20 Items You Should Toss From Your Kitchen Today
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The kitchen is a special place in our homes, acting as a hub for cooking, meals, and gatherings. Despite its central role in daily life, it can easily become cluttered and disorganized, with items that have overstayed their welcome. These unnecessary items can occupy space, hide in corners, and even pose health risks.
Clutter can accumulate quickly, but decluttering can bring immense joy and a sense of accomplishment. If you’re ready to organize and declutter your kitchen, here are 20 items you should discard immediately.
1. Aged Baking Soda
Many of us rely on a box of baking soda to combat fridge odors. Yet, the effectiveness of baking soda’s odor-fighting abilities has roughly three months of shelf life. That’s a mere three-month window.
If your baking soda has surpassed this timeframe in the refrigerator, it’s probably time to part ways with it. To help you remember when to replace it, consider marking the box with the date of opening whenever you replace it.
2. Scratched Non-stick Pans
The protective coating that prevents food from sticking to the pan eventually wears down and deteriorates over time. Unlike a cast iron pan that can be revived, a noticeable scratch on non-stick pans is a sign that it’s time to replace the pan.
3. Storage Containers Without Lids
Food containers without lids serve little purpose and can be frustrating. It’s time to discard any that lack lids or are too stained to use. Containers that are discolored, damaged, or cracked should also be tossed. Clear space in your kitchen cabinets by letting go of plastic or glass containers that no longer fulfill their intended role.
4. Used Dish Sponge
Kitchen sponges tend to harbor a significant amount of bacteria and germs, making them potentially one of the most unclean items in your kitchen. Even rinsing and using soap may not be enough to eliminate all the germs.
To address this, replacing the sponge every week or sanitizing it by microwaving or soaking it in a water and bleach solution is a good practice.
5. Old Spices
When was the last time you checked your spice cabinet? Like any other items in your kitchen, spices and dried herbs have a “best by” date.
Once they reach this date, spices and herbs gradually lose their flavor and effectiveness. It is a good idea to refresh your spices and herbs.
6. Aged Coffee Beans
Like spices, coffee beans come with a “best by” date. When stored in a vacuum-sealed bag, both whole and ground beans can last unopened for about four months and up to a week after opening. If you can’t recall the last time you used that bag of coffee, it might be a good idea to let it go. While coffee made from old beans won’t harm your health, it likely won’t taste very good.
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7. Freezer-Burned Food
Freezer burn isn’t something you can ignore on your food. It occurs when food isn’t wrapped and stored correctly in the freezer.
It’s reasonable to expect that items affected by freezer burn, like your chicken, steak, or other meats, might not have the best taste.
8. Damaged Appliances
If you have broken appliances or ones you no longer use, it’s a good idea to part ways with them. You can donate or dispose of kitchen appliances that can’t be repaired or have lost their usefulness.
This will free up space in your kitchen, giving you more room to work and opening up extra countertop or cabinet space.
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9. Broken Dishware
It’s pretty straightforward – broken dishware needs to go. Beyond the visual aspect, broken dishes can also present safety risks.
Look closely at your dishware for any chips or cracks, and promptly dispose of them when spotted.
10. Stained Kitchen Towels and Oven Mitts
It’s time to assess your dish towel collection. Consider the inconvenience of grabbing a hot pan and discovering your oven mitt has a hole.
Go through your kitchen towels, pot holders, and aprons. Get rid of any worn-out or damaged linens that can’t serve their purpose anymore. Dispose of stained, ripped, or torn towels and oven mitts.
11. Expired and Spoiled Food
Using expired ingredients in your cooking can be harmful to your health. It’s important to take action by discarding them as soon as you discover them.
Begin by going through your pantry and refrigerator, and get rid of expired food items such as canned goods, cookies, baking products, fruits, vegetables, and the dreaded forgotten leftovers.
Toss out anything past its prime, expiration date, or no longer good to use. This helps create more space and ensures that the ingredients you cook with are safe and of good quality.
12. Expired Cleaning Products
Cleaning products are vital in maintaining a safe and hygienic kitchen environment. However, the disinfecting power of these products, which ensures our kitchen’s cleanliness, does have a limited lifespan.
Most antibacterial cleaners maintain their effectiveness for approximately one year, while multipurpose cleaners lacking antibacterial agents can last up to two years.
It’s a good idea to assess your cleaning supplies and remove expired items that are no longer effective. This allows you to retain only the essentials in your collection.
13. Plastic and Tote Bags
Plastic and tote bags from grocery stores and free events tend to accumulate in our homes. The intention behind holding onto them is to reuse them for another household purpose and avoid adding more plastic waste to landfills.
However, over time, this well-meaning practice results in an overwhelming stockpile of bags. It might be a good idea to let go of some of these bags.
14. Baby Items
If your child has outgrown the need for baby bottles, cups, food, bibs, and other infant silverware, it’s a good time to consider parting with them. While acknowledging your child’s growth can be sentimental, it may be time to discard or donate these items.
15. Takeout Sauces and Utensils
Takeout orders frequently include excess sauce packets and utensils. Let’s face it – the odds of us actually using them again are quite slim, and throwing them away might feel wasteful. But the truth is, they simply clutter up our space, so it is time to toss them.
16. Moldy and Warped Cutting Boards
When it comes to plastic or board cutting boards, a clear indicator that it’s time for a replacement is when you notice warping or the presence of mold.
No matter how often you clean it, if these issues persist, it’s a signal that the board’s usefulness has come to an end, and it’s best to get rid of it.
17. Excess Coffee Mugs and Glasses
Consider recycling or donating any chipped, broken, or surplus coffee mugs and glasses. It’s time to part ways with them. You can hang on to your favorites for display. Just think about how many people you usually have at home using a mug at once – that’s the most you should keep.
18. Cookbooks and Recipe Books
Sort through your recipe books and let go of the books you no longer use or have no intention of using. These books can eat up valuable space.
Consider parting if it’s been a while since you last cooked from them. You can also take a photo or scan the pages of your favorite recipes.
19. Pot Lids
If you have pan lids with no matching pot bottoms, then it’s time to toss it.
20. Food You Will Never Eat
We’ve all been guilty of holding onto food we don’t intend to eat simply because we bought it and hate to see it go to waste. But the reality is that it’s occupying valuable space; sooner or later, it’ll expire and be unusable.
The smart move is to remove it from the pantry and donate it so that someone else can enjoy it.
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