 Hey, good afternoon. We are live today from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I'm here with Katie and newly and This is the beginning of a new year and she's going to help us organize our Kitchens bought our kitchens. I know we spend lots of time in our kitchens And this is the year that defines us And so this is the year that we're going to go room by room Through all the different areas of our lives and we are going to figure out how it best represents us Get rid of the things that we're not using things that I don't know Maybe at one time or another we spent a lot of money on them and we thought we needed them But maybe we find that as time goes by we're not cooking as much as we once were or we're not using those particular small Appliances and so today with Katie's help. We're gonna walk through the kitchen Virtually where she's gonna explain a lot of stuff to us And I'm hoping that it will trigger some ideas for you Okay, I want you to be really honest with yourself as we have this conversation today and say is that me Does my pantry need that kind of help? Do my cupboards need that kind of help? Do I have stuff on top of my cupboards that need this kind of help? Okay? So this is not to shame anybody. This is to have an honest conversation about maybe Looking at your kitchen from a different perspective so that it can serve you and your family in the most unique and Organized way so today we are streaming to the Ask a House cleaner audience and also the clutter corner audience So we've got two audiences here today, and I do want to invite you all to jump into the comments and ask your questions We're gonna cover as many of them today as we possibly can But I'm super excited that you guys are joining me today, and I want to please offer a warm welcome to Katie and newly Katie How are you today? Good? Thank you so much for having me Thanks for joining us. All right. Now you got to tell me really quickly You are passionate about organizing and decluttering and I want to know how that started because most people don't just wake up one day and go Ta-da, I'm gonna be like the world's greatest organizer. How did you become this? Well, that didn't happen to me either so I I Have a lot of anxiety and I use Organization as a way as a tool to deal with my anxiety So if I am in a cluttered space and I clear the space organize it I'm able to really focus and so I got certified in professional organizing and learned additional tools to share with my clients on How to get more organized because it's not a skill that everyone has and So it's something that I've become really good at and able to help people with so I love Sharing my skills and helping people get organized Now as professional house cleaners and one of the audiences that we have here today are professional house cleaners Who go inside people's homes and there are a lot of families that run into issues where they don't know how to declutter And so they're asking the house cleaner and so the house cleaners typically call Professional organizers like yourself to come in and help out before we then start cleaning So give us a little bit of insight if you will about the reasons that we have to declutter and organize our kitchen spaces Before we can actually do a really great job at cleaning them Well, if there's a lot of clutter around then you can't actually clean surfaces or clean behind Appliances and things like that. So if your kitchen is organized and there's a place for everything Then you're able to clear the surfaces Clear the cabinets out somewhat and put things away so that you're able to effectively clean the kitchen And that's one of the reasons that people have a lot of clutter is because they're not intentional about Where they put things so if something isn't assigned to home in your kitchen then it probably just gonna end up on the counter or a table and then you can actually Effectively clean the area because there's clutter and random things on the counter. I Think that's common And I just want to take a quick poll any of you that are watching us right now If you have stuff that's on top of the horizontal surfaces I eat the countertops in your kitchen right countertops in the notes I'm just curious how many of you actually use that as a catch-all. I know sometimes I'm guilty of that when I come in from You know grocery shopping or what have you I just chunk everything on the counter and then hopefully I go through it And I put it all the way but sometimes there's stuff that I mean like right now there's stuff on my kitchen counter So guilty I need to add counter into the into the notes there Tell us how we how we clean our counters like what is the process if that is a catch-all for us? Well, I think honestly Clean it clearing out the other areas of the kitchen first is super important because a lot of the times things end up on the counters because There isn't a place for them to go in the pantry or drawer or cabinet so if you clear out the cabinets and the drawers and Decide where the different categories in your kitchen are going to go then the items on your counter Or there then have a place to go so that you don't just put them on the counter So Yeah, like having intentional intentional places for things All right, so walk us through the kitchen if you will let's say that you come into my kitchen and you say okay Let's create some categories and I know nothing about categories and I know Nothing about where stuff's supposed to go. Where do I start? So I would first talk to you about what is working in your kitchen and what isn't working and also What you're doing in the kitchen so everybody's space is different and so when I work with clients I asked them a million questions because I it's really important to me that the systems that we set up are specific to that client that family and how they function in the space so I Evaluate those things and then go cabinet by cabinet take everything out Wipe the cabinets down Determine if you know if the mugs are in one cabinet Is your coffee machine on the total opposite side of the kitchen like that doesn't necessarily make sense So trying to put items near where you use them and near like categories so In what you mentioned categories categories could be Mugs categories could be cooking utensils Pots and pans, you know things that you use together So, you know, you would want to have like your coffee and tea near where your mugs are so that there's less Moving you have to do around the kitchen And it also helps you to put things back Where they go if there's less space in between where they're stored and where they're used Well, that's a great tip Okay, so so if you have Limited space let's say that you don't have a lot of drawers or cabinets and you have limited space How do you make the category situation work? so making use of the back of Cabinet doors Hang like hanging things on there hanging things on the back of pantries Also using sometimes people with small Small amount of storage will like put hooks on the bottom of a cabinet and hang their mugs on there just being really resourceful about space Using your wall space to hang Just kind of thinking outside of the box as far as where you can store things Hmm. I like that so resourcefulness is a Key to organization When you are sorting your kitchen in categories Yes So how many categories are there in a kitchen on average? Do you know? Is it different for every family? Yeah, I think it's different for everyone Because you know, and I think that's the importance of really thinking through Whether you're working with a professional organizer or you're just organizing your kitchen thinking through what you really do in the kitchen because some people You know cook every single meal in the kitchen Some people have kids and so they want to have a Category of kids plates or like kids snacks that the kids can access themselves Whereas some people might eat out all the time. So Where you know, they might just have like one pan and one pot or something like that So it really depends on who's using the space But I would just break it down into You know categories as far as glasses if you have like a If you drink alcohol like alcohol like like beer wine glasses together Having plates bowls together Just the different You know measuring cups and things like that and small appliances together But I think really thinking about how you use things together Is helpful in creating those categories All right, speaking about categories. I want to say hi to all of our friends Sylvia hi. How you doing today? We've got Rachel Rose from England. Hi, Rachel We've got Muppet 929 lots of smiles. Hi. How you doing? We've got Karen. Hello from Pasadena, California We've got a PA wild olive branch. This is a countertop. We've got a counter We have a user-chooser Countertop, I know you guys I'm you're just like me. We're twins We have lots of stuff on our countertops today as we're probably Organizing our kitchens at being the new year, right? I've got a lot of stuff pulled out of my cupboards right now for that Very reason my kitchen is well clutter, but it's about five square meters and I'm too ill to sort it That is a common Interest for a lot of people where they are either disabled or they're ill or they're going through You know some issue or it could be that they're caring for an elder parent or a sick child or something like that And it is not a priority And so I want to highlight the fact that a lot of us are in those same situations Where there are reasons for having stuff on the countertops so so we have a Outlaw 254 following from Nairobi, Kenya. Hello. This is so exciting you guys I'm so glad that you're here Rachel Rose says I only have countertops and under and one under counter cupboard plus a small pantry plus shelves This is a this is a very common issue with people having a very very limited amount of space So I love the fact that she mentioned putting hooks underneath the cabinets because a lot of times We put stuff in our counters and then we've got like this extra space where there's nothing there great place to hang mugs I love that concept Paul says watching from Acragona you guys this is awesome. I'm so glad that you guys are here. I hope I love my open shelves I pop my mason jars on there needs regular dusting, but they're close and I really do use the items on the shelves And I love the fact that you're using what you have That's a real key to keeping stuff in your kitchen is using this stuff that you have But Katie tell us about stuff that we're not using That for some reason or another we've been hanging on to because I don't know. Maybe we think one day we're going to use it Yeah, I mean, I would just be super realistic about What if you've used something when was the last time you use it in in kitchens? In all our places in the home, but in kitchens in specifically a lot of people are handed down um dishes from grandparents or parents or people who have passed or they're giving gifts of Platters or different things to entertain with and I think that really Being intentional about those things. So if you're holding on to your grandmother's platter But you're never using it. You're not really honoring her by keeping it So either using it on a regular basis. I'm really big on use your fine china like use your fancy things all of the time because we're living in the present and There's no better time than now and so Using those using those items, but also thinking about, you know, if you're just feeling Ashamed that you have these things in your kitchen That's also not really honoring the person and if they you know, they're not gonna feel great about that If someone gave you a gift and you're just holding on to it because you feel bad Then that's you know, it's not really benefiting anyone Well, I love that because I think a lot of times when people give us gifts If it's not something that they owned themselves and it's a new gift like they went out and they bought a gift and they gave it to you They don't have any emotional attachment to that gift because they have nothing invested in it other than the little money that they spent or a lot of money That they spent and the quick time that they gave it to you So there's this quick interaction and that's really all they have connected to that So when I look at gifts that somebody gave me if they come to my house and they're like looking around like hey Where's that thing that I gave you chances are they're not going to remember because they don't have a strong emotional attachment But because they didn't own it and they didn't they don't have a history with that thing If it doesn't work for me then how quickly can I re-gift that item? I know for example, somebody gifted me some little Christmas trees that were made of sterling silver And I was like yay, this is awesome But they tarnished very quickly because if you have silver and it's not in an airtight container And it will oxidize and it discolors and whatever so every time I went to use those I would have to stop and polish them They just became really high maintenance. So I said I was doing just fine without these I'm doing fine. If I let them go I don't need to hang on to them and so I gave them away to a thrift store or something I just got rid of them and so what what kinds of things those were just Christmas trees So those were seasonal anyway But what kinds of things are you finding that your clients are ready and willing to get rid of that? Maybe they just don't use very often or they're just kind of like extra Items that we thought were cool because we saw it as seen on TV or something. Yeah I mean, I think like different types of appliances that or Different gadgets that you can only use for one thing Like juicers for example like everyone loves the thought of Making juice, but most people don't like do it very rarely. It's can be super messy and hard to clean up and it takes up a lot of space so Different appliances and seeing if you can use one appliance for multiple uses instead of having You know several appliances for individual uses and I think like you mentioned us seen on TV There's so many gadgets out there like a they have Like food storage containers that are shaped like vegetables, so like there's a avocado one or an onion one or Specific to the vegetable and it's like That is something that like you can use any type of food storage container to store your avocado You don't know that one that looks like an avocado Well, and if it doesn't stack then I would say that's that's probably a red flag If it doesn't stack or it's an odd shape or it doesn't sit on a shelf for example like a wire shelf That would might be difficult to even store something like that. Yeah Is it possible that we can start making decisions about the kitchen storage? Containers for example before we even bring them into the home instead of then trying to get rid of them after the facts Yes, I think yeah, I definitely think so and that's a great point as far as thinking about if things can stack And also if you are gonna go buy new food storage containers or bins for your pantry or bins for your cabinets measuring first And making sure that they're gonna fit and take up a good amount of the space, so there's not wasted space and on that to getting bins that are Square and not a lot of the bins Come down at an angle, but then there's empty space So if they're square rectangular, you're able to fit more and make the best use of the space How do you feel about clear plastic containers so that you can see what's inside? I think those are super helpful Because a lot of times people forget what they have and then so they you know, we're talking about a Pantry for example people if they can't see what's in there. They forget that they have a bag of rice and they just Will buy a new one and then realize that they have another one So I think clear containers are great and labels are also really great to be able to remember. What's in your pantry and On those labels, do you also put dates on? That like if you had a container that was specific Like if you had a clear container with a top for rice for example, yes I would definitely put a date on there so that you remember Like that's when the expiration is Is there a special way to do that other than I mean my my mind does not look like an Instagram pantry my I just use like painters tape and I just rip off a piece and I write the date on it so that I Know and for me it works. It's not pretty or anything if you came in my pantry Oh, this is awful, you know But it works because it's in a clear plastic container and then it has just the painters tape on it with a little date You know, yeah, I mean, um, I probably would not think your pantry is awful but I But I think, you know, you brought up a really good point like social media puts this image of We need everything in clear bins with beautiful calligraphy labels and it's just not realistic for a lot of people and so I think just what Using what you have so if you have painters tape in your junk drawer and you're gonna use it then great use it because if if Making a label like typing up a label and making it prevents you from putting the label on then What's the use of having? Labels because you're not gonna do it. I love that I love that and using what you have and what you're going to follow through it I think is a key because I'm not gonna sit down and use a little label maker My husband actually has a special little label maker that you know You can type out that and it comes out with some little decorative font or something and he keeps saying oh I'm going to label everything in the house and one day he'll get around to it But in the meantime, I'm just using a sharpie and a painters tape and it works because I can do it right then in real time Like you said use what you have there's enough food that comes pre-packaged in reusable containers That if there's a reusable container that actually makes sense to keep like as a screw-on lid and it will it's pretty durable Plastic or something that will last for a long time I will use that for flour or rice or sugar or something like that Where I will just cut off the label from like a paper bag like the paper bag of flour and I will just Not it's not duct tape, but it's like packing tape that clear plastic tape Just I'll just take that on the front so that I can look at it I can see what it is, but then it's in an airtight container so it prevents or it discourages like Pests or rodents or things like that from getting into the pantry Right. I know that it's it's really easy and we live on a property that's just backs up to the forest And so there are all kinds of little critters that would love to sneak in the house and look for food And while we're really specific about not wanting that to happen Our job then is to put everything in airtight containers that then discourages that Either right. Yeah, and I think it's a common misconception that if you want to get organized you have to spend a bunch of money on new bins and things like that And I love the idea of using recyclable containers because even, you know, Amazon like Amazon boxes or boxes you get in the mail Like you can use cardboard boxes as bins as well and just put a label on it It doesn't you'd have to cost a ton of money and also a lot of people who have tried to get organized at some point Have a ton of bins. So like one of the questions clients always ask me is like, okay So what should I buy before you come? And I always say don't buy anything like wool One the one of the goals is to get rid of things. So hopefully we'll open up some bins But also we end up finding Bins throughout the organizing process that process that we can repurpose and if someone, you know, wants a pantry that's All matching bins then we'll measure it and find bins that can do that But it's definitely not necessary to spend a lot of money to get organized When you talk about organization one of the things that I have found to be really helpful for the pantry This is kind of gross because I'm repurposing old plastic shoe boxes that had lids Repurposing them to the pantry where now we're going to store food in them So you can wash them like in the kitchen sink with like hot dish water And so that they're nice and clean again and you can store things like that But as I've gotten rid of the shoes I've saved the empty plastic shoe boxes and I've taken those into the kitchen to then store things like rice or beans or Whatever where you get like a two or four pound bag and it just goes right in there You put the lid on it and again It's very tight and they stack really nicely in the pantry. So plastic shoe boxes work really really well And I want to I want to highlight that as well if you have I don't know some extra shoe boxes kicking Yeah, and I think so too, it's you know, that's a great example you know a lot of people like the container store is great, but There you can be really creative about you don't need to use pantry bins for your pantry There are tons of bins, you know, you could buy at the dollar store that Could you do the same exact thing as the more expensive bin? So I think being creative Is that I love that I love that idea So as aside from the pantry what other areas of the kitchen are catchall areas That could really use a little bit of sprucing up During the new year is we're kind of trying to tidy up our kitchens and get organized um, well, I think a junk drawer like a kitchen junk drawer is always Place that easily gets disorganized. Um, and so I mean this goes for kind of any drawer, but What I always suggest for junk drawers is getting little Boxes or drawer dividers so that you can have categories because junk drawers we all we need you need one It's inevitable that it's going to be in your kitchen. So um Having it organized is super helpful to be able to find things when you're looking for them Because a junk drawer is a classic example of things just get lost and then You need double a batteries and you can't find double a batteries, but you know you bought them at some point So you go out and buy more double a batteries. So if you have You know a box for batteries in the junk drawer, then you can easily go and find them um But that like the little bit boxes like that you get in the mail or like you can repurpose any type of little Um boxes to use as bins for the junk drawer too Well, and I think that's really important because in the in the junk drawer if you will I know that we do have um some little tiny containers I think that we bought at the dollar tree and they're just little plastic containers And they're small enough as far as like the the height that the drawers will open and close With them in there and we did fill up this entire drawer with these little tiny bins So that we would have and I guess this is what you're calling categories We did have one that had batteries in them and we didn't break up different ones for different batteries But we had like the the nine volt batteries that you use in your carbon monoxide filters And then we have double a batteries, which are Not recyclable but rechargeable And so that we use those in the remote controls like for the tv's and the game boys and stuff like that And then um also little tiny round batteries that might go inside like the garage door opener and things like that So there are a lot of household items that we have that all require batteries And they're all inside that one little tiny container And that's the one container that we go to look for whenever we need a battery for one of the The remotes or something around the house And so if you have a place for that, I think that's key And then we also have other things like scotch tape and the scotch tape is inside the also in one of those little containers Because wherever you are in the house, what do you know, you know that in that one drawer It's got weird odds and ends that are like little twisty ties that you would use around cables or Computer wires or things like that And so all of that kind of stuff is inside one drawer And so we don't have it in lots of drawers in lots of different areas of the house It's all in that one drawer And then we've got scissors and staplers and other kinds of weird You would say they're office things and maybe they don't belong in the kitchen But because there's that one weird drawer of odds and ends Everybody knows where that weird drawer is including our employees And so whenever they need an odds and ends everybody goes to that one drawer And so that's where it goes. It just it makes sense Yeah, that's great. And like the office different office supplies really makes a lot of sense in that drawer because if you want like a notepad pens to because you're always writing little notes to whoever in the kitchen And also, you know, if you process a lot of people process their mail in the kitchen So having those type of things even stamps or envelopes depending on, you know, how big the drawer is but And again, like what you're using the space for Those things can be great for the junk drawer Well, and I think that's a really important thing you mentioned stamps. We do have one that have stamps We have one that has um ink pens. So if we find ink pens around the house And they're just loose ink pens. They don't belong loose around the house But they all go in that one little tiny elongated, you know, bin where that's where we keep the extra ink pens So, uh post-it notes, like you said, we process mail if asked to be paid at a certain time A post-it note can go there also because it's in the kitchen if there's something a note You need to put on somebody's lunch. You can just make a post-it note Put it right there on the on the little vegetable container or what have you It also is close enough to the garage If you need to make a note pick up something while you're out that can go in the refrigerator It can go out on the steering column of the car It's just a great place to have everything in one spot. So I love that But tell us tell us about other things that we would bring in from the house From outside backpacks Keys purses Things like that that typically fall in the kitchen Because we're coming in from the garage and it makes its way into the kitchen. What do we do with that stuff? Yeah, I would have a certain um if there's not like a mud room or Have like a certain area even if it's just You know one bin Per kid so they can throw their backpack in there just so it's contained um a lot of times You know thing spaces get disorganized because there's not a container for something and so it's just on the floor And this also is in line with being able to clean effectively Because if something is in a Bin it's easier to move it out of the way and clean under it as opposed to if there's a backpack and a notebook and all this Stuff that's you know fallen out of the backpack. So um Yeah, having either hooks or bins where um people know people kids or adults in the house know that's the designated spot for Where keys go or for where um backpacks go and things like that That's a great tip Um, all right. So how about um the refrigerator? I know the refrigerators uh, uh, I don't want to say catch all because hopefully there's only food in there but often how oftentimes We visit the refrigerator multiple times a day hoping that new snacks have appeared What's a great way for us to organize and maybe declutter our refrigerators? well, I think um Going through what's in there on a regular basis is super important Because especially for perishable foods. Um, they can go bad fairly quickly so um going through those items on a regular basis and getting rid of any any fruits or vegetables that have gone bad Um and being diligent about you know, if you have leftovers getting rid of them Once you can no longer eat them if you haven't eaten them. Um Um But also checking expiration dates on a regular basis for your condiments and things like that. I know a lot of times condiments can get lost in the fridge and They'll you know You look in the you look at your mustard and all of a sudden it's from 2022 Because because you haven't used mustard in two years um, but yeah, so just being I think when you're actually Um decluttering it taking everything out wiping down the shelves Clear plastic bins for the refrigerator too are also super helpful um And it's helpful to keep things organized, especially if there are Other people in your house. So if you're trying to Which most people live with other people if you're trying to have everyone Keep the fridge organized, you know having a specific area for fruit specific area for deli meats um And you know all of the leftovers go in this section and things like that so that everybody is aware Of what the system is so that you can attempt to stay organized in the fridge I love that Um, one of the things that we have done in our house is shop from the fridge So it's easy to want to go to the the store and just buy new stuff But there will be like a week where we say we're not going to grocery shop this week We're going to eat from the pantry and eat from the fridge We're just going to eat leftovers. Whatever they are And sometimes we have stuff that's in the freezer and sometimes stuff doesn't go very well together I remember one night we had four different types of squash for dinner and that's all we had But we ate it up right so it wasn't just sitting there like Maybe we weren't eating it as much as we should have but we had four different types of squash So we just we called it squash goulash and we just had four different types of squash so but it's kind of fun and kind of weird and Strange But if you will eat the stuff that you have It's a great way to recycle the food storage instead of just having food storage that then you never eat And you're saving it for a rainy day and then it does expire and it goes bad and then you don't You know, you just kind of wasted your money. Yeah, I love that you brought that up because I do that too And I more I I do I live alone. So I like make food and then Freeze some some servings of it. So I go through periods where I eat from my freezer And just see it's like the show chopped. I love that show And you know, it's like what ingredients do I have today? Like what can I make so but I think Really evaluating what's in your pantry? What's in your fridge? What's in your freezer before you go grocery shopping? Is critical to keeping your pantry and refrigerator organized because you're exactly right because so many people just go to the store and buy What they want to eat that week, but they don't think about What's in their pantry and then they end up throwing away a lot of food Because they're not planning based on what's in their pantry. They're just Planning on making whatever they feel like making so It's a great way to cut down on the volume of food. That's in the kitchen I have a true confession I don't cook I if I can heat something up in two minutes. Yay. I don't I don't cook and so Um going into my pantry sometimes I have weird odds and ends that really don't go with anything So what I started doing Is I started pulling stuff out of the pantry and then I started going to chat gpt And I would say um, I have this this this and this and I'd like to make some food Can you make me a recipe and it will say well? Yes, I can and then it would make a recipe that would say here's a delicious recipe with these ingredients And you may want to add a little bit of salt and pepper or whatever And so then I would try these little chat gpt recipes that are made based on What's inside my fridge my freezer or my pantry and I've had some really amazing little dishes that are Really strange that I never would have found a recipe for and I never would have thought to make this on my own And so it's been kind of a fun game for me because um, my husband will say what is this? I'm like well me and chat made this this little recipe for you And so it's been really a lot of fun in just a weird whimsical sort of way But then helping us use those things before they go bad. Yeah, that's a really great idea I had someone talk to me about meal meal planning with chat gpt Like very similar to what you're saying Um, which I never I never thought about that before Well the the tools that we have available to us are better tools than we've ever had before But I think we're also in an era where as as a society we are becoming more conscientious about the money that we spend We're being more conscientious about the waste that we are throwing into landfills and and and garbage garbage areas We're becoming more conscientious of recycling And so I think this is the year that we can really start making a difference by changing a few tiny things So I love that we're having this conversation because when you are aware you have choices And so just being aware that hey, there are other ways that I can you know feed my family for example Then door dash or just buying new food Two or three times a week if you will if we have stuff that's in storage And then I want to make a comment about the storage I know that a couple of years ago there was a really big push to you know, get your food storage and buy 50 gallon barrels of whatever And the the reality is people were buying a lot of things that they don't eat right now Like they were buying these mre vacuum packed meals and things like that that they don't eat that right now And so at what point in time Do you have to wait until life is so bad that you're like, yes I'm going to eat a little just add water meal and then it appears, you know But there are things that we can buy That we are eating right now And so for example like a can of soup there are lots of cans of soup That if you are eating canned soup right now, that would that might be a good food storage item Where you pull the top of it. Maybe you don't need a can opener to open it Maybe you don't need water to mix with it in order for it to Be edible. Maybe you don't need to heat it up We don't know what the extreme circumstances are if there's no electricity You can't heat your oven if there's no water and there's no water to add with it That might be a really good choice rather than a vacuum packed meal that needs water to be Reunited with its, you know to its original source So just start thinking in terms of under what circumstances am I going to use this? And then how often can you recycle it? So instead of buying new food and saving the old food storage Can you eat from the food storage and buy Something new that then goes back into storage so that you're recycling them. Does that make sense? Right? yeah, that makes a lot of sense and On that too, it's you're more if you eat it while it's still good Then you're not going to end up throwing throwing it away adding to the landfill And wasting your money or the money that you had previously spent Tell me about spices. How do people organize their spices? So I love spices in drawers So I think it's a great way to be able to see the spices that you have There are also Some newer kitchens have Pull out spice cabinets On a lower drawer so you have so they are there are shelves. It's kind of like the size of Like where cookie sheets or Cutting boards would go but it pulls out and so you can put spices on there spice racks on The counter or mounted on a wall And then also spice racks in cabinets that Are tiered so that you can see the what spices are in there because spices Very often get lost You can't remember what you have. You can't find what is in the back. So either having shelf risers or a tiered spice shelf is super helpful to be able to see all of the spices that you have That's a really good suggestion Do you use lazy susans for anything? um lazy susans can be great for spices as well as Like oil and vinegar and things that you're you know grabbing more often So whether it's in a cabinet or just like right by your stove those kind of oil vinegar salt pepper the things that you grab every time you cook lazy susans can be super helpful for that as well And for those of you that are joining us that are not familiar with the term lazy susan It's a little tiny round plate. They come in I don't know maybe six or nine or 12 inches And they have a wheel on the bottom of them and they sit flat And they have a little lip around them so that you can put things on them And then you spin it around and then what is at the back comes around to the front so that you can access it easily So i'm a really big fan of lazy susans and I like to also put them inside the refrigerator For condiments and things like that so that instead of something being in the very back of the the kitchen shelf in the refrigerator You can spin it around and then all the items that you let's say salad makings for example All of the the vinegars and the salad dressings and all those things can be Then spun around and you can reach them easily and put them back and then spin it spin it back And that way it's it's easily accessible to you So that's another option as well So is there a are there any misconceptions that people have about cleaning their kitchens that you would you would Give suggestion or advice to um common misconceptions, I mean, I think that just having less and really like being able to Clean out your cabinets and your drawers on a regular basis is super important um specifically for what you mentioned before critters Bugs rodents and things like that love the kitchen um, so if you You know have less in the kitchen or you Organize it on a regular basis You're able to really clean Those different areas that bugs, you know food particles may fall into And bugs may easily easily find But I think also like Making sure you're pulling out the stove every few months and vacuuming under there if you can move the fridge like trying to Vacuum underneath as much as possible because there are you know pieces of food can be super small and Find their way into all all different areas in the kitchen. So um just uh Yeah, just making sure you're it's the maintenance and doing it on a regular basis Is really important Um speaking of which and this is a cleaning tip that I found for and I don't have any nearby me But there are some reusable. Um What's the best way to say they're reusable cloths They're really really fine and you can reuse them a multiplicity of times They're kind of like paper towels, but they're a little bit thicker And you can take those and you can wrap those around a yard stick And a yard stick is usually about three and a half feet long three feet long and you can stick it underneath your stove or your refrigerator And if you just swish it back and forth with that on there and usually the the reusable cloth is wet And so it will pick up any dust or any debris or crumbs or anything like that And it's also skinny enough a yard stick is skinny enough that you can poke it down The sides of the refrigerator or the sides of the oven And you can usually get all the way back there to the back And then just kind of wipe the the the little tiny area where all kinds of junk and crumbs get in there And you don't really have any tools that will like fit back in there, but you can see like some stuff has fallen That's a really great tip that you can get underneath the the refrigerator and the stove without pulling it out Yeah, so that's why I love that Well, and it's very helpful because again if we're talking about Preventing critters and things from getting in our homes The cleaner we keep the area the less likely if they do come in they're gonna stay Right if they don't if they don't find food and they don't find happiness in your house They're not gonna tell all their friends like hey, I hit the jackpot all of y'all come one in right they're gonna go somewhere else so um, I wanted to Maggie had a question about any advice for short people um, and I just want to address that because I think this is a common common issue that I run into with clients of forgetting what's on the top shelves or not being able to reach them So I think one having a step stool in your kitchen is super important, but also if you um Either put a label or a list like on the inside of the cabinet to remind you of What's on the top shelves so that you can access them if you if you need them That's a really great tip and I love that because the Knowing where stuff is will save a lot of time and energy I just I'm using a hang on I'm using a new app that I just started using in the last couple of weeks and I'm looking it up. It's called item topia And it's not free. It's about $80 a year, but I figure that the $80 a year is worth Less than the wasted time. I'm spending looking for stuff And what you do is you're walking through your house and you take a picture of it and then you give it a location So you can say this is in the kitchen cupboards or this is in the storage unit or this is in the kitchen This is in the pantry. This is in the office wherever and so you give it a home And so if something belongs in your car, for example, let's say that you have a little tote That you put in the back of your car that you use for groceries. That's where it belongs So where is that tote instead of you going looking for it? Did I take it in the laundry room? Is it in the kitchen? Did I carry it in the house? Did I put it out in the garage when I was emptying the groceries out of it with the outside refrigerator? There's there's a place for it And so anybody in your home you can share that same list with So if somebody in your home is looking for something and this is especially Helpful if you're helping like elder parents, for example, and they have stuff and maybe you've You know, you're helping them is some of their stuff at your house Is some of this stuff at their house is it in their storage unit like where is it? Do they have a second home? So the the more complicated our lives get this helps streamline the looking for things So before you then go to the store and you say, hey, where is that thing? And we're talking about back to Maggie's question about for short people This is good for short people and for tall people when you have an item and it goes on your phone It's an app on your phone. And so when you just click on it, you go I know exactly where this is and if it's something that is up tall in a cupboard that you can't reach And you don't have a step stool You can have a list of all the things that are in that top shelf and then when you have A relative that comes over or a neighbor that's taller you could say listen There are six things that I need can you reach them while you're here? And I know that there are some elder people that we're working with right now. That's exactly what they do And so they say, oh, hey, I have a tall friend coming over and I need these six things And they open up their app and they can get those six things because they're not going to remember the six things When that that friend or relative comes to visit Yeah, that's an excellent suggestion Well, it's helping me right now to organize Because I'm guilty. I'm sure I'm the only one. I'm sure nobody does this but I forget what I have Or I know that hey, it's going to take me too long to find it So I'll just go buy another one And then by the time I start organizing and decluttering I find out I have four and five at the same thing You're not the only one I'm not the only one that does that I hate when I do that though because I've been decluttering I've been finding four five six of something and I'm like, what was I thinking like ah So that's the reason that I bought the app because I wanted to start streamlining the stuff that I have Because if I know where it is and I can oh, it's just in the other room Then I can go in the other room and get it now. I know where it is right I'm telling you I'm making myself crazy. All right. So back to the kitchen. Um, a lot of times we spend a lot of time in the kitchen With recipe books and I don't know magazines things like that How do we organize those in our kitchen? And is it better just to get rid of all that kind of stuff like what's How do we how do we make that work in our kitchens? Um, I mean, I think it is a matter of being realistic about how often you're actually using the recipe book a lot of people now You know look up recipes on Pinterest or another Site and you're you know going from your phone or from your iPad when you're making the recipe So If you're using the books, that's great and and just you know, it's more of Putting them in a place where you're gonna be able to access them and But cookbooks can also be if you have like open shelving or you have like glass Like glass doors over some of the cabinets recipe books can look really nice in there But I think yeah just being realistic about if you're using them and If it makes sense to have maybe they make they they're gonna go on a really high shelf because you don't use them that often Um, so just being realistic about about your use of the books Um being realistic about The use of the books is a really good Suggestion because I bought a Vitamix Probably about 10 years ago and I use it twice a day. So I use it all the time But it came with this really expensive Cookbook or whatever you want to call it a recipe book for making smoothies and I promise I've never opened it even once But it's a really fancy book and because I spent so much money on the Vitamix I felt obligated to keep this really expensive cookbook So I was going through my stuff this last week And I had this book in my hand and I'm thinking should I keep this book? And I imagined in my head. Oh, yes, the day is gonna come like one day I'm gonna wake up and I'm gonna have this like displayed on my counter And I'm gonna be making one of these delicious recipes and I'm like angela What are you thinking about you're never gonna do that in 10 years? You've never once opened that book like when is this magical day gonna come Then you're gonna use this book and I'm like well, but but they've got really good recipes in them Like there's recipes for soup. There's recipes by angela. You've never used it yet And I'm like you're right. I've never used it and I didn't want to let go of it because it was expensive And I'm hanging on to this really expensive Vitamix It's not a cookbook because there's nothing to cook. It's a recipe book for smoothies And as I as I as I thought about it. I thought I'm gonna give myself permission To let go of this book Because how do I cook how do I cook? And how I cook is this you talk about people looking up recipes online when I use a recipe I actually go to the internet and I type in the word killer Before the food so like killer potato salad killer killer macaroni and cheese or whatever And then it pulls up like these five star recipes and then I make it for that event And then I'm done with it. Right I'm done with it. So there is no recipe book. I don't have recipe books I don't use recipe books and then I was like This magical day is never coming get rid of the book already angela and it's a really thick fat book And I'm like I'm storing this for what for a rainy day that will never come for me right And I'm right over the book That's great. And now I mean and it's opened up space for Another cookbook that you will use or something else in the kitchen and I think too with um, you know smoothies if you're You can also look up smoother recipes online And if like pinterest is a really great solution for people who like to save recipes Because it's pretty much you can create a board of smoothie recipes or soups or whatever it might be But you and then you can still go back and reference them if you do want to make them again So susie muhler says ha ha. I also have item mix cookbook that I haven't used so me and susie are twins And then karin says I have old cookbooks I collected for 40 years that I rarely use all stored in a cabinet. I rarely use hard for me to toss so I I think I'm not alone here maggie says my My geek daughter told me that don't need cookbooks mom. Um, and you know what I'm start I'm starting to think that there is probably I don't know maybe a maybe a better way For us to get rid of some of this stuff because maybe if we're not using it We never are going to maybe maybe now it's the time Yeah, you know definitely Ah, okay, so I'm not alone. Thank you guys for validating that I'm not alone in my in my search here of cleaning out my kitchen So, um, I I am in the process right now of going through a lot of my cupboards And I think because it is a new year and I'm trying to turn over Um my organization. I want to do better this year than I did last year um, I've started getting rid of things that Are valuable But that I don't use a lot and there are things like muffin tins I have I don't know 20 muffin tins and they're all brand new and they're all like that That what do you call it the non-stick? You know And when I when I asked myself when is the last time you made muffins angela? I remember I got really really angry Because I made like these little muffin things for a party and it took like four hours to make They were very decorative and they were beautiful and they tasted delicious And they so were not worth the time and investment that I I put into it And I said I will never make those again So I never made them again. You but yet I hung on to all these little muffin tins And they're like a little tiny muffin tins like those little baby like little bite-sized muffin Who eats those little bite-sized muffins and I'm like I could just go buy some at Costco or something I'm I'm not going to make them again So I've got all these really nice expensive muffin tins and because I spent all this money on these muffin tins I think I bought them with michaels or something. I don't know what I was thinking Um, but I got like 40 of them and I'm I'm probably never going to use them again So do I store them or do I do I let them go? Well, I think it's it's um thinking about You know how if you do make muffins How many are you going to make like I think people often have a lot of cupcake? Um Tins, but it's you know, if you make a a dozen cupcakes at a time or a dozen muffins at a time you don't need 40 of them or um and if you You know let them go you can open up space for something else or just have open space And you know if you do find a time where you need to make 40 muffins I feel like at this point like you said you're going to go out and buy them You're not going to make them again, but if you do want to buy them, you know, you could buy tins, but a lot of times people hold on to things that they think they might use that That Didn't didn't cost a lot of money or they could replace it for not a lot So I I really suggest, you know, like letting go of things that you're not using often and if you do Need it You like going out and purchasing it at that specific time That you need it as opposed to holding on to it for years and years and years and it taking up valuable space in your kitchen Well, I'll be truthful with you What I have in my kitchen is not realistic for me But it's a lifestyle in my head. I bought a lifestyle I envisioned myself with this apron on and I'm standing in my kitchen and I'm cooking things and I'm making You know little cupcakes or little muffins or what have you but that's actually not my lifestyle at all I don't actually do that in my head It was the illusion and I I bought into the illusion of like the the really nice fancy Vitamix cookbook like one day I'm going to get up on a saturday morning And I'm going to have this, you know Cookbook open and I'm going to be making some kind of berry smoothie or something. Uh, no, I'm not No, I'm not And so in the back of my head It's like a lifestyle that if I get rid of the cookbook. I'm getting rid of this magical lifestyle that is pretend That I was going to have that I really don't have at all If I wake up early on a saturday morning. I'm going to the computer and I'm going to write my next book That's what I'm going to be doing. I'm not going to be making You know bakery items in my kitchen. I'm not going to do that Yeah, and I think people do hold on to things for A lot of different reasons, but one reason being that's what We're quote-unquote supposed to do or that's what um, you know social medias Saying is popular what we're supposed to be doing, but um I think a big A big mind shift And like what you're saying is being realistic about your lifestyle being realistic about how you're using your kitchen And what you're doing in it and not you know, my My mom used to bake Cakes what I'm not mine specifically But I'm as an example, you know if your mom used to bake cakes once a week or something like that And so you think that you need to have all these different types of cake pans because you're going to bake once a week But you've never baked a cake in your life You know, it's like being really honest with yourself and there's no shame in Not baking and not cooking. It's how you're living and so What I thinking about Creating your home to support how you live as opposed to Buying a lot of stuff and then it just kind of cluttering Cluttering up the kitchen Well, all right I think I think You've helped me be more honest with myself man. I hate this, but I'm so glad we're having this conversation I think what I'm hearing from our conversation today is that to be really honest about the lifestyle that you have Instead of the lifestyle that you are going to pretend you have inside your head because it's it's fanciful But yet not realistic for you now or ever or maybe it never was That it's okay to to clear out some of that stuff and let it go Because hanging you on to it just because it's a fancy illusion Doesn't give you more space in your kitchen and it doesn't really honor the lifestyle that you do have And you can't you can't be truly authentic who you are If you're tripping over A lifestyle that's imagined that is taking up space in all your cupboards and in kitchen and cluttering up your space Because that's not who you are. That's It really doesn't fit in with what you have right? Yeah. Yeah, I think that's great All right, so this is going to be the year of honest truths Ah, I love it our time is up for today. Um, Katie, this has been so much fun I've really enjoyed this conversation and I really want to thank all you guys that have jumped in and said hi JLP hi Karen hi from San Diego. Um, I'm a collector of many things including cookbooks I'm doing my best to let things go keep my favorites Maggie, thank you so much for the conversation And Karen so true got to be realistic. Thank you guys so much for joining us here today And Katie tell our listeners where they can go to find you and possibly get in touch with you To have you walk through their kitchens with them individually virtually Yeah, so my website is kma organizing calm I also have an instagram and facebook that are both kma organizing And I do offer virtual Organizing sessions where we'll come up with an action plan together. Um, so if anyone's interested I'd love to have a chat with you This was so informative and I really enjoyed our chat today. Thank you guys so much for joining us Thank you Katie for being here and for your wisdom and we will see you again same time same place next week. Thank you Thank you