Tips for a Minimalist Kitchen

I moved into a pre-lived-in house (where my partner was already living). So the kitchen was full of kitchen stuff when I got here. Existing stuff + my stuff = a LOT of stuff! I have been decluttering here and there since I moved in but I’ve also been thinking about doing an overhaul of the kitchen and really getting it to the level I would like it to be. I am planning on trying out the following rules of the kitchen.

CLEANING

1. Do the dishes every night. I used to do this living alone in my apartment, and it was always nice to start a new day with no dirty dishes in the sink. We do the dishes most nights but I am in the habit of leaving them out overnight to dry – what I’d like to do is dry and put away all of the dishes as well as wash them. Doing the dishes usually takes less than half an hour.
2. Wipe the counters and stove every night while doing dishes. There’s no reason not to take the extra two minutes to do this. It will prevent food from getting burned onto the stove over time and prevents bread crumbs from taking over the countertop.
3. Sweep the floor daily. This takes two minutes and prevents cat hair dust bunnies from attacking.
4. The kitchen table is not a repository for stuff. The kitchen table is not a repository for stuff. The kitchen table is not a repository for stuff.

CLUTTER

1. Eliminate plastic. It’s hard to completely eliminate plastic, but I want to at least eliminate plastic things that are for use with hot things. There will be no plastic utensils in my soup or plastic containers with leftovers that might get microwaved. Anything hot shall be metal, wood, silicone, or glass.
2. Evaluate appliances – mercilessly. Appliances can be time-saving helpers. But they can also be super clutter if you aren’t actually using them. I plan to audit our kitchen appliances and get rid of any we don’t actually use. Also, check for repeat appliances – it’s somehow an inevitability to wind up with several slow cookers. If you haven’t used it in a certain amount of time (varies per person – maybe a year, six months, one month, depending on your preferences), it’s time for it to go.
3. Eliminate everything stored on “top shelves.” My new motto shall be “If I need a ladder to reach it, pretend it doesn’t exist.” Just because you have a shelf doesn’t mean you have to put something on it. The cabinet over the fridge is completely pointless.
4. Everything has a home. There should be nothing in the kitchen that does not belong there, and nothing anywhere in the kitchen where it doesn’t belong. This is my ultimate challenge, because I am one of those “put it on the table while I clean the living room, put it in the spare bedroom while I clean the kitchen” kind of people when things don’t have a proper home. It’s my goal to eliminate everything that doesn’t have a home.

What are some of your tips for keeping the kitchen clutter free?