Bobby Berk has revealed a quick step to making our homes feel more organized. The interiors expert and Queer Eye star is calling time on kitchen cabinets filled to the brim with mismatched food containers.
We all have a substantial collection, for no reason whatsoever. You might have bought a load at Target that time you decided you'd stop spending money on lunch and take your own into work.
Or perhaps your favorite take-out food comes in these plastic boxes and it feels horribly wasteful to throw them away. We get it, single-use plastic is terrible for the environment, but the guilt has left us holding onto way too many of these boxes.
'If you regularly order takeout, chances are your cabinets are crammed with a collection of mismatched containers. And having nonfunctional storage options isn’t doing you any favors,' writes Bobby on his blog (opens in new tab).
He recommends taking some time to go through what you have and to recycle what's no longer needed. 'You can also donate any pots, pans, or cookware that you’re not using as well.
'If you’ve also got a growing pile of plastic silverware from food orders, collect it all in a storage bag and use it for your next picnic or backyard bar-b-que,' he says.
It's one thing to have loads of plastic boxes just in case of some kind of food storage emergency and another thing when none of the lids match. Luckily, there are plenty of smart kitchen storage ideas out there these days to keep the heart of the home neat.
We love the Bridgerton-inspired concept of an overhead pot rack and plenty of open shelving. Interior decorator and organizer Liana McCreary recommends the Youcopia container lid organizer from Target (opens in new tab) - this really takes things up a level and helps tame mismatched lids.
But, more often than not, we simply have too much stuff rather than too little storage space. So get some music blaring or your favorite true-crime podcast on and a quick half-hour of container de-cluttering will make a world of difference.
Consider converting to glass containers from IKEA (opens in new tab) for a more eco-friendly option -they also look nice in the fridge.
There are also lots of clever pantry storage ideas to help keep a tidy kitchen and a tidy mind. Some new storage baskets and jars might even the whole thing quite fun.
