For many of us, the kitchen is the most important room in the house – and the messiest. Caroline Thain sought expert advice on how to keep clutter under control and make this important space look better than ever.
Decluttering queens Alison Wildon and Karen Francis, owners of new St Albans-based home organisation company Life Works, share their top tips for streamlining your kitchen and creating a more useable space.
Kill the clutter
Tackling clutter not only means more space and less hassle - your kitchen will be easier to navigate and find things you actually need once you have chucked stuff you never use.
According to Alison and Karen, you should throw away extra mugs, take away menus, outdated medication, plastic cutlery, containers without lids, old party supplies, cleaning products you don’t like, duplicate kitchen utensils, spare measuring cups or spoons and mason jars you know you won’t need.
Create zones
“Designate different areas of the kitchen for different functions, such as a breakfast zone with bread bin, kettle, toaster and cereal in one place to make mornings run more smoothly,” says Alison. Keep the table free of junk so there’s space for relaxing with a coffee and magazine, or for children to read or do homework.
Tackle admin
Have a stylish filing cabinet with a section for every family member for all mounting paperwork – and a pin board or magnetic wall for upcoming invites or pending tasks – to keep surfaces free.
Start sorting regularly
“Go through cupboards quarterly, if possible, throwing away out of date produce; check what’s missing and add to a running shopping list. Clear out drawers and clean cupboards whilst doing this,” says Karen.
Storage galore
“When reorganising junk drawers, add small containers and put batteries, pens, keys, phone chargers and other bits in these,” says Alison. “It then becomes second nature and makes items easy to find.”
They also recommend organising pans, tins and fruit and veg in drawers and using tops of cupboards for extra storage, keeping things in airtight containers. “I keep all sharp art tools on the top of cupboards in lovely tins!” Alison adds.
Consider getting help
Karen says: “With all decluttering, it helps to have someone assist who has no emotional attachment to the items. A little bit of thoughtful reorganisation can go a long way.”
Boost your sales prospects
Another benefit of a clean and tidy kitchen is that it makes your home more sellable - Harrison Murray and Nottingham Estate Agency have noticed that clutter puts people off.
Head of estate agency Su Snaith said: “It really is a case of different strokes for different folks but the common theme seems to be cleanliness and no clutter. Potential buyers want to be greeted with a home they can imagine themselves living in.
“A messy and untidy home could be an instant turn off, so give your home a fresh clean look and smell and declutter where necessary – then you have a great starting point.”
To find out more about Life Works and the services they provide, visit: www.facebook.com/thoughtfulreorganisation
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