10 Kitchen Items You Should Ditch Now, Say Experts

Out with the old.

I can relate to this sentiment as well; however, speaking for myself, my small kitchen undoubtedly stands out as the most disorganized part of my home. Despite being an avid chef who enjoys cooking, I tend to keep numerous miscellaneous items around. kitchen devices and food storage containers that I rarely use, but could potentially need down the line.

"You wish to release kitchen items that do not align with your present circumstances," he clarifies. Dana K. White a Dallas, Texas-based organization and clutter removal specialist and writer of Getting Organized for the Rest of Us: 100 Practical Tips to Maintain Control Over Any Household Did you experience a period of baking or one focused on making candies? Once these pastimes have lost their appeal, remove the associated specialized tools to make room for fresh endeavors.

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I imagine you might have some useless things cluttering up your kitchen as well. Tossing these out will free up room in your house and also lighten your mental load.

Here, I've spoken with two organization specialists about the items in your kitchen that you might want to discard right away.

Meet Our Expert

• Dana K. White is an organizing and decluttering specialist based in Dallas, Texas.
• Julie Peak is a professional organizer specializing in decluttering based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is also the founder of The Precise Place.

Expired or Unused Spices

Discard outdated or unneeded spices by reviewing their expiration dates twice annually.

Unutilized Cups, Drinking Vessels, and H2O Containers

"A common issue I encounter in numerous kitchens involves an abundance of extra water bottles and coffee mugs — how many do you actually require?" asks Julie Peak, a professional organizer, clutter specialist, and founder of a company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Precise Place “Below is a helpful equation to figure out how many mugs to retain: Multiply the total number of individuals using mugs or water bottles by the quantity of mugs each uses per day. Then multiply this result by one plus the frequency with which you run your dishwasher in terms of days. This will equal the baseline count of mugs required daily." Should frequent hosting be part of your routine, Peak recommends including extra mugs to cater to visitors adequately.”

Unused Dishes

If you have dirty dishes waiting to be cleaned, check what’s left in the cupboard and declutter from there," advises White. "These items are likely ones you haven’t wanted to use, and thinking about them this way might make you recognize they’re your least preferred choices.

Method for Keeping Food Storage Containers Organized

Eliminate your complex organization method for keeping track of the tops of your food storage containers. "Instead, store the containers complete with their lids," advises White. "This way, you can't save as many, but utilizing them becomes simpler, resulting in noticeably fewer instances of spoiled leftovers."

Knife Block

Knife blocks are large and occupy precious countertop space. Additionally, they can be difficult to clean and disinfect. Rather than using them, Peak recommends storing your knives In a drawer or by making use of vertical space and mounting a magnetic knife strip on your kitchen wall to hang your knives.

Expired Foods

Browse through your pantry and discard anything past its expiration date. "This might appear basic and self-evident, yet numerous individuals delay doing a thorough cleaning, thinking they'll tackle it when they have more free time," notes White. However, simply getting rid of old items can instantly improve both the appearance and functionality of the area.

Slicers

Avocado slicers, egg slicers, or strawberry slicers are tasks that can easily be handled using a knife. "I believe two types of fruit slicers worth keeping are for apples and pineapples, though this depends on how frequently you consume these fruits," clarifies Peak.

Specialty Cookware or Appliances

Items such as a small waffle maker, popcorn machine, ice cream maker, or sandwich grill are not essential and tend to occupy too much space for their utility. "These gadgets are marketed as tools to simplify meal preparation, yet they’re not necessary ,” explains Peak.

Outgrown Baby Items

"It can be tough to acknowledge that your little one has grown up, but it's necessary to either throw away or donate their outdated baby bottles, cups, plates, bibs, and utensils," advises Peak.

Spiralizer

These aren't essential for making vegetable noodles or spiralized vegetables. Rather, Peak recommends using a knife, potato peeler, or cheese grater instead.

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Read the initial article on Southern Living