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The One-Month Experiment Guaranteed To Clear Your Kitchen Clutter

The One-Month Experiment Guaranteed To Clear Your Kitchen Clutter
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OWN

Kitchens have the tendency to become overrun with small appliances, pots and pans, cookbooks and various culinary gadgets, but it's what you don't see that might actually be causing your biggest clutter issue.

Hidden away in kitchen drawers are often piles of items that you may or may not use. A garlic peeler, five different tongs, a slotted spatula -- do you really need them or are they just taking up space on the off-chance that you might find them useful one day? To answer that very question, organizing expert Peter Walsh has a super simple experiment that anyone can do. All it requires is a cardboard box and one months' time.

"Grab a cardboard box or any suitable container," Walsh instructs in the above video. "Take all of those gizmos out of the drawers. All of them."

Put each item into the cardboard box, and then go about your regular daily business for the next 28-30 days -- with just one minor change.

"For the next month, every time you use one of these items, put it back in the drawer," Walsh says. "At the end of the four weeks, whatever's still in the box, you should consider getting rid of, because you're probably never going to use it."

Of course, there is the occasional exception like a turkey baster or other seasonal item. Otherwise, though, this experiment is one of the most no-fuss ways to manage clutter.

"It's a simple, easy technique to get your kitchen organized," Walsh says.

Bonus tip: When it comes to the "one day I might need it" mentality, learn how to tell the difference between out-of-control clutter and practical planning for the future.

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Before You Go

7 Kitchen Hacks to Maximize Space
Give Every Cabinet Door a Dual Purpose(01 of07)
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Stick a few adhesive hooks to the inside of each one to hang measuring cups, oven mitts or stand-mixer attachments, like Coordinately Yours blogger Julie Blanner did. You could also add a few adhesive plastic folders—the same kind you'd find at an office-supply store—to hold Tupperware lids, or attach a file organizer to keep cutting boards upright and orderly. (credit:Julie Blanner)
Turn the Side of Your Fridge into a Command Center(02 of07)
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Charlotte Smith, who runs the lifestyle blog Ciburbanity, created an organizational hub to make getting ready each morning easier. Four sturdy wood pockets organize bills, magazines and other mail, while a dry-erase board lets everyone see upcoming meetings at a glance. A plastic brochure caddy is just the right size for storing grocery-list notepads, and a mason jar attached to the wall means you're never rummaging through a junk drawer for a pen. (credit:Charlotte Smith/Ciburbanity)
Take Out the Trash (Bags)(03 of07)
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A cardboard box of garbage bags can easily take up half of the under-sink cabinet space. Free up some room by mounting a paper-towel holder to the inside of one cabinet, then use it to hang a roll of trash bags. (credit:Samantha Pregenzer of Simply Organized)
Rethink Even Your Most Awkward Spaces(04 of07)
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It seems like a magician's trick: Take a six-inch gap between the fridge and the wall, and with a little DIY know-how, double your pantry space. Mallory Nikolaus and Savannah Kokaliares show you how to do exactly that with their step-by-step guide to creating a pull-out shelving unit. It's just the right size for storing canned vegetables, soups, jars of peanut butter and spices. (credit: ClassyClutter.net)
Make Cleanup a Little Easier(05 of07)
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Blanner recommends taking half an hour to sort your supplies into labeled bins: everyday cleaners, dishwashing goods, specialty cleaners and miscellaneous. You can easily pull out the bin you need for the task at hand—saving time—and keep tabs on what you actually have, avoiding that whole three-half-empty-bottles-of-Windex thing (and thus saving you money). (credit:Julie Blanner)
Claim New Counter Space(06 of07)
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No matter the size of your kitchen, you can always use an extra prep area. This cutting board fits right on top of the sink and includes a collapsible colander, so you can chop and rinse vegetables all in one place. (credit:Dexas International, Ltd.)
...And Clear Off Even More(07 of07)
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Skip the traditional large-knife block and hang a magnetic strip on the wall to store your knives. (If you have tiled walls, consider a compact butcher's block that attaches to the bottom of your upper cabinets, like the one Etch Design Lab's Kate Sable used.) (credit:Kate Sable of Etch Design Lab)
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