Everyone loves lingering in the kitchen, making this one room a magnet for clutter. But the place that you feed your body (and others') should be a mini-temple. Take these six steps to a more streamlined kitchen.

Step One: Get Cracking

Take a look through your plates, pots, and pans. If it's broken, chipped, or cracked, it should go. Plates can be broken and used for mosaics or put in the bottom of planters as a filtration system. Dinged pots and pans can go to shelters or be recycled; check out LIME's Guide to Recycling for details.

Step Two: Clear Your Counters

Take a look at your appliances. Are there any that you've never even used? If you've got a juicer, mixer, bread baker, or food processor that sits idly on the counter or in a cupboard, donate it to a women's shelter.

Step Three: Sweat the Small Stuff

Take a look in the utensil drawers. Gather all the little cluttering items you do not use and set aside in a box for donation. For items that will no longer be of use to anyone, see if there's a good recyling option. Do you have grandma's rusty potato peeler sitting next to a new one? Send it to a metal recycling center! There are better ways to remember grandma.

Step Four: Reduce Your Chemical Dependence

Go through the chemical waste land under your sink. If you are prone to opening multiple bottles of the same product, combine them. If you have items you no longer use, dispose of them. Most products list a phone number on the back where you can call for specific safe disposal instructions. You can also contact your local government for instructions in keeping with local ordinances. Remember, some detergent and cleaning fluid bottles can be recycled (look for the recycling symbol with the number 2 on the bottom). And when it's time to by more cleaning products, take a look around the market for good, eco-friendly options--there are now more than ever!

Step Five: Nip the Tupperware Tower

Like most people, you probably have a cupboard full of resealable plastic containers. Take a minute to match up all the pieces. Now decide how much you really use. Donate the rest to a women's shelter or school program (arts classes are often in need). For the future, remember that many plastics can leach toxins into foods, so glass jars (the kind you might get your jam or peanut butter in) are a much safer option.

Step Six: Tackle the Junk Drawers

No purge of the kitchen would be complete without a peek into the junk drawer. How many items need to be returned to your tool box? Do you really need that many pens and pencils in one drawer? What about all those odd items like bits of string, push pins for the bulletin board you tossed, or those mystery keys? Recycle everything you can, and don't forget to call your local women's shelter! They have children hungry for supplies like pens, pencils, and string.

Helpful Hints for Everyday Upkeep:

1. Once you organize your drawers, it's demoralizing if everything goes flying the first time the drawer is shut. Try some thick drawer liner and a few drawer organizers. You can use your liner on your cupboard shelves as well.

 

2. Food doesn't last forever. Tie a Sharpie on your fridge door handle and date all leftovers and packaged food. Check the expiration dates on your cans and boxes, even your water. Toss frozen mystery meats after 6 months. When something has expired, throw out the biodegradable matter and recycle the packaging.

 

3. Some products, like flour, attract pantry moths, which are very hard to eliminate. Transfer items like this to glass containers. Does your fruit soften too quickly and attract fruitflies? Keep it in a wood or wire basket so it can breathe.

 

4. It's wise to set aside an emergency stash of food and water in case of earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks, and the like. Check the expiration of these products on a regular basis. Instead of tossing the water when it has expired, use it for plants.

Room-By-Room Guide

Getting Started
The Bathroom
The Home Office
The Clothes Closet