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.
Bonus Step for Decluttering Rock Stars: While you hunt for inefficiencies, also consider items being placed in a hierarchy of importance. ‘Always used’ items should be easy to see, easy to grab, eye level and easy to put away. ‘Lesser or sometimes used’ items can be off to the side, up high, down low or towards the back of the drawer, shelf or cabinet. Aim to have as few of these “sometimes” use items. We want our kitchen to mostly hold things we are actively using, all the time, and that make life easier for us in the kitchen!
Now it’s your turn! Try out these 3 steps to help simplify your kitchen and instantly boost how efficiently you can do ALL the food things. Test these out and let me know down in the comments what was most helpful for you!
PS. If you want to dive in even deeper into all things KITCHEN, you’ll want to check out my Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide (inside our All Access Home Bundle) - you’ll find all things decluttering, organizing, space planning, low cost swaps to elevate your kitchen and MORE!
WHAT TO DO NEXT:
+ Check out more KITCHEN TOOLS here!
+ Check out more free resources + all things KITCHEN here on the website for you to benefit from!
+ Dive deeper into all things KITCHEN from decluttering, space planning, organization, design + low cost solutions with refreshes + upgrades inside of our Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide (you can find this inside the All Access Home Bundle).
+ Click the follow button for @fuzzyhipposhop decluttering tips + basics to get you unstuck in your home on instagram!
+ Download my free declutter guide to get you taking quick + easy decluttering action in your own home (linked in profile).
Managing The Kitchen Clutter: 5 Tips That Get Results Quickly
Kitchens are known clutter collectors, even in the most tidy and organized homes. Fact. The way we use them, how they’re set up inside our home, the zones we create and how we use the space naturally create opportunities for stuff to pile up. Keep these 5 kitchen decluttering tips in your back pocket and you’ll be able to reset and manage the kitchen clutter in your home in a snap.
Do a drinking cup/vessel audit (edit).
WHY: You likely have too many (I’d be willing to bet money on it) and it’s eating up valuable cabinet/kitchen space that you need for other things, making your kitchen feel smaller.
HOW: Pair down mugs, travel cups, water bottles, everyday cup and glasses, etc.
TRAPS: Avoid lots of duplicates - toss broken/unusable cups - if you never use it (be honest) donate it.
GAINS: You’ll recover valuable cabinet space, you’ll stop digging, you’ll wash less and have less to manage! Woo hoo!
Do a food audit (edit) - fridge, freezer, pantry, spices, etc.
WHY: Food you don’t need that you’re holding space for is taking up valuable square footage all over your kitchen. You’ll learn what you need to buy and what to stop wasting money on plus learn what you have in stock now.
HOW: Remove expired items, food you’re never eating, don’t like, don’t plan to eat, etc.
TRAPS: Avoid keeping too much back stock of foods you never get to and waste. Keep stock of food items you use/want to eat.
GAINS: You’ll recover valuable cabinet space, you’ll stop digging, you’ll have less to wash and have less to manage!
Do a countertop audit (edit).
WHY: Extras on your counter tops are wasting valuable space to prep food - it’s also visually cluttering up your entire kitchen/causing you constant stress.
HOW: Remove items that don’t need to be put on the counter - be ruthless - if it can be tucked away near where it’s used, do it.
TRAPS: Rarely used appliances (like toasters, blenders, mixers) hog valuable countertop space - make every single item earn its place or remove it!
GAINS: Your kitchen will instantly look cleaner and larger when you simplify/reduce what is out on your kitchen counters. Less visual clutter will make kitchen tasks easier, improve your kitchen workflow and reduce stress.
Do a cooking utensils audit (edit).
WHY: Well, you don’t need 12 spatulas to start. You likely have more than you need and you have your favorites you love to go to time and time again. Your favorites need to take center stage to streamline your workflow in your kitchen.
HOW: Remove kitchen utensils you don’t use regularly, are in poor shape (cannot be repaired or donated), you don’t remember the last time you used them, or you simply don’t like them (yes, this is a perfectly good reason to part with something)!
TRAPS: Be mindful of holding on to too many duplicates. They eat up your counters and drawer space and make you dig for the things you use everyday. Unless it is serving a specific function, makes a task easier and it is used regularly, it needs to go. If you are not a big baker, you shouldn’t have 10 whisks, for example.
GAINS: More drawer space, less digging, simplified kitchen tasks and routines, more efficient workflow in your kitchen, more space, more space, more space!
Do a kitchen decor audit (edit).
WHY: It might not reflect your current season of life, it might not reflect your aesthetic or it might be taking up space that could be better used for more functional items you need regular access to. It might also just be visual clutter all over your kitchen, causing stress.
HOW: Check your counter tops, walls, books, vessels, trays, bowls, kitchen rugs, kitchen towels, etc. Remove anything that takes up more space that it is worth, you’ve grown out of love with, is too loud or not your style anymore, could be more useful in another space in your home, or you’d rather have the space back and could be donated.
TRAPS: Decor is another layer of items that will fight for your attention and clutter up your kitchen if you’re not careful. As we discussed with your counter tops, make every single decor piece/layer in your kitchen earn it’s place. Aim for items that check off the function and aesthetic categories equally. Both are essential.
GAINS: Simplify your kitchen, visually streamline the look and feel of your kitchen, gain back usable space throughout, reduce stress with less visual clutter and more intentional choices will bring you more joy!
Want to take your kitchen to the next level without a costly renovation? Here’s a few options for you to get you moving + motivated with all things decluttering, organizing + design for your kitchen!
Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide
5 Steps to Simplify Your Kitchen + Pantry Now
A recent poll from our community shouted out loud that this topic was something that MOST everyone needed ASAP! Deal! We’ll break down together some simple steps to get your understanding your kitchen and pantry on a deep level so you can start removing obstacles lingering around and start making life easier here!
And PS. when your kitchen is working right, a lot of other things seems to go SO much smoother throughout your home and your day!
1. Observe Your Space
All we’re doing in this first step is looking around and taking note of any hot spots you see or are experiencing. A hot spot might look like:
cluttered counters or piles of things on the counter
overstuffed shelves or cabinets
digging for things or not being able to find things easily
lots of extra trips to the store
finding expired things you’re not getting to because you didn’t know you had it
lots of duplicates of things you don’t actually use
seeing things taking up space that you don’t use, enjoy or like anymore
your family not being able to take care of their basic needs in the kitchen without your help (based on their age of course)
areas that are hard to keep clean or organized
I want you to write it ALL down. Any observations and anything you know you’re currently struggling with related to anything kitchen and pantry.
2. Remove Things
Now we are going to select a zone of your kitchen and pantry to focus on improving. Let’s pretend you’re really struggling with a particular drawer in your kitchen (lots of digging going on and overstuffed). We’re going to focus on that zone/category only for the next several steps. Deal?
The next step is to heavily EDIT (declutter) this zone so it can intentionally serve the purpose you need to serve. Pull everything out from this zone so you can objectively look at what is there outside of it’s current “home” that you’re conditioned to looking at at certain way (and numb to).
Here’s what you’re looking for to edit out:
items you never use
items that are broken/damaged/beyond repair
duplicates that aren’t used regularly
items you don’t like/enjoy anymore
items that don’t belong in this zone and need to be relocated
Toss items that cannot be donated or repaired. Recycle if possible based on your local regulations (I was just able to recycle old plastic plates and dishware that were not in good enough shape for donation by could be recycled locally). Donate if it’s in good shape and can be resold/be immediately useful to someone else. Donate it locally or offer it up to a site like Free Cycle in your community.
3. Move Things
Before you put things back into this zone, you are going to assess what you’ve decided to keep and align that will how you want that zone to work.
Back to my example of the overstuffed kitchen drawer, here’s what I am going to think about now that this zone is emptied and edited:
what is the drawer close to/what tasks will it make easier for me? (ex. cooking/baking prep)
what tasks do I want to do right near this zone and what should be in this drawer to support this? (ex. chop, mix, stir, measure)
When you more clearly identify what this zone (drawer for example) needs to do, it will likely involve you moving things around to get the end result you’re after and simplify/create more efficiency in this zone.
Now you’re going to group what you are keeping in this zone (drawer for example). Use these guidelines to group items in a zone:
by size/ shape (items with fit better together, nest better and maximize your space)
by use (spatulas together, measuring tools together, long spoons together, etc.)
by frequency of use (if you use it all the time, move it to the front so it’s super easy to grab)
4. Add Order
With clear categories of items to put back in the zone you’re focusing on, a bit of additional order (organization) will make this zone shine with efficiency and make great use of the space you have.
Here’s some ideas for how to maximize any zone in your kitchen and pantry with organizational items you likely already have in your home:
counter tops - if it must stay out, make sure it is used frequently, isn’t taking up too much usable counter space (corral essentials on the counter with a tray, plate or shallow basket)
shelves - keep what is used frequently in the front and easily in reach, if out in view all the time, curate items by type to create visual “collections” by use, color, material, size, etc.
cabinets - to avoid losing items deep in the cabinets, use baskets, containers or bins with handles/cut out to pull out a group of items (like water bottles or cooking tools) all at once and can easily slide back in place similar to a drawer
drawers - create mini drawers with drawer dividers, shallow boxes, cut down cardboard boxes, lids, trays, etc. Subdividing the space you have allows you to see all that you have at a glance and make it easier to access what you need without digging around
5. Live With It
With all your essential keep items back in their place in this kitchen and pantry zone, it is now time to LIVE with the changes you’ve made. As you spend more time with this newly refreshed area, you might realize it is exactly as you need it to be OR that it needs a few tweaks.
Here’s what you might experience and how to tweak it:
you notice you don’t need something out on the counter anymore (your habits/routine has shifted) and can be tucked away
you need to move something to another spot in your kitchen/pantry to make it easier to access/use or support a task better
you need another mini zone in a drawer or cabinet to make it easier to access something
you want to swap locations of items for another area of your kitchen/pantry because it makes more sense
Tweaking things to get them working just right is a normal part of the process as you “listen” to your space and respond to what is needed to make life easier and more efficient in this area.
Want more support in your kitchen + pantry?
If you’d like understand how to make your kitchen + pantry work seamlessly, efficienctly, look beautiful, while saving you time, money and energy, I’d love for you to check out my Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide.
If you’re current kitchen feels too small, has too little storage, you think you need to spend a ton of money on it to improve it or take on a costly renovation, the clutter and chaos feels like it is never ending, then this program is calling your name!!
Can’t wait to blow your mind as I show you exactly how to intentionally declutter, organize and layer in design you love throughout your current so you fall back in love with your kitchen again!
Thanks for being here + I’ll see you in the next post!
