How to do a kitchen declutter without feeling overwhelmed

Sink with hand towel - kitchen declutter items

If your kitchen constantly feels cluttered, you’re not alone. The kitchen is the heart of our homes, but when cupboards are overflowing, drawers are crammed, and you can’t find what you need, then it’s time for a kitchen declutter.

Having a clutter free kitchen provides you with a space where cooking feels simpler, cleaning takes less time, and everyday routines run more smoothly.

In this post I’ll walk you through exactly how to declutter your kitchen without feeling overwhelmed.

You’ll learn why a kitchen declutter matters, how to get started, questions to ask when deciding what to declutter, and what things you can declutter from your kitchen.

I’ll also cover some simple systems that you can use to help keep your kitchen clutter free for the long term.

If you’re ready for a kitchen that feels lighter, more organised, and easier to manage, then this post is for you.

Download your FREE declutter checklist with 100+ items to declutter here

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Why a decluttered kitchen matters

A cluttered kitchen means you spend too long searching for things, and cooking feels more stressful than it should.

Decluttering your kitchen:

Saves time when preparing meals
Makes cleaning your kitchen quicker
Reduces decision fatigue
Helps you feel more in control of your home

How to get started

Here are some steps for how to get started with decluttering your kitchen, so it feels less overwhelming.

Set a timer

One of my favourite ways to find motivation to declutter is to set a timer, and declutter as much as I can in the time I have.

Setting a timer for as little as 10–15 minutes is also enough time to make huge progress on your decluttering efforts, without feeling overwhelming, and helps you to make quick decisions about what to declutter.

Start with an easy win

Starting with an area that’s small enough to make a difference, but not large enough to be overwhelming, is a great way start a kitchen declutter.

Easy wins in the kitchen include cutlery drawers, junk drawers, a cupboard, or mugs.

Choose the right time

A great way to get the most out of any decluttering job is to do it in a time that works for you, which could be:

When you have the most energy
During school hours
When your kids are at a club
In short bursts over a few days

Ask the right questions

When you’re trying to decide what to keep, ask yourself these questions:

Do I use this? No or maybe one day – declutter it
Do I have duplicates? If yes choose your favourite and donate the rest
Do I still love it, is it still my style? No – declutter it
Does it make my life easier? No – declutter it

Have the right supplies

Here are some supplies that will make decluttering a kitchen easier:

Bin bags for items that need to be thrown out or recycled
Storage containers for items you need to store away
Microfibre cloths so you can clean as you go

What to do with decluttered items

Here are the options for items you want to declutter:

Keep
Donate / Sell
Recycle / Throw out

Only donate or sell items that are in working order.

If you decide to sell an item, make sure you list it at the time you decide to declutter it, otherwise it may be sitting around your home for a long time, which defeats the purpose of decluttering it in the first place.

When I sell items I’ve decluttered I list it straight away, and if it doesn’t sell within a week, I remove the listing and donate it, so I’m not tempted to keep it and have it cluttering my home again.

Salt, paper towel, kitchen items - kitchen declutter items

Things to declutter from your kitchen

Here’s a decluttering checklist full of things to declutter from your kitchen.

When working through this list, remember to ask yourself the questions above to ensure you don’t declutter items that are important to how your family functions.

Expired and unused food

Check your fridge, freezer, and pantry and declutter:

Expired food
Half used ingredients you no longer cook with
Food your family doesn’t eat
Duplicates
Expired spices (I use this spice rack organiser to keep spice clutter to a minimum)

Containers

Mismatched, damaged, or unused containers
Containers with no lids
Lids with no containers
Cracked, stained, or warped plastic containers
Sizes you never reach for
Excess drink bottles and flasks

Crockery

Chipped or mismatched items
Plastic items
Bent forks
Random souvenir teaspoons
Duplicate sets you never use
Excess pots and pans

Kitchen gadgets

Items that haven’t been used in the last 12 months
Items that are hard to clean
Broken gadgets
Duplicates

Cooking tools

Duplicate spatulas, ladles, whisks, peelers
Chopping boards in poor condition
Tools you’ve replaced but never removed
Chipped or peeling cookware
Extra, old, or unused cookie sheets, pie pans, muffin tins, and mixing bowls

Junk drawers

Old keys
Dried up pens
Takeaway menus you never use

Paperwork

Old school letters
Expired coupons
Art projects from months ago
Magnets you don’t love

Produce on table - kitchen declutter items.

Small appliances

These can include toasters, kettles, blenders, air fryers, coffee machines, anything that can clutter countertops and cupboards.

Declutter appliances that:

You rarely use
Are broken or outdated
Take up more space than they’re worth

Cookbooks

If you mostly use online recipes when cooking meals, then your cookbooks may be adding to your kitchen clutter.

When deciding what cookbooks to declutter ask yourself:

Have I cooked from this book in the past 12 months?
Do I like the recipes inside it?
Are the recipes easily available online?

Cleaning products

Here are some cleaning products you may like to declutter, and if you need to throw something out, here’s a guide to throwing out cleaning products.

Stained or fraying tea towels
Old sponges and cloths
Half used bottles
Duplicates
Products for surfaces you no longer have
Anything expired or leaking

Bags

Excess plastic and tote bags
Torn freezer bags
Plastic wrap that’s too small to wrap anything

Kids’ items

Declutter anything your kids have outgrown, such as:

Sippy cups
Baby plates
Cutlery
Lunch boxes
Broken or mismatched lunch containers
Duplicates

Special occasion items

Cake stands
Novelty serving trays
Holiday-themed dishes

Kitchen utensils hanging on wall - kitchen declutter items

How to keep your kitchen clutter free

Once you’ve done your kitchen decluttering, here are some ways to keep your kitchen clutter free.

Keep everyday items within reach

Keep items you use every day at eye level, and keep items your kids use where they can access them.

Group similar items

Grouping similar items together is my favourite way to keep my kitchen from becoming cluttered.

Some examples of this include:

All baking items together
Breakfast foods in one cupboard
Snacks in one basket
Tea and coffee supplies in one area

Use containers

Here’s some examples of the types of items you can put in containers.

Snack organisation
Lunchbox supplies
Tea and coffee sachets
Cleaning products

Practice the “One In, One Out” Rule

Whenever something new comes into your kitchen, take something old out.

This is a great way to avoid clutter creeping back into your kitchen.

Have a 5 minute evening reset

To maintain a clutter free kitchen, consider doing a nightly reset before bed, where you:

Clear counters
Put items back in their places
Load or unload the dishwasher

How to do a kitchen declutter – a recap

Decluttering a kitchen can be made less overwhelming by breaking the task into small steps, choosing easy wins, and asking simple questions about what to keep.

Simple habits like grouping similar items, using containers intentionally, following the “one in, one out” rule, and doing a five-minute evening reset each night can stop clutter from creeping back in.

To make kitchen decluttering easier, set a timer and choose one drawer, one cupboard, or one category, and before you know it your kitchen will feel significantly lighter.

In case you missed it, here’s your free printable declutter checklist that has all the items listed in this post.

What’s the biggest challenge you face when trying to keep your kitchen clutter free?

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How to do a kitchen declutter without feeling overwhelmed

Why a decluttered kitchen matters