to have multiple sets of dishes and a piece here and there that didn’t even go with a set. I kept the set that I loved the most and donated the rest. Let’s tackle our dishes this week.
1️⃣ Pull all of your dishes out of your cupboard(s) placing them into “keep” and “donate” piles.
2️⃣ Wipe down your cupboard(s) until they are clean.
3️⃣ To create extra space within your cupboard, consider shelf organizers if needed.
4️⃣ Group like items together and place them back into the cupboard.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 8, Wednesday]
This mid-week task might not be for everyone, but it’s something that I want you to think about. 2 years ago, I would not have had room in my kitchen for this drawer. I was hoarding kitchen utensils that were taking up space in 3 drawers. Many of those utensils were never touched, because I always reached for my tried-and-true favorites. During my epic purge, I kept only my favorite “useful” utensils and I donated the rest. This cleared out an entire drawer, allowing me to create this space, which gets used every single day. Ingredients for salads, protein shakes and yogurt parfaits etc.
1️⃣ Is there a space in your kitchen that you’ve always longed for?
2️⃣ Are you storing items that never, ever get used?
3️⃣ Do you have multiple of the same item, but only use your favorite one?
4️⃣ Would you be able to simplify your belongings to create space for something useful?
5️⃣ Could you consolidate items from multiple drawers or cupboards to create space you thought you never had?
6️⃣ Honestly assess your kitchen.
7️⃣ Sort and Simplify if you are able.
8️⃣ Create a brand new space if your heart desires one.
If you have any questions, please let me know. I love good “before” and “after” pics. Please message me your photos so I can share your results to inspire others. Have fun and enjoy the process!
~Colette
