An electrician told me I’m planning my kitchen all wrong – here’s why
Spring is finally here, and it’s the perfect time to deep clean, declutter, and refresh our homes. Dealing with my compact kitchen is always a real challenge, especially when excess appliances tend to pile up and crowd my tables and cabinets.
And while I’ve tried all the space-saving hacks to organize my kitchen cabinets — from shelf risers to cabinet dividers — it turns out I’ve been cluttering up my kitchen all wrong.
According to electronics experts, many of us focus on organizing our closets to make room. However, there are a few common things that we don’t think about when we declutter our kitchen.
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Furthermore, I realized that I am guilty of making these same mistakes. So, before you start your spring cleaning tasks, keep these expert-approved tips in mind.
Don’t grab disposable gadgets ‘just in case’
We’ve all done it: bought a cool, special kitchen gadget, used it once, then tucked it away — never to be seen again. However, instead of covering important space with single-use gadgets, experts recommend investing in a variety of tools.
“A common mistake is to keep appliances that serve only one purpose and are rarely used, instead of choosing more versatile alternatives,” said Caroline Ross David e Silva, Director of Product Marketing at Cuisinart.
“These single-use items can quickly take up valuable storage space while collecting dust. If all the appliances in your kitchen find their place by doing more than one job, whether that’s a dual-cooker fryer or an immersion blender with multiple speed settings and attachments, your space is working a lot harder for you.”
If, like me, you have trouble deciding what you’ll really need, what’s the best way to get rid of your favorite kitchen appliances or tools?
“A good rule of thumb to ask yourself is: have I used this in the past year, and could another device do the same job?” adds Silva. “Depending on your answers, it may be time to ditch it or replace it with a more versatile solution.”
So instead of just finding ways to change and organize more gadgets, get rid of some instead.
Don’t buy the latest appliances that don’t fit your space
Another mistake we often make is to buy electrical appliances that are too large and heavy for the area. For example, I instantly regretted buying a two-chamber air fryer. It was too big for my small counter and was a complete eyesore, and now it has taken over my dining table.
“One of the biggest pitfalls is investing in kitchen appliances without properly considering the size of your home,” admits Silva. “Large stand mixers, large air fryers, or many single-use gadgets can quickly dominate tables and cabinets, especially in small kitchens.
“It’s easy to get swayed by trends or flashy features, but if something doesn’t fit the size of your kitchen or the way you cook day-to-day, it can end up taking up a lot of space.”
In addition, large appliances that clutter the space can quickly make a small room look very small. So make sure you always think about the size of the items before buying.
“Instead, it’s worth measuring your space and thinking carefully about where each appliance will sit before you buy. Compact, multi-functional designs can deliver the same functionality without cluttering up your kitchen.”
In fact, an important thing to remember when cleaning your kitchen is to ensure that you stick to space-saving appliances and solutions. You should choose multi-functional products to reduce the amount of electronics you keep, or simply declutter by getting rid of or donating extra gadgets you’ll never use.
“The spring break is a great opportunity to re-evaluate not only what we have, but how we use our space, especially in the kitchen.”
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