Welcome back to Day 33 of Freedom from Clutter in 40 Days.  Only a few more days to go!  If you are tired of the burden of clutter in your home then this series is for you.  Day by day we are getting rid of the items that weigh us down, slow us down, and get in the way of having time to spend with our families.

We invite you to join our special Facebook group to share your ideas, joys, concerns, and declutter stories with us.  Make sure to share this with a friend who wants help decluttering.  Together, we are learning to find Freedom from Clutter.  This is a focused 40 day program, but we plan to keep the group going all year long.  You can join us at any time.  What is really fun about this project is that we are sharing our real struggles with clutter.  There are no organization experts here.  We are just real people sharing our real life experiences including our frustrations and joy as we declutter our homes.

 

Small Kitchen Decluttering

It’s true.  The world headquarters of Juggling Real Food and Real Life is a super tiny kitchen.  Back when I bought the house, cooking really wasn’t “my thing” so I wasn’t worried about the size of the kitchen.  Now that I cook all of the time, it has become more important to me to have a highly functional kitchen.  Although my kitchen is extremely small, it really is functional.  I am able to prepare meals on a regular basis for my family and host parties all from that tiny kitchen.  My secret to a highly effective kitchen?  Reduce the clutter.

[bctt tweet=”Even small kitchens can be highly functional once they are decluttered.”]

Every person has a different tolerance for clutter.  That is how much clutter their home can hold and still be functional.  You can’t be bursting from the seams with clutter and be functional.  I’ve also noticed that regardless of the size, we humans like to fill our spaces.  I bet some of you folks with big kitchens could use some decluttering too.  Today, I am sharing the Juggling Real Food and Real Life world headquarter’s decluttering tips for super tiny (and even big) kitchens.

Don’t get overwhelmed:  Decluttering is so much more than simply throwing away trash.  There is a ton of thought involved and a whole lot of emotions.  Go ahead and put some thought into the items in your kitchen.  Is there a reason to keep it?  Is there an emotional attachment?  Think about your current habits and your future plans.  Then make a decision.  Don’t get bogged down in emotions and over-thinking.  It’s just stuff.  If you throw away the wrong thing, it’s not really that big of a deal.  Really.  It’s not.

Get rid of non-kitchen items:  The first thing to do seems pretty obvious.  Get rid of all of the non-kitchen items.  You may be surprised at all of the things you stuffed in cupboards and drawers when company was coming to visit.  You said you would go back and take care of it, but never did.  Now is the time.  I had to laugh when I found a box of staples, small toys, and a bunch of other items that clearly did not belong in the kitchen on a recent declutter session.  Once you get rid of those items, you will feel more organized right away.

Re-think large items:  When you re-think your large kitchen items, you need to think about the kitchen that you have………not the kitchen you want.  I would love a huge kitchen where I could keep a huge pasta pot, multiple crock pots, my kitchen-aid mixer, and other large items all out on display.  That’s not going to happen.  Reality check.  I have a small kitchen and unless I move that is not going to change.  I have donated many of the larger items that I used to have and relocated some of the others to my basement storage area.  I can still get to them when I need them, but they don’t clutter the kitchen on a regular basis.

Consider multi-function small appliances and tools:  Give some thought to the small appliances and tools you use in the kitchen on a regular basis.  I use a multi-function food processor and was able to get rid of my blender and cheese grater.  Go ahead and really take a look at the stuff in your kitchen.  I bet you can really reduce the number of items you have.  We all collect things through the years.  Some of those things we need.  Some of them we don’t really need at all.  Now let’s really be intentional about setting up our kitchen.

Dump the duplicates:  I wrote more about that here, but the point is that you probably don’t need two and three of everything.  You have a small kitchen.  You just don’t have room for all of the extras.

Start:  I don’t care if you start with the worst area of your kitchen or even an area with only a little clutter.  Just get started.  Momentum will carry you through the rest of the project if you just get started.  Soon, you will be falling in love with your kitchen as you discover how functional it really is.   You just needed to get rid of the clutter.

There you go…………my secrets to decluttering small kitchens so that they can be highly functional.  Do you have any tips to add?  Leave me a comment and let me know what really helps you to maintain a highly functional kitchen.  What is your biggest clutter trouble in your kitchen?  Let’s get the conversation going!

On another note……..if you are interested in simple recipes your family is sure to love make sure you check out my recipe index.  I’m sure you are hungry after all of your decluttering!  I add new recipes all of the time so make sure you check back often.  You will also want to grab this free meal-planning printable calendar to make your meal planning easier.  It has areas to plan your daily activities and your evening meal prep to keep you organized.

Want more great tips?  Keep reading the Freedom From Clutter in 40 Days series by clicking on the image below.