Kitchen Sweep

The kitchen is the spot for family gatherings in most homes. During the five years Jodi and Marty Frank have lived in their home with their two young children, their kitchen has become a magnet for papers, mail, plastic containers, newspapers, toys and junk.

Piles of stuff occupy virtually every inch of counter space and spill from the cabinets--mountains of newspapers, ready-to-be-recycled bottles and heaps of plastic containers in lower cabinets.

The spice racks cannot be reached because they sit up high on a cluttered shelf, and an island that sits in the middle of the kitchen eliminates even more space. The refrigerator is somewhere underneath all of the bills, school calendars, schedules and magnets. What began as a small amount of clutter has grown out of control.

The Franks feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the number of things lying around and doubt they can ever have a serene, inviting and efficient kitchen.