Organize Your Kitchen

Almost every kitchen has appliances and cooking utensils that are rarely used. As a rule of thumb, you should donate, sell or trash any item that has not been used over the last 14 months. Save the valuable space on the kitchen counter or in your easy to reach kitchen cupboards for daily used utensils. Items you only use once a year, e.g. chocolate egg moulds for Easter, should be stored in a less accessible place, and just pull them out when you need them. There is no reason to keep these in the kitchen all year if you only use them now and again.

Very important, in order to remember where you are storing everything, make a list of these rarely used items and their storage locations, and keep it taped on the inside of one of your kitchen cupboards. In most households the largest part of trashing happens in the kitchen. Make sure you have sufficient containers for the various categories of rubbish such as glass, paper, cans and organic waste.

"But organic waste is so smelly", I can hear you say. Until recently, I was struggling with that problem myself. How could I do my bit for the environment and keep my kitchen odor free and my garden is not big enough for composting? Well, I bought a cheap but nice looking cooking pot with lid, that sits on my work surface. I can peel my vegetables over it and when finished I close the lid. When it is full, I empty it in the organic bag bought from the council, which I keep outside in a cool dry spot.

Store kitchen items near the area where they are used.

Establish a daily, weekly and monthly cleaning routine.

Keep your work surfaces free from clutter.
Only keep appliances you actually use. Donate the excess.