Gayle Goddard facilitates the July monthly meeting of the Houston Clutter Coaching Meetup Group: Blenders and Peelers and Whisks, Oh My! Decluttering the Kitchen.

Henshaw House (Nature Discovery Center)
Russ Pitman Park
7112 Newcastle St.
Bellaire, TX 77401
713-667-6550

Is your kitchen so full of gadgets that there’s no space left for cooking?

At the July meetup, we’ll check in on the project we introduced in June: “Squeaky Clean Organizing Strategies for Your Bathroom.” Come tell the group about your progress and we’ll share hints about how to keep rolling.

We’ll also introduce our focus for August: “Blenders and Peelers and Whisks, Oh My! Decluttering the Kitchen.” It’s the heart of the house, the traditional family meeting space, and the most popular room at every party: the kitchen. But too often, it’s so packed full of “must-have“ gadgets, stained Tupperware, and antique ingredients that there’s no space left for cooking. We’ll delve into the notion of “usefulness” and define a more honest standard for deciding what belongs in your perfect kitchen.

[See the Program Notes for this meetup.]As usual, we’ll also open the floor to your questions, success stories, and tales of trouble spots.

We’ll provide refreshments, and don’t forget the drawing for a door prize or two! (You must be present to win.)

FREE and open to the public.

RSVP by visiting the Meetup page or by sending us e‑mail.

The Houston Clutter Coaching Meetup Group is a community of people who want to conquer their clutter and make more room in their lives for the things they love. Come learn tools and tips from an expert, and share your success stories and “ah‑hah!” moments…[READ MORE]

Like many of my clients, friends, and neighbors, after about four days I found myself emptying my refrigerator and freezer of their spoiled contents. I had done a good job of using up fresh food as Ike approached, and didn’t buy any more in the days leading up to the storm. But my emergency ice chest could only hold so much, and I ended up filling many trash bags with thawed food from the freezer, jars of condiments, dressings, and sauces, and open bottles and packages of all kinds. I cleaned the fridge as if I were moving out of the house and leaving it for the new owner. Then I pulled the fridge out from the wall to unplug it, and it sat there empty for the next 10 days.

It was strange to walk back and forth in front of that refrigerator with its doors propped open and nothing inside. It was perfectly clean and shiny and looked totally barren. But every time I walked by, I wondered what I would buy first when the power came back on. What about mayo and maybe some eggs? Should I buy butter and cheese? Maybe I would try a new type of salsa….

At some point, it dawned on me that I could fill it with whatever I wanted. When the power returned and the fridge was cold again, I could fill that fridge with only those things that I liked and wanted in there. I had cleared out all the old and was ready to replace it with exactly what I wanted in my fridge now. My empty, unplugged refrigerator was a blank slate of possibility—just like many of the Clutter Fairy jobs I do every day.

What a fine metaphor my refrigerator is for the declutterizing process. Everything I removed from my fridge has a parallel in what I discover as I clear out a cluttered space. There were jars I had opened eons ago and never finished off. There were things I used every day, like the Brita water pitcher and a bottle of Diet Coke. In the freezer, there was an old box of frozen chicken that had been shipped to me as a gift. There were supplies of foods that I no longer eat and leftovers that had been shoved to the back and forgotten. Like any space in your house, my refrigerator contained things I desired once but no longer liked, things that were used up or spoiled, gifts I had never wanted, and useful stuff I needed every day. There were experiments that didn’t work out and things that had gotten lost in the back. There were even hidden treasures—like the bag of Lindt chocolate truffles I rescued from oblivion!

I took delight in replenishing the newly cool refrigerator with my favorite cheese and new jars of mayo, mustard, and salad dressing. I restocked my favorite drinks, too, and refilled the Brita. When I was done, there was still a lot of space free, and I could easily see everything I had added. The fridge was clean and beautiful. It felt like I’d made a fresh start in life.

Clearing clutter can give you a blank slate. It can let you start over with a space that’s clean, fresh, and exactly how you like it. It’s an amazing experience to remake your space. Can’t imagine clearing the clutter in a room of your house? Want to see what it feels like? Clean out your refrigerator completely. Fill it with exactly and only what you want, and see how that feels to you. When you’re ready to take the next step, you’ll be surprised how much like cleaning the fridge clearing out a room of your house can be!