The kitchen might be the heart of the home, but it’s probably the messiest, too. It’s not hard to figure out why. As the workhorse of the house, the kitchen is where everyone gathers, meals are made, and probably sees the most traffic of any other room in the home. So it might seem virtually impossible to keep your kitchen clean, but it’s not. In fact, these five tricks for a clutter-free kitchen will keep your space looking glamorous while you whip up gourmet meals….or mac and cheese!
Remove Everything
Yes, it’s probably going to be a big pain, but your best bet towards a clutter-free kitchen is by starting from scratch. That means removing everything (and we mean everything) from all the cabinets, drawers, pantry, and fridge. Why? It’s much harder to clean out the clutter when you’re working right in the middle of it. But depending on how big your kitchen is, you might find it easier to start in small sections (i.e. one drawer a day) so that you don’t get totally overwhelmed.
Create A Plan
In order to restore order, you’ll need to go in with a game plan. Determine which items you’ll have on your countertops, and what small appliances can be best stowed away. Look to see what areas have typically been a clutter catch-all and devise a plan to prevent that from happening again. You might need to invest in some storage solutions for your drawers and cabinets to keep the clutter at bay.
Get Some Glass
It can be hard to see exactly what you have in your kitchen when everything is in various bags and containers. The solution: look for glass containers to hold most of your pantry staples, like flour, sugar, and other baking goods. See-through containers will allow you to quickly spot what you have, what you need to purchase, and what you can purge.
Throw Away Anything Extra
A big clutter culprit is assuming that you need to keep multiple miscellaneous items. (Think condiment packets or plastic spoons.) If you keep all of these items for that “I’ll need it one day,” then you’ll have lots of clutter to deal with. More often than not, you’ll forget that you even have it, and items will pile up on top of it, causing more chaos in your kitchen. So toss anything that you haven’t used, and donate kitchen items that are in good condition. Figure out what you really need in order for your kitchen to function, and remove the rest.
It’s easy for a kitchen to become messy. But if you want to make it clutter-free, you’ll need to invest the time to create a space that is less chaotic — and more culinary.
