After clearing the unwanted and out of date foodstuff last week you might have found that you have a number of empty containers hanging around without a home or a function so that is what we will be doing this week.
So how do we decide what stays and what goes?
This category is full of items that may “come in handy one day” or that have a clear function, but maybe not a purpose right this minute. That can make it more challenging for some in making decisions about whether they stay or go.
To help you, consider these things:
- What’s your limit – either a number or a physical storage space (e.g. one shelf).
- You are now very aware of the contents of your home, how you and your family function in your home and how much space you have available (don’t forget the importance of white space too!). How do these items fit with the functionality of your home and lifestyle?
I wrote another blog about Conquering the Plastic Mountain a little while back that takes you through how I tackled my plastics drawer in the kitchen which might be a helpful read.
If you need some further assistance to make decisions though, revisit the criteria you created during Week 1 of our challenge to assist you in making decisions about small appliances and give yourself a limit. If you are new to the challenge, you can see our Week 1 post here.
Put everything aside that no longer has a useful purpose or home in your kitchen.
What do I do with the keepers?
They definitely all need homes, and ones that minimise the chance for damage and enable them to be accessed easily and safely when they are needed. You also need to work within the physical limits of your allocated storage space. If you can’t fit everything, you need to go back and review and make some further decisions.
When it comes to food storage containers (and everything else for that matter), it is best to store them close to their point of use. We have all experienced it before where we have something stored at one end of the house and use it at the other and it is not necessarily returned to it’s “home” in a timely manner or at all. Not only does this create visual clutter, but it means that nobody knows where to find it, unless everyone considers what was meant to be a temporary home as a permanent one.
For containers with lids, everyone’s preference varies whether to leave lids on or off, have lids stored separately or with the container – as we always say, you have to do what makes sense for you. I personally like lids off so containers can nest a little easier and for plastics in particular, I keep the lids in a container in the plastics drawer (you can see a photo of it here)
What do I do with the ones that no longer have a purpose for me?
If the items are broken or no longer functional they are just taking up valuable space in your home and need to go in the bin (recycling whatever you can of course!).
If they are still in good condition but no longer have a purpose in your home, you can also consider some of these sell/swap and donation options.
- Sell or Swap:
- Swap with your friends or family.
- Gumtree
- Facebook Marketplace or any of the myriad of Buy/Swap/Sell groups
- Garage Sale
- Donate/Gift options:
- GIVIT
- Freecycle
- Ziilch
- Trash Nothing!
- Green Shed (Mitchell or Mugga Lane)
- Let’s Recycle Canberra (Hume)
- Your local church, community group or school.
How did you go? Feel free to share your successes, challenges and tips on our Facebook page.
Happy decluttering!
Melissa x