#kitchen declutter

[reluctanthousekeeper]

Konmari Kitchen Komono #2

For phase 2 of the kitchen komono, I tackled the other two miscellany cupboards.  The under sink cupboard and the (hopefully titled) baking cupboard.  In the latter, I had tried to combine all of the baking tins and other equipment, but (as you can see below) it wasn’t really working.

After I pulled everything out of the cupboard, and discarding quite a few unused baking tins (I had duplicates, I have a bundt insert I had never used, I had cookie cutters that just didn’t work properly) I realised that they would be better off elsewhere.  Having made space in the pan cupboard for the baking trays last time, I set about making space for the cake tins and other baking paraphernalia in the same cupboard.  This involved removing all of my electrical kitchenware, which it turns out fitted perfectly into the vacated cupboard.

Pans and plates had already been whittled down to the good stuff, when I started Konmari before, so I just needed to rearrange them.  I condensed them all into one cupboard, with our everyday plates on the top, and our special occasion-ware on the bottom.  We use all of our plates on the regular, not just for guests but to make a Sunday Dinner, or a special meal feel a bit more special.  We have everyday plates because a) we’re clumsy and b) I really love all of them, but don’t have full sets of anything.

Next was the under-sink cupboard.  Even with the baking trays removed it was a MESS.  I pulled everything else, threw out all of the almost-but-not quite finished cleaning supplies, the hundreds of damp rags and the cutlery tray which we didn’t use. 

I then sorted the remainder into like-things and put them back in the baskets (which were already there!  Buried and collapsed!).  Laundy liquid, diswasher tablets and everyday cleaning sprays are at the front for ease of access. 

All this took much less time than I thought, so I had time to go through my kitchen drawers.  I was pretty ruthless with them, chucking out excessive duplicate tools, but they actually weren’t in too bad shape.  Our cups I had already been through, and we didn’t have a problem with glasses (they had been naturally whittled down by clumsiness). 

I am so much happier with how my kitchen works with these cupboards sorted out.  Now all I have left to do is food cupboards, and I will have a fully functioning kitchen!

[reluctanthousekeeper]

Konmari Paperwork & Kitchen Komono #1 Tupperware Edition

Paperwork was super easy this time around, as I’d thrown out almost everything the first time round.  It was comforting to know that I hadn’t needed any of the stuff I’d ‘erroneously’ purged 4 years ago.  I emptied out our concertina file (which had got shuffled over time), and the drawer that had been serving as our inbox for a year.  Chucked out anything non-vital (almost everything) and put everything else into a box file.  I keep a letter divider on top of this (leftover from a previous tidying attempt) to serve as an inbox for anything that needs to be actioned.

I was super eager to start on the kitchen a soon as I reached the komono stage.  In particular I knew that the tupperware cupboard was in need of attention.  When we moved house last year, my mum was amazed at the sheer quantity of tupperware containers we owned - “why do you need all of this?” she exclaimed - and I explained how vital it all was, of course.

Fast forward a year, and every morning I am swearing as something topples out of the cupboard and into the dog’s water bowl.  I was finally ready to deal with the monster I had created.

First job was, of course, to pull everything out of the cupboard and take a look at what we had.  I separated it off into tupperware, other food storage and other cooking items.  My mum was right about the tupperware.  I started by discarding all the rubbish quality stuff - we had about 25 that we’d clearly been saving from previous takeaways, those with missing or warped lids (some of them weren’t quite as microwave safe as advertised).  I kept 2 medium and one large rectangular boxes, 2 each of the small and smaller ones handy for snacks and sauces as well as some character snack boxes and a book shaped lunchbox which I particularly love.

I then went through the other food containers and cooking equipment and made sure that I wanted to keep it all, nesting a round bowl, into a round tupperware, into a round cake holder to save space.  When I finished, I had a spare shelf, so I moved a bunch of other miscellaneous cooking equipment out of the pan cupboard onto the bottom shelf.

Now, the cupboard opens without anything falling out, I don’t have to ratch around for the “good” ones on a busy morning, and I’ve cleared enough space in my pan cupboard for the baking trays (which were living in the cupboard under the sink - don’t judge me!)

[iamnotaminimalist]

Entry 78

In the end, Partner didn't want the simpler multicooker either. We left it outside (someone took it for themselves within the afternoon) , and he went and bought himself his dream appliance: a single induction cooktop. All out pots and pans were induction-compatible already so it worked out great. And me? Without a multicooker, I stick mostly to the toaster oven and the microwave when I need to whip up a quick meal for Son. He doesn't mind either way as long as he is fed.

Peace and love.

[iamnotaminimalist]

Entry 72

I spent a lot of time agonizing about the 'bad vibes' in the kitchen. Something had been bothering me there, but I didn't know what. And then it hit me - the cupboard where we store the imperishables really needed a once-over. I tidied it and cleaned the shelves. Found an egg-brushing tool that somehow disappeared behind bottles of date honey. Also found an almost-expired box of beans, and because I found it on time, it ended up as dinner and not as food waste :)

Today my partner decided to say goodbye to his two-burner portable electric cooktop, because he really only uses one burner and prefers to use the propane camping stove over the electric anyway.

We will also sell our fancy-schmancy multicooker and "downgrade" to a simpler, smaller model - but one whose controls I actually understand and can use.

We're still drowning a little in baby equipment, but we'll be fine. One camping crib (we had two for reasons previously detailed) was already handed over to a couple with a newborn, so that's a relief. I'm hesitant to give away/resell the nursing pillow and the high chair because my partner does hope for another child, even though I'm not 100% keen on the idea.

Maybe I'll warm up to it with time.

Peace and Love.

[iamnotaminimalist]

Entry 65

It is time for spring cleaning. And for us, that means going deeper into parts of the home that are usually left untouched. In this case, all the kitchen cabinets. We went over our pots and pans (decided to keep all of them). Gave the spice cabinet a much needed declutter. Found a lot of glassware we don't actually want (so off to glass recycling it went). My partner decided to say goodbye to mugs, because cups without handles are easier to store (they stack) and he isn't usually bothered by a drink being too hot to hold. I decided to bid farewell to a few curved plates, as they fit poorly in the dishwasher and we have a LOT of completely flat plates that don't have this issue.

Tomorrow we'll try to do the same with all the open storage in the living room. It's a bit out of control.

By now, I've developed a sense for what might actually be useful to have around vs. what isn't very useful but I tell myself it is because I feel bad about tossing it. One of the things that proved themselves useful recently is a set of reusable can covers. It's a simple product: a set of plastic lids in diameters that fit the most common diameters of food cans. For the longest time it just sat next to our cutlery in the drawer, unused, until some time last week when my partner brought home a can of palm oil to cook with (do not ask me why. I try not to interfere with his ideas when it comes to the kitchen). So he used some of it, and then asked me if we have a container to decant the product into, because the can isn't exactly resealable.

"Ohoho, but what if I told you it is?" I asked, pulling the appropriate can lid from the drawer as I did.

You might think keeping "unnecessary" gadgets around runs counter to the stated purpose of decluttering, but that's not true. As long as you know what function every object in your home serves and all your gadgets are in working condition and accessible to use when the need arises, it's fine. Having too many of these things and being unable to keep track of them is where the problem starts.

Peace and love.

[iamnotaminimalist]

Entry 43

We have a bit of a plastic food box collection at home, from all the times we bought food from a catering business. They're a bit flimsy, as they were intended for single use and we milk them for multiple uses. I went over the boxes today and spotted deep cracks in some of them, so into the recycling the unusable boxes went. As I tossed them into the bin, I remembered we had a few glass food storage containers as well, somewhere on a high shelf, and decided it was time to bring them out into everyday use rather than let them sit around in the cupboard as clutter. We can't exactly take them to the catering business (they deduct the weight of their proprietary boxes from the final bill, which they can't do with other containers they don't have the stats for), but we can use them to store home-cooked food, which my partner prepares quite often :) We'll save the single-use plastic boxes for when we do go to the catering business, discarding them gradually as they succumb to wear and tear.

Peace and love.

[iamnotaminimalist]

Entry 38

Yesterday began my invasion into my partner's domain (the kitchen). I decluttered the tea drawer and spice cabinet, throwing out expired things and rearranging what's left, with his supervision.

Today I did the same for the dry ingredients cabinet (but on my own), the first aid kit and the office supplies drawers.

I also went over my sweaters and my hats, and found a few items I was willing to let go... and one that got promoted from "folded away" to "hanger space" :) There's no bigger joy (in the context of housekeeping) than the feeling of giving something you truly love the spotlight!

I also finished up the bottle of pink hair dye. Next time I buy dye, it'll be my signature color (Directions, Alpine Green, for anyone curious).

Unemployment is really giving me the time to help get my home together. I'm truly blessed to have the space to do so, with a partner providing for me as well as unemployment benefits.

Peace and Love.

[iamnotaminimalist]

Entry 10

Today I went over our thermal drinkware. One thermal cup wasn't very well-made and is worn out, so I have no choice but to throw it away. Another thermal cup looks to be in ok condition, so we're keeping it. A small vacuum flask, also in good condition, we keep. And a large vacuum flask that is in good condition but is too big for our needs, we will lovingly give to our friend who is always brewing himself some fun teas for the road.

Peace and Love and Hugs in a Mug.