How to declutter a kitchen: If you’ve ever struggled to dig a mixing spoon out of a drawer or carve out counter space to prepare dinner, then odds are you’ve wondered how to clear this crucial space so it’s less chaotic and more functional. After the arrival of a brand-new year, this is a prime time to purge—which is why we’re here to help with our 2018 Declutter Your Home Guide, a series of articles that will whittle down the white noise room by room, so you’re left with the bare essentials.
The kitchen is the first space we’ll tackle, since its essentially “a home’s ‘Times Square,'” according to Mordy Gelfand, an organizing expert at ModularClosets. Here’s how to declutter a kitchen so this workhorse of a room works for you.
Declutter your kitchen by category
Start by pulling everything out of your cabinets (and once your favorites are back in, move onto your drawers, then fridge, etc.—you’re going to declutter category by category). Odds are you’re going to let go of some of your stuff, and that can be challenging. What if you get rid of something you need?
“Trust you will get what you need when you need it,” suggests professional organizer Julie Coraccio of Reawaken Your Brilliance. So you get rid of your never-used waffle iron. If you ever get inspired to make waffles for brunch, you can always borrow one from someone else, Coraccio points out.
As for any wedding gifts that you never liked but that you’ve held onto for years, “Let them go,” Coraccio says. “It’s rare that someone will visit you and ask where their gift is.”
How to declutter cookware
Toss pots and pans that are broken, rusty, or that have scratched or worn Teflon. If you think you’re going to repair or polish something someday, think again. Liberate yourself from your aspirational “shoulds” and put them in the recycling bin. Jacqui Denny at Everything but the House also suggests paring down pots and pans “to those three or four sizes that you use on a weekly basis.” For bakeware, winnow down to what you’ve used in the past six months.
“Not everyone has the space to hang their pots and pans like in a commercial kitchen, and stacking them makes them hard to take out without making a racket,” says Gelfand. Instead, get a rack to line them up on top of each other (see below) or in a vertical position in your cabinet for quick (and quiet) retrieval.
- Knives that are bent or can’t be sharpened
- Food storage containers that have no matching lid
- Plastic ware, especially those used takeout containers
- Any utensils or gadgets you haven’t used in the last month or two
- Chipped or cracked dishware
- Any dishware that you haven’t used in the past month, or that is chipped or cracked
- Any mismatched items, like those dumb promotional mugs we all end up with
- Holiday plates or china that you never use during the holidays—what are you saving them for?
- Table linens that are stained or that you don’t like or never use
- Threadbare or torn towels, dishcloths, or oven mitts
Once you’ve purged, it’s time to put everything back. Use drawer dividers to organize your cutlery, kitchen utensils, knives, and small gadgets.
You can free up drawer space by placing the cooking utensils you use most often in a pretty stoneware container near the stove.
How to declutter a refrigerator
Pull out all your food from the freezer and toss anything over a year old, anything covered with hoarfrost, and anything you froze out of a sense of obligation that you know you’re never going to eat. Restock the freezer before your good frozen foods defrost.
Next, take on your refrigerated foods. Toss everything expired, anything wilted or moldy, and any leftovers you’re not going to eat that very day. Inspect your condiments and toss anything dried out or funky. Before you put everything back, give your refrigerator a good cleaning, including inside the drawers. “I like to create areas for snacks and drinks, because people are always wanting one, as well as leftovers, so I don’t forget to eat them,” says Coraccio. If necessary, put a date on your leftovers, so you’ll know how old they are.
How to declutter a pantry
Toss any ground spices that are older than six months and any whole spices older than a year. “In the kitchen, I see people hold onto things that are past their expiration date, such as spices,” says Coraccio. “If you have a food co-op or bulk bin option, choose that so you can get a small amount that you will use before it goes bad. I keep my used spice jars to store new spices from the bulk bin. The dishwasher should make any leftover scents disappear. I also like to keep grains in glass canisters.”
Use the six-month rule for any pantry foods as well, for the most part. For more information about how long various foods last, check out EatByDate.com. When you put everything back, group by types: pastas, canned foods, baking supplies, etc.
How to declutter kitchen countertops
Are your kitchen counters lined with small appliances? Keep out anything you use daily and put the rest away, as long as you’ve used it in the past six months. Next, gather all the random papers, mail, keys, and toys that typically collect on this surface, and put anything that doesn’t need to live in the kitchen away, and keep everything else in a special basket or bin. Your challenge is to declutter this “drop zone” every week. It helps to keep a recycling bin near where you keep your mail, so you can discard junk mail as soon as possible.
How to declutter recipes and cookbooks
Cookbooks can be tough. “How many cookbooks do you really need?” Denny asks. “Keep a basic one on hand and get the rest from the internet.” Still having trouble letting go? “We tend to make the same recipes again and again,” says Caraccio. “So instead of keeping all your cookbooks, take out the recipes you use, or scan them and keep them in an app like Evernote.”
