Let’s Declutter and Clean The Kitchen

Last Updated on September 30, 2019 by lydiaf1963

Back to cleaning:

 

Declutter and Organize The Kitchen

Your kitchen looks pretty good, doesn’t it? You’re probably thinking maybe you’ll postpone decluttering and organizing.

DON’T

Instead, give yourself permission to take as long as you need to declutter, but commit to doing a little bit each day. This is the approach I use in the 28 Day Tranquil Home Decluttering Challenge and it works! Pick a task, set a timer for 30 minutes and do the work! You’ll be surprised how much can be accomplished in a half hour.

Here are the kitchen areas I feel are best candidates for decluttering, starting with the food supply.

How to Clean the Inside of the Refrigerator and Freezer

Gather these items:

• heavy duty cleaning gloves
• trash bag
• bucket full of warm, soapy water
• sink full of warm, soapy water for the containers
• cleaning cloths
• a spatula to scrape spoiled food into the trash
• Depending on the size of your fridge you can move things to your uncluttered countertops while you clean, or you may prefer to use a cooler.

As you move items out of the fridge check the condition of the food.

Is it past the expiry date? Out.

Decorated for the holidays with red, green and blue mold? Out.

Can’t tell what it is anymore? Goodbye.

Decide whether you want to keep the container (I’ve been known to pitch a few instead of dealing with the contents!). If yes, empty the container into the trash and put the container in the sink.

Eventually you will have the entire fridge emptied. Now, wipe out the inside with a damp cloth. The shelves on the door, the shelves in the box, the drawers, everything should be wiped down. If necessary remove the drawers and/or shelves and wash them in the sink. As you wipe down the back of the fridge pay attention to the drain hole. You can use a qtip to clear any gook that may have accumulated.

Before putting the food back in the fridge don’t forget to wipe the door seal.

Consider if it’s worth it to buy a lazy susan or boxes to help group your food together. I used to have a lazy susan for condiments. I really liked it, but now that we have an apartment style fridge I just have a box to hold small bits of things that would otherwise get shoved to the back.

Repeat the process for the freezer. See this post if you have a freezer that needs to be defrosted.

Declutter the Pantry

Next we’re going to go through the rest of the food store, clearing out of date items and getting rid of food that may be spoiled due to improper storage, insects or mice. I like to use a brush to clear any debris from the shelves and then wipe them with soapy water.

Don’t forget to go through your spice cabinet and get rid of any outdated herbs and spices. Those big bottles of herb blends are nice, but they take up space. Consider making small batches of your own blends.

As you put items back into the pantry or storage area consider grouping like things together. All the baking goods, all the beans, all the pastas, etc.

Once your food is organized logically it’s a lot easier to make a grocery list because you can see what you already have on hand. See this post on how to shop your freezer and pantry before going to the store for more information.

Declutter the Equipment

For this step I would start at the wall closest to the entrance and work my way around the room going through the top and bottom cabinets and any drawers. Remember to set a timer if you need to and only work on one cabinet or drawer at a time.

Consider:

• how many place settings you use on a regular basis. If you have several sets you can rotate them, storing the “out of season sets” someplace else.
• how many pots and pans do you really need?
• do you use that huge food processor? or does it stay in the cabinet because it’s easier to chop a single onion with a knife?
• do you have utensils that only do one thing? the garlic peeler for example
• what do your kitchen linens look like? maybe it’s time to use them for cleaning rags and treat yourself to new ones
• do all your storage containers have lids? do you have more than you could possibly fit into the fridge and freezer?
• how much room could you reclaim by hanging some commonly used utensils on the wall?

Declutter The Countertops and Shelves

Wait a second…didn’t we already do this? Yeah, sorta. Now I want you to consider if you really need all that stuff on the counter, especially if space is a premium for you.

Do you use that stand mixer on a regular basis? Or could you shift it to the cabinet where you used to keep the huge food processor?

How many cookbooks do you have? When is the last time you opened that copy of Best of Gourmet 1987? Do you still cook with pop n fresh dough? Maybe it’s time to let go of that cookbook you bought at the grocery store checkout. (I didn’t pull those examples out of the air, lol, I let a ton of old cookbooks go. Now I have three physical copies and the rest are digital) Donate those old cookbooks and treat yourself to new ones.

How about your canister set? Do you still love it, or are you ready for a change? Ask yourself the same thing with regard to the rest of the decor. Now’s the time to give the items you’ve chosen to keep a more thorough cleaning.

When you’ve finished decluttering, sorting and in some cases, storing in another room, don’t forget to take the donations box to the center. While you’re out, treat yourself to a nice hot beverage and pat yourself on the back!

Congratulations!

Enjoy your clean and decluttered kitchen! I hope it now makes you smile instead of sigh.