Declutter Your Messy Kitchen Right Now In 4 Simple Steps

Declutter your kitchen today! Sorting out any room is tricky, but the kitchen might be the hardest because of how often you use it, and what it's used for.

Don't despair, we've put together four easy steps to help you tackle this task. Prepare yourself for some great kitchen organising hacks! 

Ready? Let's get started...

Declutter cupboards & drawers

It might sound simple, but decluttering can be very difficult to do. It's not easy looking at everything in your kitchen and working out what you do and don't want. Here are a few helpful tips on sorting through all that clutter:

1. Write a list

Grab your pen and start writing a big list of all the items you use most frequently. Take your time with the list and, if it helps, see what you use during the week or the month and don't rush writing it. The more you know, the more thorough you'll be. This list will help you truly understand your clutter and get rid of those items that you just don't need anymore - or that you've never needed!

2. Declutter appliances

Be honest with yourself. How often have you used that bread machine? It might be hard... it's tough to say goodbye to expensive items, but if you don't ever use them, they're taking up valuable space in your kitchen. If it's not on the list, get rid of it. You can either give the unwanted appliance to charity, take it to a car boot sale, give it to a friend or sell it on eBay.

3. Declutter ingredients

This is an easy job to do - just go through all your food cupboards, drawers and fridge to get rid of everything that is completely out of date. Don't forget to check through your baking supplies. You might find lots of decorations you brought for making a cake a few years ago, and never got rid of! Just to warn you, there may be a chance you're horrified when you start looking closely at your spice rack...

If you have food that is in date, but you're unlikely to eat before the use-by date rolls around, consider giving it to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

4. Declutter pots & pans

Much like the appliances, getting rid of some of your pots and pans is a difficult job. Be honest with yourself - if you don't use it, get rid of it. 

5. Declutter broken crockery, glasses & unwanted cutlery

You'll breathe a sigh of relief after this one. Start getting rid of all that old crockery with chips and all those glasses with the small cracks. They're thought to harbour bacteria, and you deserve better than that! 

6. Get rid of unnecessary repeats

This is an easy task - make sure you don't have multiples of any item. This includes items like mixing bowls, cheese graters and baking trays. Sure, they might be useful once in a blue moon, but you can probably get by without! 

Hide & organise your clutter

Now it's time for the fun part - hiding all the stuff you want to keep and organising it in a better way.

1. Use baskets

You can use baskets to put all your odds and ends in - organised chaos! Carefully label your baskets, for example, 'Teabags' and 'Spices', depending on what's inside.

2. Say goodbye to magnets / ugly souvenirs

If you've been given a gift for the kitchen that's taking up valuable space and you don't use it or want it, say goodbye. The same goes for magnets on the fridge - they leave your kitchen looking cluttered and untidy.

3. Be clever with pan lids

They're annoying, but you need them. What you need are some new ways to store your pan lids. Our favourite storage idea is to use command hooks on the inside of cupboard doors - try it!

4. Keep appliances in one space

Do you have big appliances like a coffee machine, blender or toaster that you use sometimes, but not all the time? It's time to find them a home that isn't on the counter. Find a cupboard and see if you can change the design to suit the appliance. For example, a retractable shelf for a toaster might be perfect, if you don't use it much!

Be precious with space

Now it's time to make sure that all your space is being used in the best way it can be. It's your chance to make your kitchen work for you and reap rewards (in the form of uncluttered space) after all of your hard work.

1. Counter/kitchen table

This is premium space that should only be reserved for items that you use regularly, such as oils, kitchen tools like spatulas, wooden spoons and your kettle.

2. Kitchen drawers

Those kitchen drawers need to be organised properly. Why not buy some dividers to help you organise them better? No more digging for that bottle opener! 

3. Hang pots & pans

If your kitchen allows you to do this, consider hanging up your pots and pans. This is a great way for you to save precious cupboard space - and they look pretty great too! 

4. Easy-to-reach cupboards

This sounds obvious because it is! Make your life simpler by putting all of those everyday items in a place you can easily access. Place tea bags and sugar near the kettle and plates near the oven and dishwasher.

5. Hard-to-reach cupboards

Place the items that you don't really use that often, such as blenders or baking equipment, out of the way in those hard-to-reach spaces.

6. Out of the kitchen

If you have items that you use once a year, like ice cream machines or Christmas plates, just take them out of the kitchen completely. You don't need them! Find a cupboard that you can store them in or, failing that, put them in the loft.

Keep the clutter under control

Now for the important part. It's time to learn how to keep all that clutter under control, or you'll be back where you started within a fortnight! Make sure everyone in the household is on board with your clutter-free plan.

1. Get a 'Clutter Basket'

If you have a designated basket where all those bits and pieces go that don't belong in the kitchen, they can be taken away and emptied every evening.

2. Clear away washing up or empty the dishwasher

You'll thank yourself in the morning for this one! Every night, make sure you've either emptied the dishwasher or cleared away any washing up. You'll be able to keep the draining board clean and tidy, rather than playing a game of Buckaroo every time you go to place something there.

3. Clean as you go

It's easier to do little jobs as you go, rather than one big boring clean up. For example, while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, give the surfaces a quick wipe. When you're waiting for the rice to cook, empty the fridge of out-of-date food.

4. Consider what you use the most

The use for something may change depending on the season, so keep an eye on the items you keep on the counter. We keep butter, salt, pepper and a few cooking oils on the surface as we use these every day. If you don't tend to use oil, then put it away in the cupboard. 

Good luck folks. If you have any tips on how to declutter your kitchen, I'd love to hear them!