Day 12: Decluttering Kitchen Drawers (and the Dreaded Junk Drawer)

Today we’re doing a quick purge of the kitchen drawers: silverware, cooking utensils, pot holders and, in many cases, a junk drawer. Clearing out drawers can be a quick activity, and it is a very effective way to simplify your kitchen in a short amount of time.

• Do one drawer at a time. Pull everything out, wipe out the drawer, then place needed items back in, using drawer organizers and utensil trays as needed to keep items neat and easy to find.
• Clear out tools and gadgets you don’t use. Items that are seldom used contribute to clutter. Be honest with yourself about how often you really use those specialty tools, such as the melon baller, the garlic press or the avocado scoop. If you use it regularly, great! It’s earned a spot in the drawer. If you can’t remember the last time you used that nut cracker, then toss it in a donation bin.
• Get rid of duplicates. Think about how many of each item you really need, then pick your favorites and donate the rest.
• Look for tools that can be used for more than one purpose. Before buying or keeping a specialty gadget, ask yourself, “can I accomplish the same thing with another tool I already have?” 
• If you can’t bring yourself to part with something, put it in temporary storage. Box up items you don’t think you use often but aren’t willing to part with yet, and put the box in the closet, garage or other out-of-the-way place. Mark the box with a date six months in the future, and see how many items you pull out of the box for use between now and then. Part with the rest with the deadline arrives.
• Organize drawers by use. Group like items together, so all the cooking utensils go in one drawer, while silverware goes in another.
• Many people have a junk drawer, also known as a “kitchen black hole.” Using drawer organizers is an effective way to give a junk drawer a purpose. My junk drawer is more of a “multi-purpose” drawer – it’s where I keep the zipper baggies, foil and parchment paper, plus there are small bins for organizing spare envelopes, dry erase markers and charging cords. By using organizers and assigning functions to the space, you can break the junk drawer cycle. Make some time every couple of weeks to sort through the drawer and get rid of items that don’t have a designated “spot” in your multi-purpose drawer. If it’s not important enough to assign a spot, it’s probably not important enough to keep.

Up Next: Simplifying Grocery Shopping

This post is part of the Fresh Start Series, 31 days of tips and tricks to simplify in the new year.