Kitchen Season: An Easy Guide to Making Your Kitchen the Heart of Your Home

Colorful plates and spoon — The leaves changing outside your window mean one thing: Inside, Kitchen Season is upon us. It’s that wonderful time of the year when we start to look forward to having family and friends gather again for home cooked meals and happy chatter. If you are like everyone else, your kitchen is probably in need of a serious declutter in order to prepare it for savory dinners and fall get-togethers. In a moment, we’ll show you how to get your kitchen back in shape. But first, you’ll be wanting to donate the small appliances, cookware, kitchen gadgets and everything else you’ll uncover while decluttering, so take a quick moment and schedule your free donation pickup by CLICKING HERE. Our tips will be waiting for you when you click back.

The kitchen really is the heart and soul of your home. It is where memories, and amazing pies, are made. We have some great ideas for you to make your kitchen declutter fast, easy and free. Get ready to clear away the summer plasticware and bring in your seasonal touches!

Top-Down Adventure

Your kitchen may look like a daunting task when it is time to declutter. Take some of your worry away by thinking of it as a top-down adventure. A good way to make a game plan for your change-of-season decluttering efforts is to start with your top cabinets and move your way down to your counter and island spaces, then drawers and finally the bottom cabinets. Before you start, make a list of stuff that you would like to move out to make room for seasonal plates, glasses, cups, pots, pans, baking dishes, linens and decor. Or quicker still, use your smartphone’s camera app to snap pictures of the soon-to-be-donated stuff. Remember, what worked for spring and summer probably won’t bring that warm and toasty feeling you crave for the months ahead.

Now that your list is made, prepare for your declutter by using our quick, easy and free Three Box Method. You will need boxes or bags for the “Keep,” “Donate” and “Toss” items that you are clearing out. Here are some easy-to-remember rules for each box that will make your declutter adventure fast and simple:

Keep

When considering if you need to keep an item, do a quick and honest mental check by asking yourself, “Do I value this item, use it regularly and will I use it in the future?” If the answer is yes, put it in your “Keep” box or bag. If the answer is no, then ask yourself, “Is this item, that I no longer need or value, in good working order and would someone else use and value it?” If that answer is yes, apply to it this next rule…

Donate

Put all of your items that you no longer value or will use into your donate boxes and bags. Your generous donations of kitchen items will be valued and used by many families to make their kitchens warm and cozy. Here is a list of good-condition and operating kitchen items that you can donate and add heart to kitchens elsewhere:

Small appliances like toasters, mixers, juicers, and waffle makers.
Dishes, plates, bowls, glasses and serving platters.
Utensils and flatware.
Linens, tablecloths, placemats, potholders and dish towels.
Canisters and food storage glassware.
Decor, cookbooks and knickknacks.

Donating to community organizations like the Vietnam Veterans of America is as heartwarming as a kitchen on a holiday morning. Plus, donating to the VVA is free, and you’ll get a tax receipt in return. Once you have items in your “donate” box, simply label them “VVA” and put them aside until the day of your pickup, which you can schedule by CLICKING HERE. Then on the day that you’ve picked, simply place the bags and boxes outdoors, and our drivers will haul them away and you’ll get a tax receipt in return.

Toss

Your keep and donate boxes are full, now it’s time to dispose of all of the items that you found in the back of your cabinets, pantry and drawers that need to be tossed out.

PRO TIP: Take a close look at your spices and baking supplies; their expiration dates may have passed since your last baking session.

Among the items you might not realize you can toss out are cleaning supplies that can be combined. Two half-empty bottles of glass cleaner currently stored in both the pantry and beneath the sink can be combined into one nearly full bottle. And while you’re tossing, now’s a good time to open up the freezer and send the months-old frozen leftovers to the garbage.

You may be asking yourself why our tried and true method has you taking out all of your keep, donate and toss items as you start your decluttering. The answer is that you’ll be left with a clean, blank slate for you to organize and restock to your heart’s content. Now that you have space for your treasured “keep” items, you will also have space for some new seasonal items. Beautiful new dishes, a special baking dish or festive platter can now have a special place in the heart of your home.

You’ll be surprised how a decluttered kitchen, especially if it’s showcasing new or beloved items, will inspire you to keep it clean and organized in the coming months.

The time you put into decluttering your kitchen to prepare for the seasons ahead will benefit your family and friends for days and weeks to come. As you enjoy your organized, clutter free and cozy space, know that because of your efforts and kind donations, veterans and their families will be doing the same, thanks to your donations.

Your kitchen does great things for you, so now it’s time to do right by it — and by America’s veterans and their families. To get started, click the button below:

America’s Best Donation Pickup Program