Ready to attack your kitchen clutter? Declutter your kitchen by removing these 10 things NOW!
Last Updated: November 2022
So I’ve been knee-deep in kitchen decluttering and spring cleaning these past two weeks (right there in the trenches with you guys who are participating in this month’s kitchen organization challenge as part of this year’s Organize & Refine Your Home Challenge).
I know that it can be tough to get started when it comes to the decluttering process. When you’re having trouble, my best advice is to start with the low-hanging fruit so to speak…the “no brainer” items. As I went through my most recent “declutter the kitchen” session, I compiled a list of 10 “No Brainers” that you can immediately place into the “toss” pile.
Declutter Your Kitchen FAST: Toss these 10 Things
1. Excess Coffee Mugs
In EVERY kitchen I’ve organized during my time as a professional organizer, there was always a kitchen cupboard that was overflowing with coffee mugs. Always. Many times, the homeowners didn’t even drink coffee or tea. I’d go as far as to deem it the #2 most common kitchen clutter culprit (second only to paper clutter).
Everyone can benefit from decluttering their mug collection. Of course, keep your favorites (like the ones that your child gave you for Mother’s Day), but the random giveaway mugs should go for sure.
2. Souvenir Cups
A closely related cousin of the giveaway mug is the souvenir cup. Fess up…you’ve got a collection stashed away in one of your upper cabinets, right? Do you actually use them, or are they simply serving as dust collectors?
3. Ratty Potholders
How many potholders do you actually use at any given time? If you’ve got a drawer full of them, keep the best 3 or 4, then bid adieu to the ones that have seen better days. Ew.
4. Weird Spices
Hmmm. I’d venture to guess that this artisan salt has been in our spice drawer for a few years. Have we ever cracked it open? Not once. I’m guessing it’s past its prime by now. I can’t recollect why exactly we needed such an abundance of celery-related spices. I can say with certainty that we won’t be consuming celery salt in any way, shape, or form in this house.
Of course, when it comes to spices, it’s also important to take a look at the ones that you DO use. Those expiration dates tend to sneak up quickly, so be sure to take a good look at expiration dates during your declutter session.
5. Unused Bakeware
O.K., so this one might not apply to those of you avid bakers out there. But for those of us who had high hopes of being a domestic goddess when we filled out our bridal registry and registered for things like springform pans (but never used the springform pan since we received it as a wedding gift), feel free to pass it along to someone else who might actually use it.
6. Florist Vases
I can honestly say that I’ve used about 2 of the vases within this collection of florist vases that I’ve been hoarding in the cabinet above my refrigerator during the past decade. Time to pick my 2 favorites, let go of the rest, and free up some cabinet space.
7. Unused Small Appliances
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Homemade waffles taste so much better than Eggos, right? Yes, but after I saw how much effort was required to keep the waffle maker clean, I never wanted to use it again. So there it sat, in the kitchen island cabinet, waiting to see the light of day again. Sometimes, you just need to cut your losses and accept that you’re an Eggo family.
8. Unused Cleaners
It’s always interesting to see what you’ll find during an archeological dig into those cabinets that lie under the kitchen sink. Like this Orange Glo cleaner, for example. I’m fairly certain that this cleaner moved with us from North Carolina to Ohio back in 2005. If I still have half a bottle left after a decade, it’s probably safe to toss (“ya think, Natalie?”)
9. Refillable Amusement Park Concession Containers
If we ever return to Kennywood Park, will I actually remember to bring this refillable popcorn container along in order to take advantage of the $1.95 refill deal? You know the answer.
10. Things that are Coated in Dust
If you come across an item that’s coated in dust, that’s an indicator that the item hasn’t been used in a very long time (or never at all in this case). If it’s in the original box (which looks pristine), you can be even more confident that you’ve come across a “no brainer” for the kitchen declutter pile.
BONUS
Here’s my bonus tip…if you come across an item and you don’t know what it is, then certainly it should find it’s way to the Toss pile!
{if you know what this is, please clue me in!}
What items will you be tossing when you declutter the kitchen? What else would you add? Share with the rest of us the items that are getting put in your toss pile!
Once you’ve decluttered your kitchen, check out my step-by-step guides for kitchen organization:
- Kitchen Countertop Organization
- Kitchen Drawer Organization
- Kitchen Cabinet Organization
- Food Storage Organization
Need some additional decluttering help?
Check out the Declutter Tool Kit, a free resource for helping you declutter your home from top to bottom. Click on the image below to learn more about it and to download a copy for yourself:
Check out these other No Brainer Declutter Checklists to speed up your decluttering:
- Printables for Organizing Home & Life: The ULTIMATE Organizing Printables Vault! - November 28, 2023
- Clipboard Wall Organization for Papers: Easy DIY Paper Storage! - September 4, 2023
- How to Plan a Graduation Party to Remember: The Ultimate Graduation Party Planner - May 9, 2023
Cheryle says
We’ve been slowly renovating our home, we raised our 5 kids here and it shows. We’re finishing up the kitchen right now, with our cabinet refacing happening next week. I’ve been cleaning out the cabinets and we have sooo many mugs and cups from the kid’s activities, vacations, and Christmas over the years. I’m putting them into piles and giving them back to my kids when they visit for Christmas later this month. It was fun to walk down memory lane with the mugs but I’m glad they’re gone, now I have so much more space! Maybe I’ll go through the bakeware I don’t use next and see if any of my kids want that as well. Thank you for sharing!!
mireille says
Good list! I have a couple cups I need to get rid of!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
stef hughes says
O.M.Word. i have everything except for the waffle maker! guess what i’ll be doing today!!!!! GREAT ARTICLE!!!!
Natalie Gallagher says
LOL! Join the club Stef!
VideoPortal says
If all that sounds like you, it’s time to start purging. Here are 10 no-brainer items to begin tossing so you can proudly open those garage doors.
Renita says
Years ago I had several vases I did not use. Took about a dozen very clean ones to the florist and she gave me a bouquet of flowers for my efforts. Was nice to know they didn’t go in a land fill and went to use for others.
Natalie Gallagher says
Renita, I think you’re the 3rd or 4th reader to tell me that they’ve returned the vases to a local florist. Genius idea! Kinda like returning the wire hangers to the dry cleaners…
Suzanne H says
That last item is a mandolin and yes, it is for slicing veggies. The separate piece is used to push the veggies back and forth over the blade so as not to gnaw off your skin! It’s handy but if you don’t use it, then it should go. I just cleaned out old plastic straws and odd cup tops that didn’t match anything this past weekend. It wasn’t a lot of items but it sure felt good!
Natalie Gallagher says
I’m so glad I have my readers to educate me about kitchen gadgets! Totally agree with the rule that if you don’t use it, off it goes (it went to Goodwill so hopefully someone whose a better chef than I is enjoying it now!)
It is AMAZING how good it feels to purge Suzanne!
Natalie Gallagher says
LOL Mimi! This one rings true for many! Now go forth and declutter! 🙂
Jessica Cramer says
I love this post! I am organizationally challenged, and I have tossed a number of things on your list. But there is always more to be done! So funny, the mystery tool haha,ha! I think we all have one of those lurking in our cabinets somewhere. I am tossing my grandmothers silver, the asparagus server just isn’t getting used anymore!
Natalie Gallagher says
Oh my. I don’t even know what an asparagus server is! Yes, it can be pretty humorous to see what we dig up when it comes time to empty out those drawers and cabinets.
Tara says
We have been in our house for 10 years and I am constantly decluttering. I had a cabinet over my microwave that I kept vases in from a party I gave and needed a bunch for centerpieces. I cleaned out the cabinet tonight (about 4 hours) before seeing your post on Pinterest. My cabinet was full and looked just like your cabinet. I also had the stash of souvenir cups and coffee mugs as well as my husband not wanting to let go of either. Last year I cleaned out our coffee cups and bought 8 that matched. It is nice to be able to stack them but I still have more unmatched coffee mugs than I want to see in the cabinet that are “special”. Thanks for sharing!
Natalie Gallagher says
LOL Tara! The irony of stumbling upon this post on the same evening you chose to clear out that cabinet. Just goes to show you that great minds think alike!
Sherry Nappa says
Great tips! We always seem to collect unwanted coffee cups. I usually give away a box load every two years. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday.
Natalie Gallagher says
Thanks for HOSTING Merry Monday Sherry! (and wow, a box load of coffee cups every couple of years?)
Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled says
Love the addition of strange items and things covered in dust. I have a few of those hanging out in my kitchen, I’m sure. Purging makes me happy, although my husband isn’t quite so quick to want to get rid of things! Thank you for linking up with Funtastic Friday!
Natalie Gallagher says
Purging makes me happy too Victoria!
Kathleen says
Great tips. I am packing our house and I have boxes of stuff to get rid of and also a box of stuff for kids and friends to look through to see if they need any of it. Vases are always a problem. Lucky for me, one of my friends is looking for vases, so they will go to a new home. Thanks for linking up to Tips and Tricks. Hope to see you again this week.
Natalie Gallagher says
That’s perfect Kathleen! Good luck with your move and thanks for stopping by!
Julie says
Sensible AND funny – a perfect mix!
I have a similar thing to your last mystery item, like your other commenter said, it slices veggies, you can do onion cubes or carrot sticks in it super quick. I do actually use mine so it’s staying, but the 10 or so vases and yucky pot holders have to go.
I love the dust layer rule – makes sense too. I got rid of a lot of dusty things when we moved house last year but I feel another sweep could be necessary following the “have I used it since I moved” rule.
Natalie Gallagher says
I hesitated to post that dusty gravy separator Julie (because it’s a clear indicator of how long it’s been since I’ve gone through the corner cabinet!). But I know that we all have these, and you just validated that! and yes, by all means, keep your veggie slicer if you use and love it 🙂
Lindsey says
This is an amazing post. I literally forgot about all of these things and I have ALL of them sitting in my kitchen right now. I’m tweeting, pinning and stumbling this post. And when I get home tonight I’m GETTING RID OF THEM FOR GOOD. Happy Tuesday!
Natalie Gallagher says
Oh Lindsey, this made me smile! It will feel AWESOME when you get rid of those “no brainers”. I promise!
Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
It looks like the last thing on your list is a vegetable slicer – like, you stick the potato or whatever to the round part, rub it over the flat part and it makes nice little fries. Maybe.
We’re in the middle of doing the great kitchen clean out (some people call it nesting, but I call it wanting to declutter the kitchen before I never get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time again!). Luckily I have older kids that I can get to help me.
Natalie Gallagher says
Oh Jenny, thanks for unraveling the mystery! I suspect you are right! Thanks but I’ll just stick to knives if I need to slice a veggie (or throw it in the food processor). Congrats on your impending bundle of joy…and yes, I was the the same way when I was nesting. Thank goodness for the older sibs!
Emily @ My Love for Words says
Yes to all of these!! We had a ton of mugs despite the fact that no one in our house even drinks hot beverages with any regularity. How did we get a cabinet full of mugs?! We got rid of a bunch and haven’t missed them since. Great list!
Natalie Gallagher says
The funny thing is Emily, I’ve never once missed anything that I’ve let go of during a decluttering session (and certainly not my excess coffee mugs). Glad you liked the list!
Seana Turner says
Love this list! YES to the vases… I wrote a whole post once about my own personal struggle with a very large vase. I ended up taking it back to the florist, who was thrilled to receive it. And souvenir cups? Boy does I come across a lot of those….
Natalie Gallagher says
Well I never thought about returning them to the florist. What a novel idea Seana! Of course, after I published the post, I reallized that I omitted another biggie…the collection of sippy cups from years past. Am I right Seana?
Jill Robson says
Great post Natalie, I laughed when you mentioned the excess mugs and souvenir cups, 2 things that my husband has trouble letting go off. Isn’t it interesting how similar we all are with the things in our kitchen we hold on to.
Natalie Gallagher says
and the sippy cups Jill…let’s not forget the excess sippy cups that we always seem to across in client’s homes (sometimes when their kids are grown and out of the house!)