The kitchen always seems to end up the messiest place in the whole house, right? Even when you’re done tidying and cleaning for the week, after hours it’s right back to where you started.
If you’re struggling with keeping your kitchen free from clutter, I’ve got just the thing. Here are five simple tips to help you declutter your kitchen the easy way.
1. Keep your countertops free from clutter
The countertops are the first place that becomes a mess. They’re a dumping ground for anything and everything that enters the kitchen. Tackle them first by setting a habit to keep them as free from clutter as possible.
Having clear countertops makes it easier to find what you need, plus it looks super organized. I know I always love when the counters are free from clutter as it helps me feel calmer when I’m cooking.
Put anything away in its rightful place, and look to organize your countertop appliances too. Move your kettle and toaster to the side when you’re not using them, and see if there’s a place you can store your airfryer or multicooker too if you have one. If not, display them proudly on the surface, but keep the area around them tidy. Use this as an opportunity also to review your appliances and see if you still need them. If not, donate to a family member, friend, or your local recycling centre.
2. Organize your kitchen drawers and cupboards
This is one of those jobs I really don’t love but I know it always needs doing. Organizing drawers and cupboards is a big task, but it feels so great when they’re tidy and you can find everything you need in a snap.
I really recommend doing this as a big task if you can, where you get all your drawers and cupboards emptied out, cleaned, and organized. That can take a whole day though, so it’s best saved for when you’re free to focus or have someone to help you out. If that’s not an option now, start small and do it one drawer at a time.
Take everything out of the drawer or cupboard and put it to one side. Take a moment to give the inside of your drawer or cupboard a big clean — chances are it’s been a while. Once you’re done, look over the things you’ve taken out. Do you still use them? If it’s food, are they out of date? Could these work better somewhere else in your kitchen? Split the items into three piles — one to stay, one to find a new home, and one to leave your home completely.
As you organize things back into place, group items together where you can. Put utensils, cutlery, appliances, and baking supplies where they make the most sense. Stack your pots, pans, and baking trays, and pile your dinnerware so it looks smart. Hunt down any lost tupperware lids if you can, or make a note to replace them if you need to.
It can help to have baskets, bins, and dividers handy to help you organize — especially if you have a deep drawer or cupboards without much built-in organization. If you don’t have any already, take a look at your kitchen once you’ve organized it and see what you could invest in to help improve the way you keep things tidy for the future.
3. Do a food audit and clear out any expired products
I’m willing to bet that there’s a tin of beans in your kitchen somewhere that’s definitely out of date. If not, you’re doing better than I am. Whether it’s in the fridge or lurking in your cupboard, every kitchen has something that’s already or just about to go out of date — so remove them whenever you can.
Go through your cupboards, fridge, and freezer and take out all the food. This takes up a lot of space, but it’s a necessary evil. Do it in stages if you prefer. Work your way through all your food and remove anything that’s out of date. Now’s a good time to declutter any items that are in-date but you just don’t see yourself eating, too. Donate these in-date items to a food bank or local group if you can.
Staying on top of your food and eating it before it expires can be a challenge. I get it, I’ve been there — good intentions with a grocery order and just not getting around to eating everything before it turns old. If you find this happening to you regularly, give meal planning a go — or create a simple list of what needs eating and prioritize making meals with those ingredients if you can. I personally struggle with eating fresh foods in time, so choose frozen vegetables or tinned items instead to help reduce food waste.
4. Keep your dried goods as organized as possible
We’ve all been there — you unpack the grocery order and everything gets flung into the nearest cupboard until it’s piled high and you don’t know what’s in there any more. That’s how my pantry cupboards look right now, so don’t feel bad if yours do too. Starting now, make an effort to do a big organization effort now and keep things tidy every time you add or remove something.
Like most items, I find it best to organize your pantry or dried goods by type. Seeing as you’ve already cleared out anything that’s out of date, you have a fresh starting point to work from. Group items by type or how you’d use them (e.g. all breakfast foods together) and work out the best place for them with the storage space you have.
As with your general kitchen storage, containers can work wonders here. Decant your dried goods and ingredients into glass or plastic canisters if you can, with labels to help you easily find what you’re looking for. This can be an upfront investment, but it works great if you love to have an organized and streamline pantry.
5. Make your fridge super organized
Our last tip for today is one of my favorites — who doesn’t love an organized fridge? I used to just stuff my fridge full of things then wonder why I never got around to enjoying things, and it was because I just couldn’t see them at a glance. Avoid that by keeping your fridge (and freezer) organized.
Like everything else that needs decluttering, you’ve gotta take everything out of your fridge. Use this as an opportunity to give your fridge a good clean, too. Take a look through your items and remove anything that’s out of date. For anything else, group it by type, and make a note in your mind of expiration dates — we’re going to stack anything that goes out of date first at the front.
Put everything back into your fridge and organize it however works best for you. It’s best to keep fresh meat separate from other perishable goods, so I store these on the bottom shelf. I keep ready meals stacked in one place, and group cheese and yoghurts together. Condiments and drinks find a place in the fridge door. There’s no rule for how your fridge should be organized, so do whatever makes sense for you and your family.
Declutter your kitchen one step at a time
It’s tempting to attempt a massive overhaul of your kitchen all at once, but unless you have a lot of time, energy, and space it can quickly become overwhelming. Follow these tips and you’ll find new ways to get and stay organized by taking one small step at a time.
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