Welcome back to The Declutter Challenge by Femme Finance. It’s Weekend Two and we are looking at one of the messier places in the house – the Kitchen and Pantry.
Again, this is your journey. If this area of your house is neater than a pin, choose a different space to focus on. Or, if you are like us here at Femme Finance, and have just realised that most of the stuff at the back of your fridge has expired (and is somewhat furry?!) then there is no time like right now to get this situation situated.
First let’s make a plan…if you don’t plan, you plan to fail right?!
To do that, we need to break down different areas to focus on. We have broken it up like this, as tackling a small bit of the larger goal is less overwhelming and feels more achievable. These areas could be:
Pantry
Fridge
Cupboards
As with the previous weekends challenge, we have outlined a plan below. The steps for each one of these areas are relatively the same so the plans below are similar. Either follow what we have below or write out your own.
Pantry
- Pull everything out
- Using an eco-friendly spray wipe down all the surfaces top to bottom
- Mop or vacuum the floor of the pantry
- Sort through all the food items you have removed and dispose of those that are expired / no longer wanted
- Place all the remaining food into categories so you can see what you have
Think about what you can decant and what you want to decant into?
Do you need any containers or additional shelving?
Fridge
- Pull everything out
- Using an eco-friendly spray wipe down all the surfaces top to bottom
- Pull out any shelves or tubs and give them a good clean and put them back
- Sort through all the food items you have removed and dispose of those that are expired / no longer wanted
- Place all the remaining food into categories so you can see what you have
- Think about what you can decant and what you want to decant into?
- Do you need any containers or additional shelving?
Cupboards
- Pull everything out
- Using an eco-friendly spray wipe down all the surfaces top to bottom
- Pull out any shelves or containers and give them a good clean and put them back
- Is there anything that you’ve pulled out that needs to be washed? No point putting it back into a clean cupboard or shelf if its dirty.
- Is there are any equipment that you just don’t use any longer and could sell or donate?
- Is there any equipment that requires repairs or has lost pieces? Write a list of these things so that you can do some research into getting repairs done or finding a lost piece.
- Do you need any containers or additional storage?
Please remember to declutter with thoughtful purpose and those things you no longer need could you donate, drop of at the charity shop? Is there somewhere you can donate the non-expired food to?
Storage Solutions
Now that you have covered your kitchen floor in food, kitchen equipment, pots and pans and crockery, let’s think of ways we can put it all back so that the cupboards remain decluttered, easily accessible and where you can actually see what you have in each.
We will continue with suggesting eco-friendly options and remember, hold off on buying anything storage wise until you have minimalised your space and decluttered. That way you can really see what it is you need. These are also just some ideas out of the plethora that is out there – there is also the budget to consider. If there is a storage idea you love but can’t afford quite yet, add it to the budget and make that purchase when you can afford it!
Pantry / Fridge
Glass jars!! They don’t all have to match, but glass is the way to go for Pantry storage to be friendly to our environment, see the levels of what we have in one glance, moths can’t eat through glass to get into our food, nor does it leach any toxins into what we have stored. It’s a no brainer! Top it off with a metal, bamboo or food grade silicone lid and your sorted.
For the fridge, large jars may not work if you have a small fridge or lots to put into your big one. The alternative here could be you can find glass containers with bamboo or silicone lids (they freeze well to) or use reusable silicone stretch lids (an excellent alterative to using glad wrap / cling film). They are also easy to wash/store and can be used with multiple sized containers.
To label your new collection of glass storage, you can use chalk marker or write up some labels. If you have some moolah set aside, you can buy or pay for custom labels – otherwise get creative…and the kids involved, that way they might just put things back in the right place if they have ownership over labelling the contents of the fridge and pantry.
Wire or woven baskets are a great alternative to plastic bins. They maintain air flow around fruit or vege and they also look a bit spiffy. Silicon zip lock bags are another resourceful way to contain any food that requires an airtight seal, especially for in the fridge and can be stacked side by side.
Don’t underestimate a good lazy Susan (or turntable as they are sometimes categorised) in the pantry for sauces and dressings that don’t need refrigerating. This storage solution also works well in the fridge where space is at a premium. With a quick spin you can grab the item you want with ease. Kmart have introduced a bamboo one as an alternative to the plastic ones that are already on the market.
Kitchen
Some of us are not blessed with newly renovated kitchens with wonderful pull-out shelving or turntables in corner cupboards, we have to make do with whatever we have. This means that we need to make sure we prioritise the space we have to the things that are used often.
Have you been able to cull anything that is no longer of service to you? Hopefully just seeing what you have when it’s out of the cupboards has given you some clarity on what you use often and what you use rarely.
When setting up your counter tops, think about the way you use your kitchen. What is the flow of daily life? Are having the kettle and toaster next to each the best way to arrange things?
Grouping things can create more space so have a look at what you own and see if there are any ways to group what you have. Lids and containers come to mind as do any attachments for mixers and food processors. These can be put together in a wire or woven basket or you can repurpose boxes as was suggested in our previous challenge Weekend One: Narnia and other bedtime stories – (femmefinance.co.nz). Give the box a coat of paint and a label and you have a cheap storage solution. Over the door organisers are useful racks to incorporate into your kitchen. Baking trays, cutting boards and cleaning equipment can be kept here giving up much needed counter or cupboard space.
I think we would all agree that the corner shelved cupboard is the hardest to reach into the depths of. We would suggest putting your larger pots and any equipment that you rarely use in this space. Keep these cupboards simple and clutter free so when you do have to delve in, things are easier to get to.
Hopefully our plans and ideas have helped as you venture into challenge two. Have you come across any ingenious storage ideas for the Kitchen spaces? We would love to know about these so that we can share them with our Femme Finance followers, so get in touch!
Good luck as you wade the depths of what for most may be a big job this weekend. We are there with you, stepping over the plates and bags of rice to get to the fridge, to throw out what was once a bag of spinach.
We will see you for the next Declutter Challenge next week which will be the Garage and Bathroom…