How to Declutter Your Kitchen

The best way to declutter your kitchen is to work through it one area at a time, starting with countertops and then moving to cabinets, spices, drawers, and the pantry. Get rid of expired food, duplicate kitchen tools, appliances you no longer use, and anything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen. Once you’ve cleared out the unnecessary items, group what’s left so it’s easier to find and put away. 

Key takeaways 

• Start with countertops, then work through cabinets, drawers, spices, and the pantry. 
• Throw away expired food and spices. 
• Get rid of duplicate, broken, and unused kitchen tools. 
• Move appliances you rarely use off the counter. 
• Group similar items together so they’re easier to find. 
• Clean your refrigerator and freezer while you’re decluttering. 
• Consider storage for seasonal kitchen items you want to keep but don’t use year-round. 
• Give everything you keep a designated place. 
• Do small kitchen resets regularly to prevent clutter from building up again. 

Remove clutter from counters 

Your kitchen counters can become a dumping ground for anything and everything, so start by clearing them off. 

• Throw away old mail and file letters you need. 
• Put appliances you don’t use daily into cabinets. 
• Gather up items that need to go in other rooms. 
• Use lazy Suzan turntables to hold things like creamers, salt, pepper, and other small items that you use daily. 

Go through your cabinets 

Your cabinets need a thorough clean-out. Check all of the expiration dates on food and toss anything that’s expired. Wipe down all the shelves, then put everything back, grouped by category. Soup with soup, pasta with pasta, baking goods with baking goods. You get the idea. 

Also, evaluate your cups, plates, water bottles, and bowls. Do you need that many? Pare down. Are some of them chipped? If so, throw them out. 

Hit your spice rack 

Many people overlook spices when they declutter their kitchen. Spices do expire. Even if using them past the expiration date may not make you sick, the spices may taste strange or be less potent. 

Clean out drawers 

Kitchen drawers can fill up with random items or too many of the same thing. Figure out how many pieces of cutlery, measuring cups, mixing spoons, and other cooking items you need and get rid of any extra. Nix any items that aren’t kitchen-specific. 

If you must keep random items like batteries, twist ties, rubber bands, and matches in the kitchen, store them all in a “junk drawer.” Make sure it’s the least convenient drawer, and save the better locations for cooking supplies. 

Declutter your pantry 

The pantry is another place where clutter can build up quickly. Take everything out so you can see what you have. Check expiration dates, toss anything that’s no longer good, and group similar foods together. 

Keep the items you use most often within easy reach. Put less frequently used ingredients on higher shelves or farther back. 

If you have several partially used packages of the same type of food, combine them when practical. Clear containers can also make it easier to see how much you have and avoid buying something you already own. 

Sort through your kitchen gadgets 

Kitchen gadgets can take up a surprising amount of space, especially if you have appliances or tools you use only once or twice a year. Take everything out and ask yourself when you last used each item. 

Get rid of duplicates and anything that’s broken or missing essential pieces. If you haven’t used something in years but keep telling yourself you’ll use it someday, it may be time to let it go. 

For appliances you use only occasionally, consider whether they really need to stay on your counter. Put them in a cabinet or another storage area when you’re not using them. 

Go through your refrigerator and freezer 

Don’t forget the refrigerator and freezer when you’re decluttering your kitchen. Throw away expired food and anything you know you aren’t going to eat. 

Wipe down shelves and drawers while they’re empty. When you put everything back, group similar foods together, and keep foods you need to use soon where you’ll see them. 

The freezer can be especially easy to overlook. Get rid of freezer-burned or unidentified food, and take stock of what you have before buying more. 

Create a home for everything 

Once you’ve decided what you’re keeping, give each item a designated spot. Store frequently used cooking tools where they’re easy to reach and put less frequently used items farther back or higher up. 

Try to avoid creating piles of items without a specific place to go. If something doesn’t have a home, that’s a sign you may need to rethink whether you have room for it. 

What should you do with kitchen items you don’t use? 

Once you’ve finished sorting, separate the items you’re getting rid of into categories. You may be able to donate or sell items that are still in good condition. Broken, damaged, or worn-out items may need to be thrown away or recycled depending on the material and your local rules. 

For items you’re not ready to part with, consider putting them aside temporarily. If you don’t miss them after several months, you may have an easier time deciding what to do with them. 

Move seasonal kitchen items into storage 

Some kitchen items only come out at certain times of the year. Holiday dishes, large serving platters, specialty baking equipment, canning supplies, and other seasonal items don’t necessarily need to take up prime kitchen space year-round. 

If you want to keep these items but don’t have room for them, consider moving them into a storage unit. Pack them carefully, label the boxes, and keep an inventory so you know where everything is when you need it. 

Keep your kitchen decluttered 

Once you’ve done the big clean-out, a few simple habits can keep clutter from building up again. Put things away after using them, deal with mail before it lands on the counter, and periodically check your pantry and refrigerator for expired food. 

You can also use a one-in, one-out rule for certain items. For example, when you buy a new set of drinking glasses, consider getting rid of an older set you no longer use. 

Take a few minutes every month to look at the areas that tend to collect clutter. A quick reset is much easier than waiting until your cabinets and counters are overflowing again. 

Kitchen decluttering checklist 

Use this checklist when you’re ready to declutter your kitchen: 

• Clear everything off the countertops. 
• Put away appliances you don’t use every day. 
• Get rid of broken or unnecessary gadgets. 
• Sort cabinets by category. 
• Check expiration dates on food. 
• Go through spices. 
• Clean out kitchen drawers. 
• Get rid of duplicate utensils and tools. 
• Declutter the pantry. 
• Clean out the refrigerator and freezer. 
• Sort through kitchen appliances. 
• Decide what to donate, sell, recycle, or throw away. 
• Move seasonal kitchen items into storage if you don’t have room for them. 
• Give everything you keep a designated place. 

FAQs about decluttering your kitchen 

What should I get rid of first when decluttering my kitchen? 

Start with obvious clutter, such as expired food, broken items, duplicates, and things that don’t belong in the kitchen. Once those are gone, move on to items you rarely or never use. 

How do I declutter a small kitchen? 

Focus on the items that take up the most valuable space. Get rid of duplicates, move rarely used appliances off the counters, use vertical cabinet space, and keep frequently used items within easy reach. 

How often should you declutter your kitchen? 

A larger kitchen decluttering session once or twice a year can help, with smaller monthly clean-outs for the refrigerator, pantry, and areas where clutter builds up quickly. 

What kitchen items are worth keeping in storage? 

Seasonal dishes, specialty appliances, holiday serving pieces, large baking equipment, and other items you want to keep but don’t use regularly may be good candidates for storage. 

How do I organize kitchen cabinets after decluttering? 

Group similar items together, such as baking supplies, canned goods, plates, glasses, and cookware. Keep the things you use most often in the easiest-to-reach locations. 

How do I keep my kitchen counters from getting cluttered? 

Give commonly misplaced items a designated home and deal with mail, dishes, and other items as soon as possible. Store appliances you don’t use every day instead of leaving them on the counter. 

Should I get rid of kitchen items I haven’t used in a year? 

Not necessarily. Consider how often you realistically expect to use the item, whether it has sentimental value, how difficult it would be to replace, and how much space it takes up. Seasonal items may be worth keeping even if you only use them once a year. 

What should I do with extra kitchen items after decluttering? 

If they’re clean and in good condition, consider donating or selling them. Recycle or dispose of broken items according to your local guidelines. For items you want to keep but don’t currently have room for, storage is another option.