Most of us have numerous items stored in our kitchens which could be tossed with no great loss. How about food? Foods you experimented with and hated, foods that you thought you would try, but never did, foods past their expiry date, can all be got rid of and never be missed. Sometimes we keep worn-out equipment or supplies long after they have stopped being useful - stained towels and cleaning cloths, and cleaning materials which are dried up or unusable are good examples. Pots and pans with wobbly handles, burned-out areas, or cracked enamel are also good candidates for the junk heap.

Other stuff just doesn't belong in the kitchen, especially if we're short of space there. Cleaning supplies you use in other rooms, stuff belonging to other people or other rooms, and supplies used only for the holidays could all be stored somewhere else to free up kitchen space. Unusual equipment you haven't used for more than a year also comes under this heading: if you really will use it again some day, store it somewhere else, otherwise: get rid of it!

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Then there's the stuff that just seems to collect when our backs are turned.

Gadgets and small appliances are a common problem here. Have you got small appliances you have never used, or used only one time and then never again? Or that don't work and almost certainly will never be fixed? How about "As seen on TV" gadgets that never worked as you'd expected?

Many of us also have many extras of stuff such as can openers, utensils, china and flatware: pick the ones you love the most to use, get rid of the stuff you really will never use, and stash the "just in case" or "guest" pieces outside the kitchen.

Oh, and how can we overlook the plastic tubs (and their lids, which never seem to match up) and glass jars that we hold on to because they are SO USEFUL! Absolutely, they are, but how many dozen do you really need? More are arriving all the time!

Sadly, many of us also have shelves full of recipe cards and cookbooks we never look inside. The photos were - and still are! - so alluring, but we just never had time for making the meals. Will you - ever? No? Then probably someone else should have the opportunity to benefit from them.

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With all that gone, perhaps you now have space to breathe and move in your kitchen. Going forward, try not to let the clutter creep in again, as it wants to do. It's much quicker to organize the stuff you really need and use, once the unwanted stuff is out of the way.

More on decluttering and organizing the kitchen

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