How To Declutter And Organize The Kitchen: 5 Simple Steps

Having an organized kitchen can help reduce the amount of chaos that goes on in the space, and it will save you all kinds of time when you’re using it for actual kitchen things, like meals. Below is a guide that will help you declutter and organize the kitchen like a pro.

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*This is a guest post from Amy @ Oh So Spotless

How To Declutter And Organize The Kitchen Like a Pro

The kitchen is often referred to as the hub of the house. We eat in the kitchen, we gather in the kitchen, a lot of times we do homework in the kitchen… some of us even work from home in our kitchens. There’s no doubt, we all spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen, even if you’re not a home chef.

While the kitchen is the epicenter of the home, it’s also the multipurpose space. While it’s being used for so many different things outside of cooking and eating, it can take quite a beating.

Best Affordable Kitchen Organizers

• Lazy Susans-keep spices within easy reach
• Clear Containers-organizing is easy when you can see what you’ve organized!
• Drawer Organizers-stop sliding utensil syndrome
• Command Hooks-great for hanging mugs, measuring cups, and oven mitts
• Adjustable Bakeware Storage Rack

Declutter And Organize The Kitchen: Clear The Cabinets & Drawers

Take everything, yes everything, out of every cabinet and drawer. This sounds awful, but it’s really easy and doesn’t take a lot of thought. I turned on my fave show while I did this part and it was done in no time. While everything is sitting out, you’ll be able to get a visual idea of what you have.

Deep Clean Surfaces

Get down in the nooks and crannies of all cabinets, drawers, and shelves. If you have drawer or cabinet liners, take them out first. Use a cleaner that works with the surfaces of your kitchen, although a vinegar solution is usually effective with most.

This part can get a little gross because chances are, some of these areas haven’t been cleaned in a while. Especially those hard to reach places. Allow all of these areas to dry really well. You don’t want any mold creeping up in your freshly organized kitchen.

While you’re in the midst of deep cleaning, and you have everything pulled out of the cabinets, this is a great time to consider cleaning the microwave, and even oven. These are often forgotten about spaces that you don’t remember to clean until the smell of burnt food reminds you that it’s time.

Simplify

If you’re like me, when you pulled everything out you thought, “how on earth did I accumulate so much stuff?!” Or, maybe you know exactly how you got it, but now that’s it all laid out, you clearly have too much. Grab a trash bags and start getting rid of these things:

• Expired spices, canned goods, or other pantry items.
• Kitchen gadgets with just one purpose.
• Anything you haven’t used in over a year.

Simplifying is a challenge, but it can also be really satisfying. Don’t forget to take a before and after photo!

Declutter And Organize The Kitchen: Create Smart Categories

Now that you’re left with (hopefully) a lot less than what you started with, you’re ready to get things back into the cabinets and drawers. Sort everything that’s left into useful and practical categories.

Frequent Flyers

This is the group of things that you find yourself reaching for on a daily basis. Ideally, this group of things should be the easiest to access and should hold prime real estate in your kitchen. They should be easy to reach, but equally easy to put away. Frequent flyers include:

• Dishes
• Eating utensils
• Cups
• Glassware

But, if your dailies look a little different, then don’t hesitate to adapt this list to fit your kitchen needs.

Cooking Necessities

This group is for things that you use often, but perhaps not every day. Things that are used for making meals or baking. But, make sure it’s limited to just those items that are used at least a couple of times a week, like:

• Pots and pans
• Baking dishes
• Cutting boards
• Spatulas and wooden spoons
• Measuring tools
• Mixing bowls
• Serving dishes (but not the fancy ones)

If you cook a lot, these items are best kept near the stove and oven. But, for organizational purposes, if you don’t use these things often, save them for last so you can put them where you see fit, and where there’s leftover space.

Pantry

This is what we’ll use to refer to the things that we consume, but can also include anything that doesn’t fit quite right in any of the other categories. Pantry items usually include:

• Spices
• Snacks
• Dry goods
• Canned foods
• Big gadgets

If you’re fortunate enough to have a large, walk-in pantry, these things would, of course, go in there. But, if you’re like me and you just have regular cabinets and drawers, use what you’ve got. I actually prefer to keep the snacks and canned goods in a cabinet that’s easily accessible for everyone.

Accessories

Smaller items that are used along with some of the bigger players are what we’ll call accessories, for lack of a better term. Usually, I picture pretty jewelry and handbags as accessories, but here in the kitchen, we’re referring to:

• Food storage
• Plastic wrap
• Foil
• Baggies

Cleaning Agents

In most cases, there’s storage under the kitchen sink. This is the perfect spot to put things that are used for cleaning. A tension rod at the top of this little storage space makes for a great hanging place for cleaning sprays. Trash bags are also a good fit for keeping under here.

Beverage Accessories

If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, save a little room for these guys. It doesn’t have to be anything big, maybe even just one drawer. Or, if you’re crunched for space, a cute tray on the countertop makes for the perfect hot drink station.

Special Items

You might be left with a few things, like:

• Serveware
• Tablecloths
• Party supplies
• Fancy dishes

These are things that don’t have to go in the kitchen unless you have room. If you do, they can go in an area that doesn’t get a lot of traffic. Otherwise, storing them elsewhere is perfectly fine.

Declutter And Organize The Kitchen-The Finishing Touches

You’re almost done! But, chances are, after moving around all of those kitchen gadgets and whatnot, there’s been quite a bit debris that’s dropped. Give the floor a good cleaning. A dirty floor might cloud the overall image of your newly organized kitchen.

After everything is back in its new home, you’re hopefully left with a space that’s fully functional for what you need to get out of your kitchen. Let the new arrangement sink in for a week or so, and keep track of how it’s working. Then, if you need to adapt and make changes, go for it!

The overall goal is to declutter and make sure you’re getting the most out of your kitchen space. Your kitchen should be created to work for you, not against you. Now you can pop open a bottle of champagne and enjoy your newly organized kitchen.

MORE KITCHEN ORGANIZING TIPS

• 21 Genius Ways To Organize Kitchen Cabinets
• How To Declutter, Deep Clean, And Organize Your Kitchen In 3 Days (Or Less)
• 12 Clever Under The Kitchen Sink Organization Ideas

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