How much stuff do I actually need in my kitchen?

[Jemster]

My kitchen is fairly small and permanently cluttered and therefore difficult to keep as clean as I'd like.
I'm thinking perhaps I should 'lose' some of the plates, bowls, mugs etc as we have so many and tend to use most of them up before sticking dishwasher on.
How many of these sorts of things do other people manage with?
There are 2 adults, one 6 yr old and one 2 yr old - she has about 8 plastic ikea plates & bowls to herself!

[Mostlyjustaluker]

Maybe declutter by a small amount at a time so you end up with just the right amount of stuff.

[wowfudge]

I've found that a few shelves at the back of the worktops mean I can get stuff off the tops giving much more workspace and it's easier to keep clean. Oh and hanging rail for cooking utensils.

[Viviennemary]

I got rid of a few 'gadgets' that nobody used. Popcorn maker and sandwich toaster. I want to get rid of a huge juicer that is difficult to clean but I just can't. It wasn't even very expensive but it just seems a waste to throw it out. Try and streamline as much as you can and get rid of things you could do without.

[erin99]

Yes I packed away a couple of boxes of stuff when we were selling our house and I never got them out again! But think about how stuff stacks too. Whether there are 8 ikea plastic plates / cups or 1 doesn't make much difference because they stack so neatly, whereas halving your mug collection could free up a whole extra shelf. It's much more helpful to get rid of one big thing, like a popcorn maker, than severely restrict teaspoons and end up forever washing them.

Trimming down plastic tubs to just those that stack neatly helped.

Some things you technically need only one of but I like to have more - chopping boards, measuring jugs. But if you have jugs that stack it's fine, the extra one doesn't really take up any space. I find we don't need many saucepans. We have 4 of different sizes, that all stack inside each other, and a big and little frying pan. A 3 pack of stacking pyrex bowls with pyrex lids are good for multipurpose casseroling, microwaving, food storage, and serving.

[atticusclaw]

We've just redone our kitchen and I have put EVERYTHING away. There is now very little visible. Microwave, food mixer, toaster, slow cooker went into a cupboard (and are used in there). I chucked all other gadgets since they're not used enough to make the clutter worthwhile.

I chucked all the mismatched crockery we'd accumulated over the years and bought a cheap white dinner service and set of mugs from ikea. We have six of everything and that's it for everyday use (although we do also have a "best" dinner service too.)

[Sandthorn]

Get a smaller dishwasher. You'll end up with less stuff in circulation.

We also have a small kitchen, and I'm pretty ruthless about what gets to stay. We have 8 each of medium plates, side plates, soup bowls and cereal bowls, and probably the same of cups and glasses: assorted sizes. We do have other plates and things (pasta dishes, salad bowls, large plates, egg cups etc), but they live in the sideboard in the dining room, so they only come out if they're actually needed, not just because somebody wants a piece of toast and they've left the previous three plates in their bedroom!

[Mrsladybirdface]

I've recently got some stackable mugs which I have out on the side for everyday use and only then have nice mugs stored in a cupboard.

recently had a new kitchen fitted so now have a boiling tap and built in combi oven and store the toaster away. The only thing on show are the coffee machine and mugs. it brings me much happiness to have clear surfaces. I'm the biggest slattern but my kitchen nearly always looks presentable because I have no things!

[RuddyDuck]

We used to live in a very small flat (pre dc). We were ruthless about the kitchen stuff as we just didn't have the space.

We kept basic crockery etc in the kitchen, but anything we only used occasionally went in the bedroom - either under the bed or on top of the wardrobe.

If you have space for a dresser /sideboard in another room I would definitely go down that road.

[BillyJoel]

I have my mugs , colander, jugs etc hanging on hooks under shelves. Looks nice and tops are kept clear. I also try to have nice cups etc so i don't mind having them visible. Also try to make sure everything has several functions. Keeps the amount of stuff down drastically.

[MissMysticFalls]

We're just about to move and this a very helpful thread. I think we'll have room in the living room for a sideboard or a dresser so looking forward to having some stuff go in there.

Don't forget to freecycle if you're getting rid of stuff. Some people would be thrilled by a big juicer (although we gave ours away and we've only missed it once).