15 Things to Declutter in Your Kitchen Today
The kitchen is the heart of the home and we spend a lot of time there. If you’re struggling to keep it organized, here are 15 things to declutter in your kitchen TODAY!
Decluttering the living spaces in your home takes time and it’s an ongoing process. It isn’t a one-and-done thing.
The kitchen is probably one of the most used spaces in the home. How many times a day are you in your kitchen?
You may have cabinets overflowing with items you rarely use.
Things get pushed to the back of a cabinet never to be seen again.
You buy something you need only to find it later stuck away behind all the clutter.
Does this sound familiar? It happens to all of us, so don’t let it stress you out. Take some time and really look at what you have and decide what you really need.
RELATED: 100 Things to Declutter From Your Home Right Now
15 things to declutter in your kitchen today
1. Chipped or broken dishes
Get rid of any dishes that are chipped or stained. Sell or donate items you no longer use but are still in good condition.
Not only is it safer, but it’s also helpful to only keep things that are in good condition. You will have less stuff overall and the things you have will be in better condition.
2. Appliances you never use
One of the main causes of kitchen counter
Go through and get rid of or donate any ones you don’t want to keep or don’t work. Find a spot to store rarely used ones off the counter.
3. Expired food
Do you have expired food in your fridge and pantry?
It can be very easy to forget about that jar of pasta sauce in the back corner you thought you has used up.
Check your pantry for any expired food. Go through your fridge and freezer and toss out any expired food.
Not only will it prevent the growth of mold or bacteria, but it will also make sure that you are only using the freshest ingredients when cooking.
4. Tupperware and storage containers
Do you have Tupperware and storage containers that no longer have matching lids? Most of us do and they need to be dealt with. Match up what fits together and toss out the rest.
5. Plastic bags
Go through all those plastic bags from stores that you get when you forget to bring your reusable bags.
They add up so quickly and can take over a lot of space. You can keep a few for things you might need and recycle the rest.
6. Spices
You probably have lots of spices either in a rack or in your pantry. Make sure that you don’t have duplicates, merge them together to save space and keep them organized.
Get rid of expired products or spices you know you won’t ever use. Most spices don’t last more than 6 to 12 months.
7. Bakeware
Toss any cookware or bakeware that is broken or rusted. Pull out anything that you haven’t used in a while and sell or donate it. Not only do they take up space they are also a potential health hazard if they have breast overtime or the nonstick coating starts to peel.
If you have duplicates you don’t need don’t keep them just because. It’s time to purge unused and unneeded stuff.
8. Cutlery/kitchen utensils
Keep what you need to have on hand for cutlery based on your family size, and get rid of warped or damaged pieces.
Keep good quality kitchen utensils and get rid of damaged broken or duplicate pieces.
9. Cookbooks
Donate cookbooks that you no longer use. For books that you only use one or two recipes, consider writing them out and putting them in a recipe box or binder rather than keeping the whole book.
Keep recipes from magazines by tearing out the pages that you want to keep and storing them in a binder. Look for recipes online and save them to your phone as another way to cut out kitchen clutter.
10. Mugs
If you are like me you have too many mugs. So first recycle any chipped or broken glasses. Get rid of mismatched sets.
If you are a coffee mug collector, keep your favorites to put on display and donate the rest.
11. Glasses
Get rid of anything that is chipped or broken. Sell or donate items that you no longer use and are not needed.
12. Oven mitts/potholders
One of the things to declutter in your kitchen that tends to get overlooked is oven mitts and potholders. Go through and get rid of any that are worn and donate if you have too many.
13. Towels
Same as with oven mitts and pot holders kitchen towels can quickly become something you have too many of.
You need to declutter them and get rid of worn or stained towels and too many duplicates.
14. Under the Sink
Go through under your sink and deal with the cleaning supplies and get rid of anything that you don’t like or empty bottles and trash anything you don’t need.
15. Junk Drawer
Most of us have a “junk drawer” with miscellaneous items – just make sure you actually need what you keep! Go through this drawer and look for old batteries, extra office supplies, candles, tools, phone chargers, or extra cords that you no longer use, etc.
A junk drawer can be useful to keep this stuff in but you don’t want it stuffed and filled with
Decluttering your kitchen can make it not only more functional and visually appealing but also hygienic. Regularly going through the kitchen and getting rid of all the extra items can make it a more enjoyable and efficient space for cooking and meal preparation.
If you need more motivation to declutter, check out the 101 things to declutter.
Anika Gandhi is on a mission to declutter and organize all the things around her and is here to inspire and encourage you to do the same!