I’m constantly getting rid of things I don’t use and thinking of ways to reorganize what I use to create more efficient systems throughout my home. Let me show you my DIY kitchen cleaning methods and how to declutter your kitchen cabinets in 5 steps.
How to organize your kitchen cabinets
Disorder will always come
Fact: No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to grow your cabinet space. So you have to make your stuff shrink! Even after being in our new kitchen for six months, clutter starts to accumulate in the cabinets, drawers and pantry (always the pantry!)
I declutter my kitchen cabinets several times a year. Like all home organization systems, more things go in than they go out, so over time we tend to accumulate. Kids mugs, to-go coffee cups, extra Tupperware – where do those things come from that clutter your kitchen?!
Opening a kitchen cabinet and finding an avalanche of plastic cups is no way to live. I have organized large kitchens and small kitchens; There will always be a shortage of kitchen storage space, so we have to reduce what we have to make it fit.
Inventory day
While I downsize my kitchen several times a year, it’s a good idea to have an inventory day to get it in order. This time is when you look back in your cupboards and drawers and question every plate and platter you own. A little time and effort and it will make your life easier for the next few months.
I have a Downloadable guide for easier cooking with an inventory checklist to help you determine what you want to keep and what you can live without so you can donate the rest. Less is more!
Keep what you use 80% of the time
Do you know that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time? Chances are, the contents of your kitchen cabinets follow the same pattern.
Take five days (or five hours, or five weeks!) to follow these steps and go from towers of Tupperware to a clutter-free kitchen, with uncluttered shelves and clear counter space filled with things you actually use and love. Be ruthless! The less you have, the easier it will be to keep everything clean and tidy so you can focus on what’s most important: cooking good food.
Okay, now comes the fun part!
How to organize your kitchen cabinets
Step 1. Eliminate everything you don’t use weekly
Don’t keep 25 plastic kids’ cups if your dishwasher cycle consistently uses 5. Take out anything that’s broken or chipped. Match the Tupperware. Donate rarely used to-go coffee cups. (Because if you’re like me, you only use your Yeti!)
Step 2. Relocate kitchen appliances or serving dishes that are used infrequently.
Now you are left with things you want to keep but rarely use. That waffle maker you only use on Christmas morning or the bread maker you’re not willing to part with just yet doesn’t need million-dollar waterfront lots! Could you keep them on your dining room buffet? A storage room? The attic? Anywhere you have a little extra storage space. Take them out once a year for use. Or start using them weekly (which probably won’t happen!). I keep my major small appliances on my counters (coffee maker, blender, kettle) and keep the rest on the buffet in the living room. And we even have a few extras we rarely use (like our ice cream maker) in our basement storage to pull out each summer.
Step 3. Reimagine your cabinet space
Look at the dishes and appliances that remain. Consider where on your countertops you use them, how far they are from the dishwasher, and how easy they are to reach. Think about the best places for everything, focusing on placing everyday dishes near the dishwasher and entertaining collections in harder-to-reach places. Most of the time people classify their cabinets by type (plates, cups, etc.). But sorting by usage (daily, weekly, rarely) will help you prioritize space.
Stage 4. Reimagine your drawers
Take out all your cutlery and clean the crumbs from the organizer. (I’m serious!) Consider investing in a new organizer and/or some cute dividers for your smaller items, like cheese knives or measuring cups. Could you change the drawer elements to cabinets or the cabinet elements to drawers? I think Tupperware, for example, is best stored in a drawer where you can look down. I use larger containers to stack the lids vertically so they don’t spill. Also, I store my pot lids in a bottom drawer because they don’t hold up very well vertically and I don’t use them often enough to store them in the pots.
Step 5. Organize!
This is the fun part you’ve been waiting for! Now that you’ve gotten to your essentials and favorites and made a plan, it’s time to take everything out, clean out the cabinets and drawers, and put everything back inside according to your plan. When you start taking things out, you may even decide that you can let go of more. And once you put everything back in its place, you might find some extra space on the upper shelves to store those rarely used appliances from step 2. It’s always going to be a game of give and take. Your ultimate goal is for your cabinets (and drawers) to not only look clean but also be as functional as possible.
Bonus: tackle the pantry.
I focused on decluttering the kitchen cabinets and drawers, but wherever the plastic food storage section of your kitchen is will need its own attention. Sometimes it’s a single upper cabinet or (if you’re lucky) a pantry. (I’ve had pantries in a garage and a basement.) Using the same step-by-step process, sort through everything in your pantry. Put anything that has expired in a large garage bag. Donate anything you don’t really think you’ll use. (Hint: If you haven’t used or eaten it in six months, you probably won’t.)
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See two of my previous kitchens here and here.
