7 Things You Should Throw Out of Your Kitchen Immediately

Sometimes, we keep many things in our kitchen that we do not need, hoping they will be used in the future. But now is the time to declutter. Here are seven things that need to be thrown out and will help start the process.

It's very easy to keep many unnecessary things in your kitchen, hoping they will come in handy in the future. But some of these things can never be used again and bear the risk of contaminating your food.

Here is a list of the top seven things that are easy to hoard but most likely take up a lot of space and serve no purpose in your kitchen.

1. Chipped Cups and Bowls​

One of the things that we tend to always hold onto is our favorite mugs and bowls, especially if they are vintage collective items. But if they chipped, then it means they have to go.

Firstly, having a chipped mug risks a person getting cut on the lip, but when it comes to vintage bowls, there is a risk of having lead from the ceramic contaminate your soups and cereals.

2. Plastic Storage Containers

When it comes to plastic containers, there is usually the chaos of losing lids for the containers and then trying to come up with a system to avoid this.

However, Dana K. White, a Dallas-based organizing and decluttering expert, advised people to get rid of their systems and keep fewer containers. That way, they will be used regularly and lead to fewer leftovers.

On the other side, Christina Hidek, an organizing and decluttering coach, pointed out that plastic containers with white marks that form from being reheated in the microwave especially need to be thrown out.

Hidek said the white marks are a sign of the plastic coming off, which means the food might also be contaminated with plastic, and that could result in health problems. Reusing plastic containers can recycled and be useful for other things besides food.

3. Knife Block

Although knife blocks might seem like a useful tool for storage, another declutter expert, Julie Peak, said they were big and took up a lot of counter space.

Additionally, they are difficult to clean, so Peak suggested storing knives in a vertical drawer or getting a magnetic strip to hang them.

4. Reusable Bags

Most households have an overflowing drawer of reusable bags that they hope to use, but another expert said they are mostly unused because they are stored where they are easily forgotten.

Therefore, the expert recommends only keeping a few, recycling them, and getting rid of the rest. These bags are only reusable when kept where they will be remembered, and experts suggest one of the best places to be in the back of a car.

5. Old Kitchen Sponges

Kitchen sponges are also usually kept longer than they should be. Hidek said they have a shorter lifespan than people give them, and most importantly to note is that they store a lot of bacteria and gems, which does not help with cleaning.

6. Sieves

Sieves are another kitchen item that can be dangerous to one's health if kept too long. Firstly, the rust can go into food, and if it has a big hole, it loses its general use.

7. Old spices

It is not often that expiry dates on spices are taken to mind. Spices are usually kept for a long but according to experts, they lose their flavor over time, which will not do anything for your favorite recipes.

One way to know if a spice has reached its end is by sniffing it, and if it still has a strong smell, it can be kept. It also usually clumps up from the humidity, which is a sign that it must be thrown out.

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