15-Minute Kitchen Decluttering Projects

Thu Apr 13 2017

• Kitchen

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to require a complete overhaul of your kitchen. Instead, try one of these 15-minute declutter projects and you’ll soon be on your way to the most tidy kitchen ever.

 

 

Fridge Door Condiments Don't blink, just like that your condiments are young adults moving off to college. Has it really been 2 years since you bought that overpriced, healthy ginger sesame dressing that was the equivalent of throwing some water on your salad but you promised yourself you'd at least try again but of course never did? It's time to move on. Place all your beloved condiments on the counter, check expiration dates, scoff at the shock of such neglect and find a way to blame it on someone else, throw out the old ones, and finally clean up the fresh ones and place them back into the fridge. It will make such a difference in how clean your refrigerator feels when you open it tonight for your midnight snack.

 

 

Utensil Holder Look over the utensils next to your oven. Do you really need that many spatulas? Okay, okay, no need to get defensive - I'm sure 27 is a totally normal amount of spatulas to have and it's not weird at all. But in case you don't actually use every spatula or flipper in the container and they only exist to collect dust, it's okay to do like Elsa and "let it go." If there are some you want to keep but don't use daily, place them in a different location such as a utensil drawer.

 

 

Food Storage Containers Even if you just organized this last week, it's probably time to do it again. It's actually impressive how quickly your storage containers can become unorganized. If you have round containers, a random square lid will always pop up, and vice versa. It's magical but it's not helpful for putting your leftovers away so clean it up. It's easiest to just empty it all out onto the counter and match each lid to each corresponding container. Any remaining items should be thrown out (or snuck into someone else's kitchen to create complete chaos).

 

 

Dish Towels If you're anything like us, you have a rotation of dish towels ranging from ugly-but-most-absorbent to beautiful-but-completely-useless-as-a-towel. As you start to sort through your collection of towels, you might even find your style has really changed over the years, from those cotton rooster towels from the 90s to your new Target flour sack towels. It's hard to let towels go but if they are faded and have holes in them, it's time to throw them out or move them to the cleaning rag pile. You can then fold and organize your towels by uselessness.

 

 

Junk Drawer Everyone has one. The place where paper clips go to mingle with expired coupon clippings and the odd battery that maybe/probably still has a charge left in it yet. Simply sort through each item and place them in either a "keep" or "throw away" pile until your drawer is empty. There will inevitably be a mess of crayon wrappers, dust, that random screw (trust me, there is always a random screw), and a few loose buttons you will need to clean up. Once your drawer is wiped down, do yourself a favor and get a drawer divider to organize the items you decided to keep. Your once junk drawer now serves as a thoughtful storage place for your supplies.

 

 

The Batcave (Corner Cupboard) Not every kitchen has one, but many do. You know, that corner cupboard that requires you equip yourself with a caving head lamp and a good warm-up beforehand as you embark on a journey through uncharted territory. Who knows what you may find? Maybe that panini maker you thought was a good idea 5 years ago, or the missing lid to your casserole dish, or even (though hopefully not) that weird platter your mother-in-law gave you last Christmas. If you can physically endure it, start emptying the Cave Of Wonders onto a flat surface and get rid of anything you haven't used in the last year. Wipe down your cupboards and your items, then place them back for next year when you decide to open this cupboard again. Or you can always get a Lazy Susan and solve this problem forever.