On the surface my home is reasonably clean and tidy (most of the time). But I have a habit of allowing clutter to accumulate behind closed doors and in drawers...anywhere out of sight really. In my current home a lot of areas were haphazardly crammed full when I moved in over the summer, and never properly organized. That's what I get for not taking any time off during the move! Being the type who loves order (but who, perversely, tends to procrastinate), the clutter preys on my mind as I find excuses to avoid tidying it. I've reached a breaking point! This week is all about decluttering the center of my home where all random objects gravitate...the kitchen. Project number one was the pantry. It's a rather tiny pantry considering I have very little additional food storage. Consequently the shelves are packed to the brim and I completely forget about the stuff that gets shoved towards the back. It's aaaaall coming out for an assessment, reorganization and deep cleaning.
Before: there was no particular order to things...soup cans were literally on every shelf wherever they would fit. The floor was covered in scattered cleaning products and recycling. There were tons of ancient cereal boxes. (None of us even eat cereal so I'm not sure what I was saving them for.) There were several large boxes with one or two items left, taking up unnecessary room. And it was just plain dirty. And I've only lived here for 6 months! Yeesh.
After: I pulled everything out and put it either into bins for sorting, or into garbage bags. It might not look like it, but I got two full garbage bags of old stuff out of there. I scrubbed the whole thing down with a vinegar/water spray (scented with essential orange oil.) Then I restocked the pantry keeping like foods with like this time. And lo and behold! I can actually find things now! It's a little peace of mind during my hectic day.
Next step: my baking supplies cupboard...I'm a little scared to be honest...
