When it comes to downsizing for your retirement, one of the busiest and most crowded spots in your home is the kitchen.
Pots, pans, blenders, appliances, utensils, and whatever else you have piled into your cabinets and drawers can be consolidated and downsized before you move into an independent living space.
Golden Rules for Decluttering Your Kitchen
- Think practically (what’s useful/working)
- Don’t keep too many spares (whisks, spatulas, etc.)
- Consider what you really need vs. want
- Maximize your storage space
- Keep your food where you can see what you have available
- Start with one drawer at a time
- Minimize or get rid of single-use items (pasta machine)
- Start a donation bin
Where to Start?
Find the items that take up the most space and think about what items you use and don’t use, what’s necessary and unnecessary.
1. Plastic Containers
Plastic containers are great, but they can really stack up and limit your kitchen space fast. Using a few glass containers offer up a great alternative because, unlike plastic, glass doesn’t stink with lingering food smells — and it’s eco-friendly.
2. One & Done Kitchen Tools
Single-use kitchen tools.
You may have been guilty of impulse-buying kitchen gadgets “as seen on TV” only to find, shortly after, that they’re not necessary and serve to clutter your kitchen space.
If it’s not necessary, put it in a donation or for-sale bin. Gadgets like garlic presses, pastry crimpers, quesadilla makers, bear paws, and pizza scissors are just a few examples of items you can donate or resell.
Be sure to ask yourself whether or not you really need that single-use item, the hotdog cooker.
3. Too Many Versions of Kitchen Items
Duplicate Tools.
If your kitchen is like most, items like coffee mugs, spoons, spatulas, whisks, and Tupperware might be strewn all over the place. If you have more than one or two versions of an item, it’s just taking up more space. Get rid of it by either donating or selling it. It’ll make your eventual move to a retirement home that much easier.
A helpful tip is to organize all of your items by finding a designated spot for certain things: a shelf for coffee mugs, a cabinet for pots and pans, and a drawer for utensils.
4. Unnecessary Matching Dish Sets
Separate Matching Sets.
Used dishes don’t have much resale value. Taking out the dishes you want from the matching set and donating whatever is left is a great strategy for chipping away at the bulk of your items.
Be sure to keep your favorites close by and separate out the dish sets that you no longer need or want.
5. Miscellaneous Countertop Appliances
Countertop Appliances.
They take up significant space in the kitchen. They’re often difficult to store and tedious to maintain. These could be anything from air fryers, food processors, espresso machines, bread machines, ice cream makers, or soda makers.
When it comes to these kitchen appliances, you’ll really have to ask yourself how often you use them, whether you’d buy them today, and are they really that useful to you.
Transition into a Retirement Home with Ivy Knoll
Our friendly staff at Ivy Knoll will help you make the transition to independent living. We offer a personal interview as well as an in-person walkthrough tour of the premises to give a good look at the atmosphere and living space. Call today for more information: (859) 491-3800