It’s a known fact that clutter can lead to depression. While we often think of build up in closets, on the floor or overtaking a room, one of the most common places for clutter is the kitchen. Surfaces covered in papers and stacks of mail, boxes of food left out from pantries and cabinets, and dirty dishes left in the sink: it all makes us feel bad. And believe it or not, clutter can even take over inside the refrigerator. Here are some tips with help from Houselogic to help keep you feeling refreshed and care free while finding sustenance and building memories, not anxieties, in the kitchen:
Adopt the rule of five:
As you pass through the kitchen, put away five things, or devote five minutes every hour to de-cluttering. At the end of the day, you will have cleaned for an hour.
Be ruthless about your kitchen sink:
Pledge to clear and clean your kitchen sink everyday. It takes just a few seconds more to put a dish in the dishwasher than to leave it in the sink. A clean sink easily raises spirits and decreases anxiety.
*Go the extra mile and squirt dishwashing soap into your empty sink after doing the dishes and scrub for a moment with your dish brush. The sink might just shine as brightly as a TRUE stainless steel refrigerator.
Clear the door:
Too many bottles and condiments can lead to clutter at first site. Be sure to periodically clean out the expired and unused but open items.
Pack away the pictures:
Gone are the days of magnets all over the refrigerator, but picture prints still need a landing space, and that doesn’t mean the countertop. Put photos away and take your best one or two to put in picture frames on the window sill. Have something to smile about when that sink is sparkling in your face!
Test if you’ll miss it:
Pack your counter clutter in a box and put it in the closet. If you haven’t checked it within 90 days (and collectors aren’t at the door!), toss it.
Don’t bring it in:
Stop at the garbage cans outside before bringing mail inside. Sort out the junk mail before it ever accumulates in your kitchen.
