Having a clear, clutter-free kitchen is something many people dream about but busy lives can mean your kitchen has become overwhelmed with things and your storage system has gone out the window. By spending some time de-cluttering your kitchen can make you feel more relaxed, clear your mind, make using your kitchen enjoyable again and make daily life easier.
We accumulate ‘stuff’ through life but it’s time to think about how much of it you actually use on a regular basis and how much you are just keeping out of habit. Clearing out your kitchen can also save you money as you’ll have a good idea of what’s in your kitchen, what you use and help you avoid spending money on things you already own. You may even make a little money on items you sell in your clear out.
Follow our simple tips and your kitchen will be clutter-free and organised in no time at all!
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TIME TIP!
Before we get started here’s a top tip! If you have a large space, a lot to clear or feel overwhelmed by the task in hand, set 30-minute timers and try to tackle it in smaller chunks of time or do one area from the list each day. By the end of the month, you’ll have a refreshed and organised kitchen!
1. Add baskets to your cupboards
Stack items in baskets which fit your cupboards as these will help you organise items into relevant groups eg. Cleaning, home textiles, spices etc. Have a look around at which style and size are suitable for you. Baskets are lovely for cupboards where you can see the items, these Ikea plastic tubs are ideal as they come in several sizes that fit well in cupboards, have a recessed edge and are wipe clean. Homesense is a great place to look for kitchen storage solutions too!
2. Labels your organisers
If the thought of labelling your shelves, baskets or jars sounds appealing, buy a Dymo handheld label maker. They cheap to purchase and last a long time. Just don’t blame us when your whole house becomes label obsessed!
3. Fold your Tea Towels
Organise your tea towels and get rid or donate any that are very worn or you no longer use. Why not start afresh with a new set that matches and fold the spares neatly in a small basket under your sink so they’re ready to use and don’t take up much room. You’re sure to find a sale you love in our Tea Towel collection!
4. Check use-by dates
Go through your tins, jars and freezer for items that have expired and get rid of them. You will probably find that they’re products you don’t really use, hence they have gone out of date before you’ve had the chance to use them.
5. Donate any items you no longer use
Go through each cupboard and have a few boxes set up for the food bank and charity shop. Keep them there for a week and each time you find something you no longer need pop them in here ready to go to a new home.
6. Pick up some reusable containers
Fill them will your pantry items, flour, sugar etc. By doing this, it’s unlikely that you will end up buying duplicates of products. Here you will find a great selection of Ikea glass jars which you can label and keep your kitchen looking organised and tidy, as well as being really practical. By using glass storage jars you can also help reduce your waste by taking them to your local refill shop!
7. Buy in bulk
We say this with caution though as the idea of this exercise is to de-clutter. If you have space in a garage, storeroom or utility room, but large bottles or tubs of cleaning and household items and then decant them into smaller containers to keep to hand in your kitchen. This is more economical and better for the planet! Try it with washing liquid and hand soap as your first go and see how you get on. You can buy great looking reusable pump glass bottles which will look nice in your kitchen and be practical, see Clean Natured.
8. De-clutter your recipe books
Go through your recipe books and donate any you no longer use.
9. Go through your utensils and decide what you need and use
Do you not use something because it doesn’t work well? Replace it if so. If you don’t then donate it. We’ve all needed up with extra utensils which we think are a great invention but they really just complicate a process which didn’t need complicating! Once you have done this, organise the drawer with a divider or simply stack them neatly.
10. Organise your fridge
Check for out of date items, clean the shelves and drawers then put the items back that you are keeping. Organise them by type and but the longer-dated items at the back.
11. Tidy up your spices
Go through your spices, put them in plastic tubs so you can easily pull them out of cupboards and find the one you want or get a spice rack. This way you will actually use them and be able to find them easily. It also helps contain and spice spills!
12. Tupperware time
Pair your Tupperware tubs and lids. Any that aren’t a pair, donate! Once you have your sets, organise the tubs by size and stack the lids to save space.
13. Kitchen gadgets
We have all bought a kitchen gadget that we thought we would use all the time, only to find it sits at the back of the cupboard after the first week. Go through them and get touch with what you use and what actually makes your life easier. Any items that you no longer wish to keep, either sell them on Facebook or eBay or donate them to a charity or local organisation who could use them.
14. Move anything that doesn't belong there
Most people end up with a ‘stuff’ drawers full of cables, old keys, batteries etc. Go through it and organise it with dividers, small tubs or cable tidies. Anything that doesn’t belong there, move it!
We hope these wins have been super useful and inspired you to get organised. Share your kitchen de-clutter photos on Instagram and tag us @stickytoffeestore.
If you want to refresh your kitchen, even more, our range of high-quality Tea Towels are practical and come in a range of stylish colours and designs to fit your kitchen perfectly.