Kitchen Clutter Bust

Last week I helped a Skype client clutter bust cabinets in her kitchen. I chose that as the place to begin because when she described the situation in her kitchen, she winced.

The body doesn't lie when it comes to clutter.

I had my client go through the contents of her cabinets piece-by-piece. She was surprised to find that she and her family never or no longer used at least half of the food and kitchen supplies.

One of the items, something that was used for making yogurt, she called, "The bain of my existance!" She wasn't sure what to do with the item. I said anything that hurts you in some way is clutter. You can try and rationalize its place in your life. But you'll only feel okay when you let it go. She put the item in the charity container.

I encourage you to take a look at the items in your kitchen. That includes both food and cooking and cleaning supplies. I've seen a lot of clients assume they need most everything, but then upon taking a look are surprised at how much of it is no longer a part of their life.

That's because there are a lot of hiding spaces in a kitchen. I remember once working with a client and we took all her cookware out of the cabinets and put them on her living room floor. She had a big living room and the cookware filled the entire floor space. She couldn't believe what she saw. She realized she only used about ten of the items. She let the rest go.

It helps to take all the items out of the cupboard, cabinet, or shelves and put them on the counter. You get more clarity when the items you are clutter busting are in a different than usual environment. Then go through one item at a time, asking yourself, "Do I use and enjoy this, or not?" If you don't answer, "Yes," then consider the item clutter. The feeling of freedom and peace of mind you are seeking comes when you let go of what's no longer a part of your life.

If you'd like some assistance with your kitchen clutter bust, I'd be happy to help. You can reach me at brooks@clutterbusting.com.