Simple Tasks - Kitchen Week

*Welcome to this week's Simple Task assignments! A Simple Task is a quick decluttering job that only takes 5-15 minutes. It is meant to work into your daily life so you can declutter without being overwhelmed. Categories change every week, so jump in wherever you are comfortable! Keep it simple, and be happy!* 

Welcome to my new format for Simple Tasks! I hope this simplifies the work for everyone. Starting today, I'll be posting 3-4 details Simple Tasks. These are not meant to be done all at once! Choose one a day so you can give it your full attention, and so it can blend in seamlessly to your regular cleaning. The most successful methods for decluttering should relieve your stress, not cause more of it!


Before you get started, you need to establish what you will do with the items you declutter. Plan to donate? Grab a box or bag and label it Donation. When that container is full, don't forget to actually donate it! Also check your trashcan so you have room to trash what can't be used any longer. Don't donate your trash. And if you plan on recycling, you can bag your recyclables in leftover grocery store bags. Now let's get started!

Serving utensils are necessary if you host family dinners.

Serving Utensils - Serving utensils are one thing that some people use all the time, some use once a year, and some wonder why they have them at all. The important thing to remember is to consider if you use them and how you use them. I use mine occasionally, but I need them all about 6 times a year for family dinners, so I have to keep them around. Check your utensils for damage (cracked plastic, warping). If you are going for a streamlined look when you host dinners, look for odds and ends that don't match. If you can get by without them, let them go.

Wooden Utensils - Treated correctly, wooden utensils can last a long time. But being subjected to heat and moisture can be tough on on wooden utensils, especially those manufactured more recently because they use lighter woods that aren't meant to be durable. Check your utensils for splintering and mold. Once mold gets into wood, it is impossible to completely remove. Toss anything you don't use or that isn't usable. Because of the difficulty in cleaning, I don't recommend donating these.

My kids each have two cups a water bottle.

Kids' Cups - Kids' cups tend to multiply! In our house, everyone gets a fresh cup first thing in the morning, and we keep that cup all day long, rinsing as needed. This cuts down on the number of cups we need. With kids, it is also important to remember that certain types of plastic can leech endocrine disruptors. I recommend only keeping those labeled as #5 plastic. If you don't want to use plastic at all, metal cups are a great alternative! Recycle any plastic cups you want to toss because donation centers get overrun with these.

Water Bottles  - Just like kids' cups, these tend to multiply! My husband brings them home from work promotions, and we get them when we run 5Ks. Since we already have reusable metal water bottles, we donate any new ones we receive. When you declutter yours, decide which ones you will use based on size and material. Recycle plastic bottles that are warped, cracked, or discolored. If you have new bottles that you don't want, and they are #5 plastic, donate them to your local homeless shelter so the homeless can have an easy way to refill at public fountains.

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Feel the need to keep on decluttering and streamline your kitchen? Check out my comprehensive Kitchen Decluttering Checklist! It is detailed to help you declutter the 7 major types of kitchen items. Don't want to keep going? Don't worry! We'll be back to the kitchen area soon with more Simple Tasks!

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