Get Rid Of These Appliances When Decluttering Your Kitchen

Celebrity chef Alton Brown is not shy about shouting out his favorite kitchen products, such as his induction cooktop, pressure cooker, and immersion circulator (per Men's Journal). However, he's arguably more passionate about kitchen tools he loathes. In a viral YouTube video for The Daily Dot, which earned over 9 million views, Brown rails against kitchen equipment that he calls "unitaskers," or tools designed to perform a single task — such as a breakfast sandwich maker and a vertical nonstick egg cooker. 

Unitasking kitchen appliances, which you might have picked up in haste but now repent at leisure, probably aren't the only electrical gadgets doing nothing but taking up precious real estate in your kitchen. You're also likely to have appliances which, in the words of decluttering queen Marie Kondo, no longer "spark joy." These appliances could be too old, too difficult to use, in need of repair, or they might have outlived their usefulness. So how do you know when to say goodbye to your non-performing kitchen appliances?

One of the easiest ways to spot an unproductive kitchen appliance is by working out how old it is. If it's close to the end of its "life expectancy," it may be time to consider getting rid of it. For example, licensed associate real estate broker Kevin Shirley gives microwaves, dishwashers, and trash compactors nine years of usefulness. On the other hand, freezers, refrigerators, and kitchen disposals can last up to 13 years, while stove hoods and ranges tend to work for at least a couple of years longer, per LinkedIn. 

Shirley says another way to determine whether an appliance needs to go is if it is more than halfway past its average life span, and repairing it costs more than replacing it. A product should also be replaced if there is damage to its plug or wiring, which exposes your living space to a potential fire (per LinkedIn).

However, even if an item ticks all the age and safety boxes, there's no reason to keep it around if it's simply taking up space. Like Alton Brown's vertical nonstick egg cooker, if it doesn't perform the task it's meant to carry out, or if you're not satisfied with the results, you might find that the gadget is probably better off being in someone else's kitchen.

While making the choice to declutter your kitchen is important, finding a way to dispose of your appliances responsibly is always worth considering. To reduce waste, Green Citizen suggests recycling as an option; As Georgetown University Qatar points out, recycling could reduce the amount of greenhouse gases our industries produce by as much as half a billion tons. In addition, some gadgets with metal bodies and electric motors could be worth a decent amount of money if they are sold for scrap. If you're at a loss, asking a big box retailer like Walmart or Best Buy is worth a shot, as is taking small appliances to your local thrift store.

But if what you're getting rid of still works well (just not for you), you might want to consider going on social media to sell it since there is probably someone out there who could use it. Additionally, Green Citizen suggests you contact local charities, schools, homeless shelters, or non-profit foundations so that you can make a positive impact with your old kitchen gadgets.