I Deep Cleaned My Sister’s Kitchen for the First Time in Ages and I Threw Out These 9 Things Immediately

My sister very kindly allowed me (and my cat) to crash at her place while I was between leases the past few months. As I transitioned out of her apartment and into my own, I decided to deep clean her whole apartment as a thank you and declutter her kitchen as part of the process.

I was truly shocked and amused by some of the stuff I found stashed away in there; not only did it have no business being in the kitchen, but most of the stuff should have been tossed a long time ago. Here are some of the things I removed from her kitchen during the deep decluttering.

Happy Birthday Banner

My sister loves a celebration, and her previous roommate was a big Pokémon fan, so of course, there was a Pokémon happy birthday banner shoved away in one of her cabinets. Whether or not it was ever used is anyone’s guess, but it won’t be reused anytime soon; that was a no-brainer to stick in the decluttering bag.

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Rusty Silverware

My sister has a variety of different cutlery in her drawer, and I often would sift through it to find the right fork or spoon for my meals. However, I wasn’t just looking for things I liked—I was also keeping an eye out for the rusted pieces that I didn’t want anywhere near my food or mouth. Those immediately went in the bag: two forks, two knives, and a Mason jar lid.

Instructions Pamphlets

Everyone who has ever gotten a new gadget (especially for the kitchen) has pulled out the pamphlet and thought, “I might need this;” I’m as guilty of that as the next guy. What we don’t need is one pamphlet in each drawer, or ones that are easily found on the internet. All six pamphlets (and a descaling packet for the coffee maker) went straight into the bag.

Miscellaneous Hardware

The only thing worse to hang onto than spare parts are spare parts with no discernible features to what they might be for. I removed two separate unmarked sandwich bags with screws and rubber parts, and put them straight in the bag.

I also found instructions for a knife holder that seemed like it could be linked to one of the mystery bags, and that went into the bag, too.

Two AA Batteries in a Brown Bag

What they were for, if they were used, and why they were in the kitchen will always be a mystery to me. All I know is they belong in the bag.

A Toothbrush

Thankfully, it looked very unused, but one of her drawers did house a toothbrush. I thought there was a chance it could be for her cats, which is why it went in the bag instead of straight to the trash.

Water Filters

At some point in the last year, my sister’s showerhead sprung a leak and she removed the water filter as a temporary solution. How she decided that the kitchen was the best place to keep these things is beyond my comprehension, but these will actually come back out of the bag as soon as I get plumber’s tape to reinstall them for her.

A Cheese Cloth

It took me longer than I’d care to admit to realize that what I was holding was a cheese cloth and not some sort of old-timey gauze, but it didn’t seem like it had been used and definitely should not have been housed with the Tupperware.

And a Few Other Things

There were more than a few other things I couldn’t decipher, and quite a few niche kitchen items her previous roommate (who is also a professional chef) had left behind:

• Two wet stone angle guides
• Not one, not three, but seven cake testers
• A plastic hook
• A plastic carabiner for measuring cups
• A rubber nozzle
• A tote bag (not to be confused with her collection of reusable grocery bags)
• Pet conditioner
• Two plastic items I have yet to be able to identify, one of which had spiky metal parts