Organize & Declutter Pots & Pans in 5 Simple Steps
Nature is resetting for a fresh start and so should you!
Home organizing is synonymous with spring cleaning and with spring in the air, it is a great time to declutter your home and start fresh. Seeing the bright blooms of flowers and trees leafing out is not only beautiful, but also is a reminder that spring is all about renewal and the Earth resetting itself and starting again. In order for that regrowth to happen, the trees and flowers dropped their leaves and “let go” of everything but the bare essentials in the fall, only being left with their roots and core. After being freed up, they can now grow again to be stronger and more productive after leaving behind what was no longer needed. The process of home organization is very similar to this flow we see in nature. There is something really magical about mirroring what is occurring outside in nature with the inside of our homes around the change of seasons.
In reality, spring might be a chaotic time for you. The juggling of a busy family life, school projects, spring break travel, planning for holiday celebrations and balancing work with family life and self care. Even the simple act of getting dressed in the morning can be challenging this time of year with the turbulent fluctuations of spring weather and temperatures. The overwhelm is real and can easily take over.
I recently read the book Essentialism, by Greg McKeown, which outlines the process of how we can determine what is most important in our lives and let go of the rest. This book helped me realize that I was operating from the standpoint that everything is important and trying to cram as much into a day as possible. I often feel overwhelmed and like I don’t accomplish enough in my waking hours. Can you relate?! The key is to learn to whittle things down to the “vital few” from the “trivial many”. This process is the key to having more time for what really matters in our lives. The same goes for organizing our homes. When we have so many non-essential things in our lives, we are constantly having to sift through the things that don’t really matter to find the things we need, love and use. Sometimes we can’t find the essential things so we buy duplicates. Sometimes we buy even more things to distract us from the overwhelm. Sometimes we just give up.
Imagine how good it would feel to have only what is essential in your home. This doesn’t have to mean living a minimalist lifestyle. It means having the things that you use on a regular basis, the mementos that are special and add meaning to your life, the things you need to function daily - and letting go of the rest. This is a cathartic process and the freedom one feels after completing it is incredibly fulfilling. If you are feeling overrun at the mere idea of getting your home organized and down to the essentials, I understand! The key is to start small, with one space or category at a time.
I live in a relatively small home of 1874 square feet. With our kids being adults and now living on their own, this size home works perfectly for my husband and I. Even with being a professional organizer and owning an organizing company, I struggle with accumulation of too much stuff. Recently I was starting to feel frustrated when making dinner. When pulling out pots and pans I was having to take several out to get to the one that I wanted to use. After taking a closer look at the situation I realized what the problem was - DUPLICATION!
How To Declutter & Organize Your Pots & Pans
Here is how I broke down the process of decluttering, editing, organizing and styling my kitchen cabinet and freed myself up for more enjoyable cooking. You can also see the breakdown of our process when we work with clients here.
STEP 1 - take everything out & clean
This is the most important step in organizing your home for a couple of reasons. It allows you to truly see everything that you have and nothing can hide in dark corners. It also allows you to open your mind to other ways of organizing the space. I took all my pots and pans out of the cabinet and put them on the kitchen counter. As long as you have everything out of the space already, it is best to take the opportunity to give it a good scrub. It only takes a minute or two and will help your space feel fresh and clean.
STEP 2 - sort & categorize
Put like with like so that you can clearly see how many of each item you have. I put all my frying pans, larger pots, smaller pots, etc. together in groups. I was stunned to see that I had at least two of each kind and size of pot and pan! When they were all crammed in the cabinet together I had no idea, but this explained the chaos I felt when cooking a simple meal.
STEP 3 - edit
Decide what is essential and what really needs to be in this space so that it is organized, functional and looks amazing. I decided to keep all of my Le Creuset pots and pans. I love the quality and that they last forever. They allow me to make delicious and healthy food. The bright colors make me feel happy and brighten my kitchen. I let go of most of the stainless and non-stick pans that I rarely used. Part of the editing process is figuring out what can be donated and discarded, but another aspect is deciding what of the things you are keeping needs to stay in the space. An example of this is a Le Creuset fondue pot that we only use on special occasions. I still wanted to keep this pot, but it was taking up valuable space in the cabinet where my daily use pots and pans live. I relocated the fondue pot to the cabinet above our refrigerator and freed up even more space.
STEP 4 - organize & style
Now that you have decluttered your items and cleaned the space it is time to put everything back together. My cabinets have that super odd 1/2 shelf. When we moved in I was planning to either install pull out shelves or replace with a full shelf, but that project has been moved to the bottom of the list and I actually have learned to love the visibility of being able to see what I have. For my cabinet this strange little shelf works great to store my smaller pots and leaves more room for the larger ones below. The styling step adds the magic to your space and makes you feel good every time you interact with it. For my cabinet it meant grouping the bright colored pots together and arranging them in a way that both makes sense but is also visually appealing.
STEP 5 - maintain
Maintenance is the key to keeping your spaces organized. Simply return your pots and pans to their designated spots once you are done using them. Taking a few moments every once in a while to reset a space if it gets messy is also a really good habit to get into.
Raleigh + Charlotte, NC Local Donation Resources
After taking all of these steps, don’t forget to donate! It is important to follow through and get the belongings that you have decided you no longer need up and out of your home as soon as possible so that they are not cluttering up your home and life. Our list of donation charities will help you determine where to donate and recycle in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Now that this process is complete, I am enjoying being in my kitchen and cooking meals more. It feels so good to open this cabinet and know that everything I need to make nutritious and delicious food is right there. I feel calm seeing my pots and pans organized and styled. I also feel inspired to take on the next space that needs organization and is nagging at my psyche and causing frustration.
Does this inspire you to take the first step toward organized living? Check out our blog page for other spaces to organize and a breakdown of how to do it yourself. If it all feels like too much and life feels like a merry go round you can’t step off, that's why we are here! You can learn more about our professional organizing company and take the first step to getting organized here. We would love nothing more than to connect with you and provide the ease of an organized lifestyle.