Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to start decluttering your home. Admit it, you’ve accumulated more than you have room for. In our last blog we talked about decluttering in general. This time we want to take you a step closer to tackling a big decluttering project.
Decluttering can seem overwhelming at first, but like most projects, once you break it down into smaller steps, it is easily manageable. It’s also refreshing. So here’s a secret. Break it down by room. Deal with one room at a time and you won’t feel overwhelmed.
Start with a checklist of items to remove. Then do it, remove them. You may need a few baskets to help you. One basket is for trash, one for recycling and another for storage. As you purge these items make sure they make it into the proper basket and then deal with the baskets without delay.
Let’s start with the kitchen.
Here’s a great checklist of items to remove:
KITCHEN Utensils you have more than one of
Cooking utensils that are half broken
Frying pans that have lost their non-stick
Discolored coffee cups
Chipped crockery of any kind
Empty bottles you’ve kept just in case you can use them – you can’t and you won’t
Almost empty cleaning products – decant into fuller ones
Cleaning cloths that are beyond rags
Storage containers and jars that you NEVER use
Fridge food past its use-by date
Freezer food that’s been in the freezer longer than six months
Pantry herbs and spices past their use-by date
Pantry jars and bags that contain food you know you’ll never use
Old containers that no longer have a lid or a lid that works
Excess plastic shopping bags you’re keeping out of guilt
Recipe books you NEVER look at
Old birthday candles that started to burn down
Takeaway cutlery for that picnic you never remember to take it on
Paper plates – see takeaway cutlery above!!
Tableware you NEVER use. Start using it or get rid!
Food supplements and vitamins that are out of date
Placemats, napkins and table linen you NEVER use