HOW TO DECLUTTER AND ORGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN

If you’re anything like me, the kitchen is one of the rooms you spend the most time in throughout the day. A tidy & organized kitchen is necessary for my days to run smoothly. These are my best tips to declutter and organize your kitchen.

RULES TO STICK TO FOR A TIDY KITCHEN

EVERYTHING HAS A HOME

This is my number one rule when it comes to keeping a tidy home. Ditch the junk drawers, cabinets, and closets. EVERY item in your kitchen should have a home. Meaning, if you were on the phone with the babysitter you could tell her with certainty where ANY item is at any given time.

If you absolutely believe you can not live without a junk drawer, choose ONE small space to designate as a junk or “catch all” space. But go through these items at least once a month and don’t let it get out of control.

KEEP THE COUNTERS CLEAR

Many people believe that they need to have certain items on the counter because they use them every day.

First of all, I’d challenge you to figure out if you ACTUALLY do use that item every single day. Often we think we use something daily when in reality we only use it 3-4 times a week. Even if you do use something every day, if you’re finding that your countertops are always crowded try putting a few items away in between uses.

Don’t allow your counters to be a place where clutter collects. I’ve heard it said “clutter attracts more clutter” which couldn’t be more true! Once you have a few decor items sitting out on your counter, it’s so easy to add other clutter items to them. At first we don’t even realize until it gets out of control!

I shared all my tips on how to keep a clean home on this blog post!

PUT YOUR KITCHEN “TO BED” EVERY NIGHT

This is one of my favourite concepts. Every night after dinner, do all the dishes and put the kitchen “to bed” for the night.

Basically this just means to put everything away, wipe down the counters and turn the lights off.

This eliminates some of the temptation for late night snacking. But the best part is that tomorrow you’ll be able to start your day with a clean kitchen!

This may be a habit you have to develop and it will take some discipline, but I promise this has the potential to change your life.

HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR KITCHEN

GET RID OF DUPLICATES

Getting rid of duplicated can be one of the hardest parts as you begins to declutter and organize your kitchen. So often we get held up on the “what ifs”. What if my can opener breaks and I need another one? Honestly, if you have a good quality can opener it should last 10+ years.

Do you really need two crockpots for the one day a year that you host a large family gathering, or could you borrow your mom’s for the day?

Try to be realistic with yourself and donate the items that are just taking up space!

I promise it will be worth it when you can open your utensil drawer without it getting jammed.

GET RID OF ITEMS WITH ONE PURPOSE

Do you really need a strawberry slicer, an apple cutter, and an egg slicer? Or will a simple knife do the trick?

Companies like to market gadgets as necessities. Do you really need a separate baby food blender, smoothie blender and food processor?

Personally I avoid gadgets that only have one purpose. I’m perfectly happy using a spoon instead of an ice cream scoop and I’d rather not have extra things cluttering my drawers!

FIGURE OUT HOW MANY YOU NEED TO KEEP

When we got married I received a set of 12 wine glasses. I held onto them because I had the space, and because they were a set. What if I needed 12 wine glasses?

Eventually I was honest with myself. Even when we do entertain a large group of people, we’ve never used more than 4-6 wine glasses at once. So I finally got rid of the rest, and I haven’t missed them!

Obviously no one can tell you how many plates, cups, mugs you need. That will depend on the size of your family and how often you entertain. But figure out realistically how many of each item you need, and declutter the extras.

Personally, I like to have less dishes so that we are forced to wash our dishes daily!

ITEMS TO DECLUTTER

Anything broken beyond repair
Anything that’s been broken for more than 6 months. If you haven’t fixed it yet, you’re not going to!
Duplicates or extras
Anything missing a piece (Tupperware without lids, blender missing a blade, etc)
Any gadget that can be replaced with something simpler you already own.
Anything you haven’t used in one year.

Check out this post for more ideas of things to declutter from your home.

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN

REWORK THE SPACE SO IT WORKS FOR YOU

Think about the needs of YOUR family, instead of focusing on how you SHOULD organize your kitchen.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when organizing your kitchen. Does your kitchen have a wine rack, but you don’t drink wine? Use it to store olive oils and cooking vinegars. Don’t have room for a knife block but you want your knives accessible? Purchase a magnetic knife strip.

Always be thinking of creative ways to declutter and organize your kitchen.

CHECK OUT THIS POST ALL ABOUT HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR FRIDGE

REEVALUATE OFTEN

We tend to think of organizing as a “once and done” type of thing. But I’m a believer that decluttering and organizing your kitchen is an ongoing process.

As your lifestyle changes – maybe you add another child, or start entertaining more – your kitchen will also need to evolve.

Don’t be afraid to reorganize and rethink the space to make sure that it still works for you.

CHOOSE PRACTICAL ORGANIZATION TOOLS

SHELVING: If your kitchen lacks storage, is there a place you can add an additional shelf?

I’ve added two storage shelves to my small kitchen and it makes a huge difference! Just make sure these spaces stay decluttered & organized.

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