10 Guidelines for Getting Rid of Kitchen Clutter
When I redecorated my kitchen using a sunflower theme in the mid 1990s, I bought a ceramic soap dispenser. Living an hour from the Kansas border, and loving the bright, sun-shiny feeling of the large golden blooms was a perfect theme for a person like me who is deeply affected by her environment. The soap dispenser, like the curtains I made, the wallpaper border I hand-stamped, and the dishtowels I bought, donned sunflowers in bloom. It’s hard not to smile when sunflower faces are staring at you.
Fast-forward nearly 20 years. Same kitchen. Yes, I’m still here and believe it or not I still love my sunflower-themed kitchen. However, of all the items I had bought, the ceramic soap dispenser was a big disappointment. How can a soap dispenser be a disappointment you ask? When it doesn’t work. No stream of creamy white liquid soap dripped lazily into the palm of my hand no matter how hard I pumped. So I tried a pump from a different soap dispenser. I even added a drinking straw to allow the pump to draw soap up from the bottom. However, because the opening of the ceramic dispenser is round, the pump fit crookedly. No matter. I wasn’t going to let that stop me from using it. Last week, the 20-year-old pump stopped working altogether. I decided to throw it away. But I didn’t. It’s still on the sink sans pump. Now I just pour out a little soap onto my hand. Maybe I’ll start a trend. Problem solved, at least temporarily. I don’t know what to do. Should I pitch it or find another pump to use? Such are the big questions that keep me awake at night.
Following are 10 guidelines for throwing away or giving away kitchen items—now if I would only follow them. Happy Spring cleaning!
Throw Away Items That Are:
1. Broken: Sometimes things are not worth fixing.
2. Chipped or cracked: Dishes that are chipped can harbor germs, and so can cracked wooden spoons. Chipped glasses or mugs can cut lips.
3. Torn or threadbare: Dishtowels last for years, but there is a time to throw them away or at least put them in the rag bag.
4. Peeling: To prevent ingesting nonfood, discard peeling nonstick pans.
5. Stained: Research shows plastic containers stained with food caused from heating them in the microwave can cause health issues.
Give Away Items That Are:
6. Of no use to you: Example, the pasta maker I kept in my basement for 10 years, but never took the time to make homemade pasta.
7. Outdated: Example, the microwave bacon pan (no explanation needed).
8. Unneeded: Example, the plastic sippy cups that my adult children used 25 - 30 years ago.
9. Unhealthy: Example, the deep-fat fryer that I vowed not to use even though making sugar doughnuts from canned biscuits was a favorite weekend breakfast.
10. Too Big to Store: No examples for this one because I have a basement full of shelves for all the kitchen items that don’t fit upstairs in my kitchen cabinets.
How do you decide when it’s time to get rid of an item in your kitchen?
Fast-forward nearly 20 years. Same kitchen. Yes, I’m still here and believe it or not I still love my sunflower-themed kitchen. However, of all the items I had bought, the ceramic soap dispenser was a big disappointment. How can a soap dispenser be a disappointment you ask? When it doesn’t work. No stream of creamy white liquid soap dripped lazily into the palm of my hand no matter how hard I pumped. So I tried a pump from a different soap dispenser. I even added a drinking straw to allow the pump to draw soap up from the bottom. However, because the opening of the ceramic dispenser is round, the pump fit crookedly. No matter. I wasn’t going to let that stop me from using it. Last week, the 20-year-old pump stopped working altogether. I decided to throw it away. But I didn’t. It’s still on the sink sans pump. Now I just pour out a little soap onto my hand. Maybe I’ll start a trend. Problem solved, at least temporarily. I don’t know what to do. Should I pitch it or find another pump to use? Such are the big questions that keep me awake at night.
Following are 10 guidelines for throwing away or giving away kitchen items—now if I would only follow them. Happy Spring cleaning!
Throw Away Items That Are:
1. Broken: Sometimes things are not worth fixing.
2. Chipped or cracked: Dishes that are chipped can harbor germs, and so can cracked wooden spoons. Chipped glasses or mugs can cut lips.
3. Torn or threadbare: Dishtowels last for years, but there is a time to throw them away or at least put them in the rag bag.
4. Peeling: To prevent ingesting nonfood, discard peeling nonstick pans.
5. Stained: Research shows plastic containers stained with food caused from heating them in the microwave can cause health issues.
Give Away Items That Are:
6. Of no use to you: Example, the pasta maker I kept in my basement for 10 years, but never took the time to make homemade pasta.
7. Outdated: Example, the microwave bacon pan (no explanation needed).
8. Unneeded: Example, the plastic sippy cups that my adult children used 25 - 30 years ago.
9. Unhealthy: Example, the deep-fat fryer that I vowed not to use even though making sugar doughnuts from canned biscuits was a favorite weekend breakfast.
10. Too Big to Store: No examples for this one because I have a basement full of shelves for all the kitchen items that don’t fit upstairs in my kitchen cabinets.
How do you decide when it’s time to get rid of an item in your kitchen?
RSS Feed
