Organizing Your Kitchen: Get Rid of the Clutter

For your kitchen to be an effective workspace, it needs to be free of clutter. But in many homes, the kitchen is a repository of unused, unwanted and unnecessary items. Following a few simple steps to rid  your kitchen of clutter can change the way in which your family functions in this very important room.

Conduct a Storage Space Clear-out

In order to have a clutter-free kitchen you will need to ensure that there is sufficient storage space available for all your essential everyday items. To do this you should free up storage space by sorting through drawers and cabinets. Never attempt to clear more that one space at a time as the space will quickly become chaotic. Empty each cupboard or drawer and sort the contents, returning only items that are necessary and giving away or recycling what you no longer need. Try to be ruthless when clearing your kitchen; if you have never used that juicer that is gathering dust in storage, then you probably don't need to keep it—send it to a home where it will be used. 

Does it Need to Be in the Kitchen?

Once storage space has been opened up it is important to ensure that only items that belong in the kitchen are stored there. Any items that do no belong in the kitchen area should be relocated to other more appropriate areas of your home, allowing your kitchen to fulfill its primary function as a food preparation area and family dining space.

The Heart of the Home

Many families consider the kitchen to be the heart of their home, and may feel that decluttering will remove their family's personality. Removing artwork from the refrigerator door or banishing children's play items to another area may initially feel cold. If you feel that these items have a place in your kitchen, then by all means keep them there, but think creatively about the way they are displayed. Some families find that photographing their children's masterpieces and creating an album of the pictures can help eliminate crafty kitchen clutter. Likewise, providing children with a closing trunk or box to store their kitchen play items can keep unwanted items out of the way.

Tackle Kitchen Clutter Daily

Once you have started on your journey to a clutter-free kitchen you will need to stay on top of it. Add a 5- minute decluttering period to the end of your usual evening kitchen duties. Once the dishwasher has been loaded and the counters wiped spend a short time collecting items that have migrated from other areas of your home, returning them to their proper place.