HOW TO KEEP KITCHEN CLUTTER UNDER CONTROL

The kitchen is one of the most used spaces in our homes and is also commonly the most cluttered! Here are six tips to keep kitchen clutter under control.

I share all about the four approaches to decluttering your home based on the level of clutter you have so that you can finally effectively declutter your home here. I also share four free tools, including my declutter challenge calendar and guide, to help you through the process there. So be sure to check that out if you haven’t already. That way, you will start your decluttering journey strong and finally attain an organized home!

Kitchen Clutter Tip #1 – Remove the Duplicates

My first tip to control kitchen clutter is to remove the duplicates, especially your cooking utensils that are cluttering up your drawers. You typically only need one spatula. It will probably last you a very long time, if not forever. If it breaks, they are always available for purchase at the store.  This leads me into my next tip which is to …

Kitchen Clutter Tip #2 – Free Yourself from the “Just in Case” Mindset

Let go of the “just in case” mindset. For anything that is easily replaceable in your home, remove those duplicates and the items collecting dust because they are cluttering up your space and  making it difficult for you to access the things you do use. For example, you know what cookware you always cook with and what small appliances you use and don’t use. Purge the ones collecting dust, especially those small appliances you haven’t used within the last year.

Kitchen Clutter Tip #3 – Create Organized Systems

My third tip to control kitchen clutter is to have systems in place. I will go into more detail about how to set up organizing systems that work specifically for your organizing style when we do our in-depth organizing challenge so look for that post. An example of how to set up on organized system is to designate a cabinet or drawer for your food storage containers, for example, and either store your containers with the lids all attached or have a designated area for your lids while you nest the containers. If you haven’t had a system in place for your food storage containers so far, you will probably have lids lost in the backs of cabinets and drawers. Having organized systems in place prevents your lids from getting lost.

Kitchen Clutter Tip #4 – Make a Habit of Putting Things Where They Belong Immediately

My fourth tip to control kitchen clutter is to get in the habit of putting things right back where they belong. Always tell yourself, “Don’t put it down, put it away.” To clarify further what this truly means regarding organization is that you won’t just put something “away” by simply hiding it in the closest or a cabinet or drawer or your garage or wherever else you hide clutter. You must get in the habit of putting things away where they belong. And that happens when you have organized systems in place which I shared in my previous tip. And creating organized systems work best when you’ve gotten rid of the clutter which is what you can do with the help of my declutter challenge now and follow that with my organizing challenge! For an example of how to set up an organized system in your kitchen, to get your family in the habit of putting appliances back where they belong, use large labels which they can’t miss like these for these small appliances. Because the labels are clear and unmissable with the combination of each item being contained in a bin, your household has no excuse to put these back where they belong.

Kitchen Clutter Tip #5 – Practice the One-In-One-Out Rule

Practice the one-in-one-out rule. For an example of how to practice this rule, let’s take a look at our dinnerware and serving dishes. You know what dishes you always use and the ones that haven’t budged and are collecting dust. And, if you are one who likes to host dinners and parties, you might have collected lots of beautiful dishes and serving dishes over the years. If your kitchen is overflowing with these items and they no longer fit within your cabinets or pantry, it’s time to pare down. The best way to do this is to choose a designated area in your kitchen, whether it be a few cabinets or shelves in your pantry, where you allow yourself to keep only what fits within these spaces. This will help keep you from overrunning your spaces again. Bless a young couple or family who would be glad to take your excess off your hands. To maintain your spaces, you can do the one-in-one-out rule from now on. If you find a beautiful dish and are contemplating if it’s worth purchasing, you will have to think of which item you already have that you are willing to part with. Forcing yourself to make a decision based on your available space will make you evaluate if it’s worth the money and/or if it’s worth getting rid of something you already have. In most cases, you will likely decide not to purchase the new items therefore saving money and teaching yourself to stop accumulating things which overrun your spaces!

Kitchen Clutter Tip #6 – Evaluate Your Spaces Regularly

Evaluate your utensils, plates, containers, and cups regularly. We all grow—literally your kids outgrow baby spoons and sippy cups—so we need to purge those items as soon as the kids graduate to new phases and growth stages. We also change our lifestyles and habits. I’ve noticed that a lot of households tend to collect a lot of travel cups whether they are for cold or hot drinks. We only need one of each type per person! I understand that we might use different travel cups or mugs for different purposes like everyday use while traveling to work or special water containers for hiking. The travel cup and mug clutter I am referring to, however, is the collection of cute Starbucks cups or those free promotional cups and mugs you got at your work picnic or another promotional event. And regular mugs can be a major source of clutter! You know who you are! You have way too many mugs and you KNOW which ones you ALWAYS use. Time to purge the rest!

Don’t forget, if you haven’t already, you can grab my declutter challenge calendar and guide here which full of tips and tricks on how to decide what to declutter, what quantities of items make sense to keep, and how to donate the items you declutter. In my next post, I will be sharing about the six different organizing styles to help get you ready for our in-depth organizing challenge so you can finally setup organized systems that finally work for you and your household. Comment below anything you might struggle with decluttering or organizing, and feel free to share this with anyone you think might want to join the declutter or organizing challenge.

Happy Organizing!