How to Declutter the Kitchen with Free Printable

Decluttering the kitchen is an overwhelming job. Today you’ll learn how to declutter the kitchen. To make this daunting task a little easier I’ve put together a checklist to help you declutter your kitchen.

When it comes to decluttering an entire room you might get overwhelmed and not know where to start. That’s where this post is going to help you. I’m walking you through what to declutter in your kitchen so you can enjoy an organized kitchen. I’ve also put together a checklist with all of the items and areas to help you declutter your kitchen.

Other projects you might enjoy:

• How to Organize Your Kitchen Cupboards + Free Printable
• How To Get Organized When You Are Overwhelmed
• The Ultimate Kitchen Essentials List
• Organize Paperwork at Home
• How To Clean Cast Iron Pans

How to declutter the kitchen

Let’s get started with decluttering the kitchen. To start you’ll want to grab a few boxes or bags. You’ll want to labels these:

• Keep
• Donate
• Toss (Garbage)

The keep pile is pretty self-explanatory; it’ll store everything you’ll want to keep.

The donate pile will hold items that you no longer need or want and are in good enough shape for someone else to use.

Finally, the garbage box will hold items that are broken, expired, and/or garbage that you find in your drawers and cupboards.

What to toss and what to keep?

When you are ready to declutter your kitchen there are a few questions you might want to ask yourself to help you let go of items that normally you’d keep in your drawers or cupboards.

Do I use this? The first question is a pretty easy question, do you use this item? If it’s sitting in a drawer collecting dust and not being used, toss it into the correct pile (garbage or donate).

Keep in mind that if you’re short on space then be honest with yourself with this question. Sure you might have intentions with this item but will your really use it?

Is this an extra? Sure there are a few things in your kitchen that you need duplicates of. If you bake a lot you might need more than one set of measuring cups (see question #1).

If I saw this in a store, would I buy it? Are you still happy with the item? If you saw this in a store today would you be ready to buy it? It’s okay to let things go because it’s not fulfilling your life now. Allow it to fulfill someone else’s.

Does this make my life easier? This is huge when it comes to a kitchen. There are so many 1 use tools that you think will make your life easier but really they don’t. How often do you make cake pops? Yes, I fell victim to the cake pop maker…

Decluttering the kitchen

Now that you’ve got your boxes or bags ready to go and you know what to ask yourself it’s time to declutter your kitchen. I’m going to separate this into sections so you can tackle one area at a time.

When you download the free declutter the kitchen checklist you’ll have the complete list broken up into sections.

Countertops

Having clear countertops is so helpful when you want to cook. It also makes your kitchen look clean so let’s declutter those items that are normally stored on the counter:

• Cookbooks
• Cooking utensils – these are things like wooden spoons, ladles, and other utensils you use to cook with.
• Coffee and Tea
• Sugar and Creamer
• Oils and Vinegar
• Spices – spices do go bad. Make sure your spices are fresh. Toss items that you don’t use.
• Kitchen Gadgets – graters, potato mashers, lemon juicers, whisks, and other kitchen gadgets are apart of this category. Not all items are stored on the counters but some are.
• Small appliances – mixers, blenders, food processors, rice cookers, and other small appliances are apart of this category. Donate any unused and toss broken small appliances.

Drawers

When drawers are cluttered it’s hard to find anything. Let’s declutter your drawers by going through the following items:

• Silverware
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Baking equipment – rolling pins, bench scrapers, cake decorating supplies, etc.
• Spatulas
• Dish towels and rags
• Oven mitts/hot pads
• To-go menus – most if not all menus are now online so you can toss those menus.
• Restaurant disposable items – cutlery, straws, napkins, toothpicks, chopsticks, etc.
• Sauce packs – like ketchup, soy sauce, hot sauce, and other packets you get at restaurants.

Cupboards

Next step is to declutter your kitchen cupboards. When you declutter these items it’s easier to find items and store them in stations. Here’s what to declutter in your cupboards:

• Coffee mugs
• Cups/Glasses
• Dinner plates
• Salad plates
• Bowls
• Serving pieces – these are bowls, trays, and other serving pieces
• Plastic containers
• Plastic lids
• Grocery Bags – grocery store bags. This includes produce bags, paper bags, and plastic bags.
• Foil, baggies, plastic wrap, etc.
• Baking Dishes – brownie pans, cupcake pans, etc.
• Cooling racks
• Colanders
• Pots & pans
• Pots & pans lids
• Mixing bowls
• Baking pans – cookie sheets
• Cleaning supplies
• Jars and lids

Pantry

Now that you’ve gone through all of the non-food items in your kitchen it’s time to declutter the food in your kitchen. First up, your pantry. Let’s declutter the following items:

• Flours
• Sugars
• Baking Ingredients – things like baking soda, baking powder, extracts, chocolate chips, cupcake papers, etc.
• Canned foods
• Cereal
• Pasta
• Boxed foods – mac and cheese, rice packs, etc.
• Paper products
  • Paper towels
  • Napkins
  • Plates
  • Cups
• Jared foods – sauces, soups, salsa, etc.
• Bagged foods – chips, crackers, etc.
• Vitamins – check for expired or unused vitamins.

One great way to keep your pantry organized is to use large glass containers. Store your flours, sugars, pasta, and other panty items in them.

Fridge and Freezer

Finally, it’s time to declutter your fridge and freezer. The best way to do that is to remove everything from your fridge and freezer and go through all of the items. Toss old and expired foods. I do have a full post walking you through how to organize your fridge you can take a look at.

• Condiments:
  • Relish
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • BBQ sauces
  • Dressings
  • Mayo
  • Butter – sticks, and tub(s)
• Drinks – bottled, milk, juice, and other drinks
• Leftovers
• Bread – all styles of bread, loaves, buns, and tortillas
• Fruits
• Veggies
• Meats
• Cheeses
• Eggs
• Convenient foods – things like pizza, tv dinners, chicken strips, etc.

Hopefully this list of items to declutter in your kitchen will help you keep your kitchen organized.