How To Declutter The Kitchen

If you got rid of everything which doesn’t belong in the kitchen, how much faster would it be to serve dinner or simply grab a snack to enjoy while you relax with a book? De-junking can improve ANY kitchen area, no matter how large or small, no matter well or badly it was laid out when it was originally built.

Most of us have a number of objects hanging out in our kitchens which could simply be got rid of with no great loss.

Decluttering food

How about food? Foods you tried and didn’t like, foods that you imagined you would eat, but never did, foods past their best-before date, can all be tossed out and never be missed.

Decluttering worn-out equipment

Sometimes we hold on to worn-out equipment or supplies way after they have stopped being useful – frayed towels and cleaning cloths, and cleaning supplies which are almost used up or no longer usable are some examples. Pots and pans with wobbly handles, burned-out places, or cracked enamel are also good candidates for the junk box.

Stuff which doesn’t belong

Other stuff just doesn’t belong in the kitchen, especially if we’re tight on space there. Cleaning supplies you use in other rooms, stuff belonging to other people or other rooms, and things used only for the holidays could all be stored in another location to free up kitchen space. Special-purpose equipment you haven’t used in more than a year also comes under this heading: if you honestly will use it again some day, move it to less accessible storage, otherwise: get rid of it!

Stuff which breeds when you’re not looking

Then there’s the stuff that just seems to accumulate when our backs are turned. Gadgets and small appliances are a classic problem here. Do you have small appliances you have never used, or used only one time and never again? Or that don’t work and almost certainly never will be fixed? Or maybe you have “As seen on TV” gadgets that never did the job as you’d expected?

Many of us also have multiple extras of stuff such as can openers, utensils, china and flatware: pick the pieces you love the most to keep, get rid of the ones you will really never use, and keep the “just in case” or “extra” pieces outside the kitchen.

Oh, and we mustn’t overlook the plastic tubs (and their lids, which somehow never match up) and glass jars that we keep because they are SO USEFUL! They certainly are, but how many dozen do you really need? More are arriving with every grocery run!

Decluttering cookbooks

Sadly, many of us also have shelves full of cookbooks and recipes we never look inside. The illustrations were – and still are! – so attractive, but we just never got around to making the recipes. Will you – ever? No? Then probably someone else should have the opportunity to benefit from them.

With all that gone, perhaps you now have room to breathe and move in your kitchen. In future, try not to let the clutter collect again, as it will try to do. It’s much simpler to organize the things you really need and use, once the unwanted clutter is out of the way.

More about organizing and designing kitchens:
Decluttering kitchens
Kitchen Layouts and Floor Plans
Kitchen Makeovers
The Kitchen Curmudgeon Blog
How to Design Your Own Kitchen
Kitchen Recycling Bins
Kitchen Organizing Tips