Creating a minimalist kitchen

I always thought the kitchen would be the easiest to declutter and make minimal. For some this isn't true. Most things can be stored in cabinets and in the fridge.

1. Keep the counter clean and free of items on it. My aunt would stack cereal boxes and bags of chips on the counter. Terrible. I put my cereal boxes in the fridge. It keep bugs from getting inside. Then the bags of chips can go where the cereal would normally go. (in some cabinet above the stove I think).

2. Salt and pepper shakers should be small and out of the way. Perhaps on the dinner table. I don't have a dinner table so I keep mine on a little shelf above the sink. I used to have a pair of salt and pepper shakers on a dish. I got rid of the dish and replaced the salt and pepper shakers with a pair of Ying Yang Salt & Pepper Shaker . The two join together taking up less space and has a little dish it sits on. Perfect.




3. Clear the fridge. Not the inside but the outside. Keep your magnets down to a few. I pity you if you have those alphabet letters on your fridge. They are cool but very clutter. Get rid of those. Just a few magnets. I have about 5 and I keep emergency numbers stuck to the fridge door. Also a few groceries receipts to keep track of my spending. And a picture of a hot guy to greet me in the morning. Any extra magnets I stuck on the side of the fridge where you can't see it because its next to a wall.

4. Keep the stove top clear. Put pans in the cabinets. And how many pans do you need? A small one, a large one, and a frying pan. Anything other kinds? You don't need ten different pans.

5. Keep the sink empty. I wash my dishes by hand right after I eat. Then out them away. So the sink stays clean and empty. If you don't have time then rinse the dish and put it in the dishwasher. Don't stack dirty dishes in the the sink.

6. I got rid of my microwave. I started making funny noises. So I took it to a recycling center. I decided to not get another one and save some money. I did want to get a nice small one. Maybe black or white but I liked having the space too. Now I just cook with the stove. How zen.

7. Keep that floor clean. No rugs in the kitchen. Maybe a little mat in front of the sink. Keep the dogs food and water out of the way. Maybe put it in the dinning room. Have a little trash can under the sink. Don't forget to change it out often. I have never had a trash can in the kitchen. I just hang a trash bag from one of the drawer handles and take it out when its full.

8. Most kitchens have no room for artwork on the walls. Usually there is a wall opposite the kitchen. Again use small picture frames. This allows for easy cleaning. The air in the kitchen can get dirty and a painted canvas will not be easy to clean.

9. Do you really need a box to keep bread in? A cover for the toaster?

10. If you have a landline phone have it so it can be hung on the wall and not on a counter. Otherwise lose the landline and just have a cell phone and that doesn't need to be kept in the kitchen.

11. If you don't have anymore room to put food in the cabinets then you have too much. Try going through some things. Have a cabinet for emergency canned goods incase of a snow storm. Have a cabinet for chips and snacks. Have a cabinet for other items. Have a cabinet for dishes on one shelf and cups and mugs on the other shelf. Now that is four cabinets. I'm sure most people have atleast four cabinets in their kitchen.

12. What is on top of your fridge? I have ONE phone book. Any extra phone books need to be recycled. Don't store food on top of the fridge. That food may end up being replaced with mouse terds.

13. Clean out your cabinets and make sure you have no holes in the walls. Check behind the microwave and make sure there are no holes in the walls. Holes in the walls mean your food could be eaten my mice. In the winter mice go into homes. They can even get into drawers. Check your bags of semi-sweet chocolate used for making cakes the mice love those.

14. Try going through the drawers and get rid of things you don't need. Keep a flash light in a top drawer close by so you can find it if you lose power. Less important things are stored in bottom drawers.

15. I would go with a plain solid color on the walls. No wallpaper. Wallpapers are usually repeated patterns and isn't very minimal.

16. Keep the kitchen table cleaned off. Don't let the mail stack up in a pile. Go through the mail each day. Sort out the trash and what is important.