Decrapification: The kitchen

Hellooooo there! First things first � the randomly drawn winner of the $50 HomeGoods gift card is Wanda from Bunco Babes! Wanda, email me your address and I�ll get that sent out to you!

I know I�ve been going on and on about the big boy room and I am REALLY hoping to show you this week. (Finishing touches are SO close to done!!) But even when I�m working on a cutie patootie room for my cute patoot, I still can�t help but declutter and organize around the joint.  ;)

It still amazes me to no end that I can go through a space once, and still find more CRAP just a couple months later. I don�t know if I missed it the first time, was just lazy, or as time goes on and more comes into the house, I feel the need decrapify even more stuff.

I just went through the kitchen a couple months ago, but this week I found more crapwehaven�tused for YEARS:

Travel coffee mug for coffee we don�t drink?

Check.

Disney cup that has leaked every. single. time. we�ve used it?

Check.

Kitty treats that are healthy so the cats won�t touch them?

Check.

The other stuff is random things that I haven�t needed for a very long time � odd bowls, containers without lids, a steamer we haven�t used for seven years. (Really.)

I use the same �rules� for items around the house that I use for clothes. What�s the rule � if you haven�t worn it in six months it�s out? Well, the rules are the same for stuff � just longer. I go by a year or two for kitchen stuff. (Or seven. Whatever.)

It depends on how expensive it was to begin with � but seriously, if we NEVER use it, WHY am I keeping it? Ugh!

One of our cabinets in the kitchen hold a weird mix of stuff � medicine, candy and birthday/party stuff:

The yellow baskets hold medicine/vitamins and were dollar store finds. The candy jars have lids I�m painting (for two months now) and were from Goodwill. The little gumball machine with the Halloween candy in it (?!) was a Goodwill find too.

I went through the medicine this week and ALL of this had expired:

Most of them were close to empty, except the teething tablets, that we haven�t used in two years. (Again -- ?!)

There�s a few tricks I use to keep things organized in the kitchen. I keep baking items in one drawer, randoms in another:

I got so tired of trying to find measuring spoon in the sea of utensils, I ended up separating them and it�s SO much easier.

Our cabinets had a couple drawer organizers that came with them, but I find I can fit a TON more in the drawer without the organizer:

It�s not pretty, but it works!

I�d love to buy those fab cabinet/pull out/organizer thingies someday, but until then, I use a dollar store display to keep pans and cutting boards where I want them:

These are used to display their plates, and on a trip in one day, I saw an empty one � I asked the manager if I could buy it and he told me I could take it home. For fareee! It never hurts to ask!

I secured it to the bottom of the cabinet so it won�t move around:

A free solution. You can�t beat that baby!

I use a pot rack for large pots and pan storage. They aren�t for everyone, but I do love ours:

I got this one half off at Hob Lob years ago, and it saves a TON of cabinet space. (Just make sure you hang it high enough so it doesn�t block your view!)

I use the space above the microwave for Bub stuff that makes messes � bubbles, water toys, play dough:

All things we do in the kitchen or outside so it�s a convenient spot for them. And he can�t get the bubbles out himself.  :) (Translation � get bubbles out himself and spill them everywhere.) 

There are items I�ve moved down just so he can reach them though � I�ve put all of his plates/bowls/napkins in the lazy susan so he can get them himself:

He love, love, LOVES to help now, so this is a good way for him to do that.

There are a few things we had installed when we built our house that I now know I could never eva live without. The appliance �garage� is one:

My heart goes pitter pat for this thing. I hide our blender, toaster and can opener inside. Which means we have ZERO appliances on the counter. BLISS!

I had tip out trays installed in the kitchen and the master bathroom:

OH how they ROCK. Now you can buy these in the store and it�s easy peasy to install them. I don�t know the price (share if you�ve bought them!) � but they are my secret storage space for sponges and cleaning supplies and toothbrushes and toothpaste (in the bathroom of course!)

I�ve told you all before that when we picked out our upgrades on this house all those years ago, I was hyperventilating and itching because hubby kept adding things like �surround sound� and �security system� and all I heard was �money� and �more money.�

Now, of course I�m glad he did add those things, and one of my very favorites he insisted on was our trash compactor:

It is the shizzle!! ;) I mean, really, it is. We have one bag of trash a week. Even when we have a party. Cross my heart, pinky swear. SO worth the money!!

And the best part is we don�t have to worry about a spot for a trash can or smell stinky trash. Ewweee!

I love our decrapified, organized kitchen:

It is getting a mini redo this summer though. Maybe not mini. A little more than a mini. I�m going to brighten the place up and I cannot wait!! (Nooo� I am not painting cabinets.) I don�t think.

No. I�m not.

Probably.

Seriously � I think that may put hubby over the edge. It takes a lot and that would do it.  ;)

Any great decluttering tips you follow for your kitchen? Found an organizing gadget that helps? Share with us please!

If you want to see my decluttered pantry:

Click here.