10-Minute Kitchen Declutter: Utensil and Cutlery Drawers

Want to rid your kitchen of the excess stuff and annoying, useless clutter? Unsure of where to start? Unsure of how to start?Why, you can start right here of course. And better still - 10 minutes is all you need.

1. Make sure a section of your kitchen bench is clear.

2. Designate an area for things you will be keeping and things you won't be keeping.

3. Start with the utensil drawer - it's the easiest. And once you've kicked its arse, you can start taking names in the cutlery drawer.

4. Remove everything from the drawer one-by-one. Deciding before you put the item down:

• Do you still use it? Have you used it in the past 6 months?
• Do you have duplicates? How many wooden spoons do you need? (I have two.)
• Is it in good condition? Broken or chipped? Toss it.

5. Once you've answered those questions, put the item either in the keep it or toss it pile.

6. Continue for each item, moving through them quickly - providing you're serious about decluttering and creating a slower, simpler home, your initial answer is going to be right. So don't second-guess yourself. And if in doubt - chuck it out (or give it away).

7. Once you've sorted all the items, clean the drawer. Use some white vinegar and a cloth to disinfect the surface, and a clean, dry cloth to wipe it over.

8. Before you put your Keep items back, see if there are any small or similar items that can be contained together in the drawer. This stops things from getting lost or broken. (Eg. I put all the cookie cutters and piping heads in a plastic container in the back of the drawer.)

9. Put your Keep items back in the drawer and try grouping like items together. (Although, if you have kids like mine, this will last approximately 13 seconds. So don't worry too much. Things will be infinitely easier to find now anyway.)

10. Repeat for the cutlery drawer. Even though it holds more, it should be fast to work through, after tackling the utensils drawer first.

11. Decide which of your Don't Keep items will be donated and which will be thrown away. Anything stained, broken or past its prime should be thrown away. While the remainder can be donated to a local charity shop or preschool/playgroup (for kitchen play - no sharps obviously).

Ten minutes is all it takes to get started and to make a real difference to the way you feel in your home.  And I can guarantee you'll be shocked at how much you can clear out. I netted 58 things this time - and I only decluttered the drawers a few months ago!

If you had 10 minutes to spare, which part of your home would you declutter? My hotspot is definitely the "junk drawer" in the kitchen... Ugh. Definitely.