Improve Your Kitchen in 3 Steps: An Intentional Decluttering Guide
I’ve thought long and hard about what 3 things I can usher you to declutter in your kitchen that will make the MOST immediate impact if you do them. Through rigorous testing lots of methods to streamline kitchen, and through observation of routine patterns/working in many kitchens, I think I’ve nailed it! This 3 part list to declutter in your kitchen below will help you simplify, streamline and improve efficiency quickly throughout your entire space!
Make sure to check out my Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide (inside our All Access Home Bundle) if you want to dig even deeper into this topic of all things kitchen, with strategic steps to follow, without the overwhelm!
KITCHEN DECLUTTER FOCUS #1:
EXPIRED FOOD + FOOD YOU DON’T LIKE HAS TO GO.
You might have expected me to tell you to start by decluttering the ridiculous amount of travel water bottles (and yes, I do want you to do this, but later!!), however I want you to start with one of the easiest things to purge in your kitchen / things that you should have zero emotional investment in - expired goods and foods you’re simply not eating!
DO IT: Set a timer and scan all your food zones for expired items and foods not being eaten.
check the pantry, the things shoved in the back of the fridge,
the condiments in the side of the fridge door
check the freezer for items with freezer burn (or you have no idea how old it is),
toss plastic bags of things that you know are more than months old, etc.
toss spices that no longer smell or taste like they normally should.
while you’re scanning, toss items that are opened that you no longer want to eat or know you won’t eat in the future
donate unopened, non-expired foods to your local food bank / check locally for needs
recycle as much packaging as possible (paper based boxes, metal lids, metal cans, glass jars, plastic bottles - check locally)
Bonus Step for Decluttering Rock Stars: Take note of things you might need to restock on or will no longer buy to avoid future waste and save money!
KITCHEN DECLUTTER FOCUS #2:
EDIT YOUR COUNTERTOPS RIGOROUSLY.
Kitchen countertops are notorious for attracting clutter, which makes it even harder to do basic, daily tasks in your kitchen, like prepping food or making a quick breakfast. To stay on top of this, here’s a few tips to help you edit what’s out on your countertops today, and make your kitchen counters more usable with more space moving forward.
DO IT: Take these steps to start your countertops editing process.
First, put anything away that doesn’t need to be out on the counters - clean dishes, dirty dishes, utensils that can go back in drawers, trash, recycling, toss moldy fruit, etc.
Second, do an appliance edit. Does that blender really have to be out on your countertop or could it get tucked away close to where you like to use it? How often do you use your toaster? If it’s not daily, I’d consider putting it an cabinet close by where you’ll plug it in and only bring it out when you need it.
Lastly, challenge yourself to keep out as little as possible. After the first two rounds of edits, take inventory of all the things still out on your countertops. What do you see? Now assess each item and ask if it is absolutely essential to have out - do you actually use it and is it frequently helpful for you in your kitchen? If yes, could it get tucked away and still be helpful?
Scan for donations as you go. As you’re moving through these steps, you might find items that you simply don’t need anymore, don’t use or don’t like anymore. Have a box or bag handy to put these items in + get them ready to drop off at a donation site locally, or schedule a pick up. Make sure these items are clean, in good working shape and could be immediately helpful in someone else’s home.
Bonus Step for Decluttering Rock Stars: Test having out as little as possible on your kitchen countertops for the next week and see how it goes. If you need to pull something back out because it’s better for your kitchen routines, go for it. But try to see if you can try out something new and see if the extra space benefits you more than things taking up valuable real estate on your countertops.
KITCHEN DECLUTTER FOCUS #3:
DO A KITCHEN ROUTINES EFFICIENCY AUDIT.
The simplest way I can put this is that you’re going to scan your kitchen for inefficiencies that are making you work harder than you need to be. Think about where you use things in your kitchen - do you have things in drawers or cabinets close to where you actually use them?
DO IT: Consider these examples for reference to compare to your own kitchen + let them help you come up with your own inefficiencies to remove! Once you find an efficiency in your kitchen, consider what’s the easiest and simplest way to fix the problem.
If you always chop / prep veggies in one zone of your kitchen, are you chopping knives close by or are you always walking across the kitchen for them?
Do you keep your wood stirring spoons for pots near the stove so they’re easy to grab?
Are your cooking spices within reach of where you cook with them?
Are the breakfast essentials you always use in the morning easy to grab in your pantry or fridge?
Are most of the dishes you unload from the dishwasher put away right right next to or above the dishwasher to minimize time spent on unloading?
Go through and hunt for inefficiencies and see what things you can move around to make routines in your kitchen easier.
