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Basement Tools for the Kitchen

A Kitchen Toolbox. A what, you say? I’ve heard of the kitchen junk drawer, and a toolbox in the basement. But a kitchen toolbox?

That’s right. I believe every kitchen could benefit from a kitchen toolbox – either an actual box or a small drawer where you keep all the non-kitchen items that you always need in the kitchen or around the house. Your kitchen toolbox should include: a measuring tape, a box of safety pins, a few self-adhesive white plastic hooks, a bag of clothespins, some birthday candles, white glue, super glue, rubber bands, assorted self-adhesive furniture pads, and a multi screwdriver. 

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There are lots of tasks you need tools for that you don’t want to have to run to the basement before doing. Is one of the hinges of your kitchen cabinet door loose? It’s a quick fix with a screwdriver, but if you have to walk down to the basement to get one, the quick fix just became a lot slower. But what if a screwdriver was already in your kitchen? Now it’s no problem – grab the screwdriver and the door will be tight in moments.

Have a kitchen chair that is scratching your wood floor? Grab a small furniture pad and stick it on the bottom of the offending leg. Did your kid just break a wing off her favorite Star Wars ship? You’ve got superglue at your finger tips. (By the way, did you know that they sell Krazy Glue in single-use tubes? I’ve never felt comfortable storing an open container of superglue in a drawer – now I don’t have to!)

And what about that half empty bag of potato chips leftover from lunch? Throw a clothespin on that bad boy and toss it back in the cabinet. Clothespins also work great for open bags of frozen veggies or fruit that you don’t want spilling all over your freezer. 

clothespin.jpgOne word of caution for the Kitchen Toolbox: it can get disorganized and messy very quickly, and then becomes much less useful. A few months ago, I hit my breaking point and cleaned out my toolbox drawer. I threw out all the trash and sorted everything else into separate Ziploc baggies. I felt a palpable sense of relief. Now if I need a rubber band, I reach in, grab the baggie of bands, take one out, zip the bag closed, and throw it back in the drawer. My rubber bands are well contained and still easy to find and use.

Think about the tools you use often and how many times you’re taking unnessary trips to the basement to grab a screwdriver or search for that dang box of safety pins that you can never find. And then put it all into your Kitchen Toolbox for next time.

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