I Tried the “Ski Slope Method” on My Overflowing Kitchen Cabinets, and It Took the Stress Out of Decluttering
If there’s one section of my kitchen that I get most overwhelmed trying to keep tidy, it’s my butler’s pantry. I know, this bit of extra space in my kitchen is a luxury that should only elicit feelings of gratitude, and it’s not as if I sought out to have this space — it came with the house, and of course was an instant selling point. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to maintain.
This extra space is essentially permission to be messy. Anything I can’t find a permanent spot for ends up in my butler’s pantry. We get a new countertop gadget? It sits in the butler’s pantry for weeks, (okay fine, sometimes months) until it finds a better home. If I throw a party, all the paper goods and disposable bakeware ends up sitting on the counter until the next time I have guests over. I use the cabinet-style closet for our surplus of nonperishable foods and spices, plus baking goods and supplies. Without fail, things expire, or I accidentally buy things I already have … nothing gets used or thrown away, and the clutter multiplies. I had to do something, but where to start?
I surveyed the mounting piles. The countertops overflowed with my daughter’s Halloween candy (I am writing this in February), one cabinet erupted with mismatched plastic food storage containers, another with the aforementioned food, the bottom storage filled to the brim with miscellaneous kitchen items I didn’t even know I had.
What Is the “Ski Slope Method” for Decluttering?
Thankfully, I discovered Anita Yokota’s “Ski Slope Method” (detailed in her book, Home Therapy). The concept is so simple, I can hardly believe I didn’t know it sooner! Here’s how it works: Instead of looking at a room (or a mess) as one big project, you instead break it up into sections where you “ski” from one spot to the next until the entire space is addressed. It was the perfect approach to tackling my butler’s pantry.
What Happened When I Tried the “Ski Slope Method” to Declutter My Kitchen
I started with a cabinet overflowing with food storage containers. I took every piece out and placed them on the counter so I could evaluate what I had, organize by size, put lids into neat stacks, and place similar items together. Behold — I could open the cabinet doors and easily grab the correct container and matching lid without a million things tumbling out!
After one ski slope was tackled, it empowered me to move on to the countertops. The Halloween candy went into more aesthetically pleasing and functional apothecary jars. A bucket of assorted food and gadgets was thoroughly cleaned out, and in minutes, the counter space went from “extra junk holder” to useful, practical, and easy on the eyes!
Next, I tackled the bottom cabinet followed by my storage closet, filled with random items like insulated lunch totes, paper goods, aprons, and canned goods, jars, bottles, flour, bags of hard brown sugar, and more, respectively. It was freeing to throw things away or add them to a mounting donation pile. I threw out anything that was expired, and anything unopened (that I knew I wouldn’t use) was donated. I discovered spices, oils, and other baking supplies that I was excited to revive and use in new recipes!
Why You Should Definitely Try the “Ski Slope Method” to Declutter
It took me a weekend to get through the small area, but tackling it in small increments actually made it fun and far less stressful. I was able to pull things out of a cabinet, find new homes for items, or add them to a trash bag — and then take a break. The break was good for me to think about my goals for the space so I could approach the next round of decluttering more methodically and with a clear vision.
Ultimately, my goal was to feel hope, not dread, every time I walked into the butler’s pantry. I wanted to use the space to ensure I had what I needed at all times to cook for my family, rather than be wasted by storing duplicate or expired things, making me feel so overwhelmed by my surplus of ingredients that I gave up and ordered in. Mission accomplished! I can’t wait to use the “ski slope method” all over the rest of my home.
Would you try the “ski slope method” to declutter your kitchen? Let us know in the comments below!
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: I Tried the “Ski Slope Method” on My Overflowing Kitchen Cabinets, and It Took the Stress Out of Decluttering
Further Reading
I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
