Simple Stress-Free Guide to Help You Clear the Clutter From Your Kitchen Right Now
Cooking in a cluttered kitchen can be frustrating and stressful, making it difficult even to fix meals. But trying to get it uncluttered and under control can be just as overwhelming.
Here’s how you can easily declutter your kitchen and take back the space, and the peace, that you deserve!
If your cluttered kitchen makes you feel like giving up and ordering take-out every night, you might have a case of Maxed-Out Kitchen Madness.
Believe me, I get it.
It can be difficult to cook ANYTHING when you have to dig through stacks of noisy pots and pans. Or adjust everything in the utensil drawer at least three times before it will close all the way.
And, my favorite: trying to pull something out of an upper cabinet while holding the rest of the dishes back with your other hand so they don’t all come crashing down on your head.
(See the most amazing ways to organize cookware here: 10 Simple Ways to Organize Pots And Pans)
The good news here is that you don’t need to hide your coffee maker or ditch every extra plate and cup to make your kitchen a more pleasant and productive place in your home.
And you don’t have to become a minimalist or a member of “The Clear Counter Club.” In fact, I still have lots of stuff in my kitchen, even after decluttering!
***Looking for a Kitchen Decluttering Checklist? Click Below to Print One for Free!
Amazing Things Happen When You Purge Your Kitchen
I could see the benefits of simplifying pretty early on in the process.
- An uncluttered kitchen saves money. Cooking is easier and more enjoyable when you free up space in your kitchen. So, you’ll probably cook at home more often and order less take-out.
- Decluttering your kitchen saves time. It’s amazing how much faster meal prep goes when you don’t have to sort through tons of utensils and cookware to find what you need.
- Less “stuff” in your kitchen means more space. Which means you have more room to cook and create. But, the added visual space that results from decluttering is important as well. It just looks and feels nicer to walk into a kitchen where every inch of countertop isn’t covered with stuff.
- Organizing is a breeze with fewer things in the kitchen.
You probably already know that a kitchen without clutter will make your life easier. It’s just the actual “getting it done” part that can be difficult.
We think we don’t have time, and that it will be stressful. Or we’re afraid we might pull a ton of things out and then get stuck with a mess.
Just thinking about it all can be so overwhelming that we can’t even get started! Oh boy, do I get it!
(You can find steps to clean any messy room here: How to Clean Your Messy House When You Don’t Know Where To Start)
But, no worries here!
Because this strategy is going to help you to break down the process into small manageable bites so that you can move on to enjoying your kitchen more, and stressing about it less.
(This post may include affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy HERE.)
Where to start decluttering your kitchen
What area in your kitchen really, REALLY bugs you?
Is there a certain drawer, or cabinet, or a shelf somewhere that just drives you nuts?
Drawers with cutlery or gadgets and utensils are good places to begin if you’re unsure. You can work through those spaces fairly quickly and see progress right away.
***PRO TIP: Keep it simple by working with one drawer or cabinet at a time. This makes it easier for you to manage your time and helps to avoid overwhelm.
So, how CAN you quickly and easily simplify your kitchen, one step at a time, without the stress?
It’s really just a matter of actually going through the things in your kitchen and getting rid of what doesn’t belong anymore.
Here are some simple steps to help you get it done.
How To Declutter Your Kitchen: Quick Start Easy Guide
1) Gather what you need
We’re not going full on organizing at this point. So don’t worry about going out and buying special boxes, bins or caddies. In fact, you probably already have everything you need right there in your home.
Here are a few things that will help you declutter your kitchen:
- Donation bag or box
- Trash can or trash bag
- Cloth or paper towels (for wiping shelves and inside drawers)
- Kitchen declutter checklist (print here)
- Vacuum (for dust and crumbs)
- Drawer or shelf liner (if you’re planning to replace it)
***PRO TIP: Don’t get caught up in the preparations. Really, all you need is to jump in and go!
2. Empty everything from one small space
Remove all the things from one drawer, one shelf, a utensil caddy or other small area and place them on a counter or table.
Group “like items” and duplicates together as you go. Set aside anything that doesn’t belong in that space, but that you plan to keep.
Throw out any obvious trash and unusable items so they will be out of the way.
***PRO TIP: Studies show that the longer we “handle” things, the harder it is to let them go. So, resist picking up the items and reminiscing. (I know, like that’s going to happen. But try your best)
(For keeping your kitchen under control on the daily, check out: 10 Simple Tips for Keeping Your Kitchen Cleaner Every Day)
3. Prepare your space
Before you start sorting and putting things back into your vacant space, you’ll want to make sure it is clean and prepped.
Use your vacuum or a dry cloth to get all of the dust, crumbs, and other nasties.
Grab a damp cloth to wipe down surfaces. A little dish soap or all-purpose cleaner will help with any greasy film or stuck-on gunk.
Once the surface is clean and dry, you can go ahead and replace the drawer or shelf liner.
***PRO TIP: I’ve had pretty good luck with the small rolls of shelf liner from Dollar Tree. For longer widths (just more convenient to apply with fewer pieces and seams), Amazon has a great selection. I have used this one and it works great!
4. Cull and sort
Now it’s time to evaluate what you have left, and choose what you need to keep.
Look over the things you have sorted on the counter and start the process of putting items either in the donation box, trash bin, or back into the clean space.
Use the criteria below to help you with this process.
Deciding what to get rid of:
No matter what part of your home you are decluttering, choosing what to let go of can be one of the most stressful parts of the process.
Here are a few things to consider that will help take the pressure off when you’re purging items from your kitchen.
- Does it belong in the kitchen? If it’s not kitchen/cooking related, banish it either to where it belongs or the donate box.
- Is it broken? Missing parts? I held onto a hand mixer once because I was planning to replace the worn out beaters. Never happened. Meanwhile, I was constantly moving that mixer around to get to something else. It’s better just to let it go unless you KNOW FOR SURE that you’re going to fix or replace parts right away.
- Is there something else that could take its place? Could you use another tool just as easily? When our fancy pizza cutter broke, I didn’t replace it because I have knives that work just as good, or better!
- Do I have use for this anymore? Maybe you don’t make bread anymore but the breadmaker is still on the counter. Or the immersion blender is taking up space in a drawer, but hasn’t been used in months. You’ll probably never miss it!
- Is it a duplicate? How many of these do you have? Can you do without extras?
- Is it worth the space it uses? Decide if the value that the item is to you is worth the real estate it inhabits. One way to do this is to ask yourself “Would I buy this again? Today?” If the answer is NO, then you can probably let the item go.
***PRO TIP: If you’re agonizing over an item, put it in a “probation box” and store the box out of sight. You can always go back to that box if you really do need the item after all.
5. Get rid of your decluttered items
Shew! The hard part is done!
Return anything that you set aside in the “belongs somewhere else” section to its rightful place.
Put your donation box in the car so that you can drop it off the next time you go out.
***PRO TIP: Get your decluttered items out as soon as possible so you(and other family members) aren’t tempted to pull things back out. Because that happens. Even if you think it won’t. (GUILTY!!!)
So now you have decluttered an entire space in your kitchen!!!
Doesn’t it feel so awesome?!
Totally congratulate your amazing self on taking the time to follow the steps and get the job done.
Use this guide over and over to transform your kitchen, one space at a time.
Have you recently used this or any other method to declutter an area of your kitchen? Let me know how it went in the comments!
For tips on keeping your entire house under control on the daily, you can check out 5 Simple Habits for a Cleaner Home.
For Meal Planning Ideas: Family Meal Planning Master List & Free Printable
More Related Posts:
- 10 Simple Habits for a Cleaner Kitchen Every Day
- How to Restart Decluttering Again Even If You’re Overwhelmed
- 7 Tips for When You Feel Like a Homemaking Failure
- How to Clean Your Messy House When You Don’t Know Where to Start
- 5 Things That Have Changed My Life as a Homemaker
- 5 Simple Habits for a Cleaner Home
- 10 Amazing Ways to Organize Pots and Pans in Your Kitchen
