How To Declutter Kitchen Counters & Cabinets

You’re overwhelmed by clutter on your kitchen countertops and in your kitchen cabinets and there’s no room to scream, never mind cook, clean or actually even joy life BUT decluttering the kitchen is hard right?

I mean you’ve watched Marie Kondo and given it a go yanking everything out of every kitchen cabinet to see which of your five can openers sparks joy but her KonMari method takes up weekend after weekend of your life and is sure fire recipe an even bigger mess on your kitchen counters at the very time you need to whip up dinner. Grrr… !!!

So what can we do?

How can we declutter our kitchen cupboards and counters easily, without giving up after the first drawer because we’re just too busy trying to get food on the table and another load of laundry done?

Well, this 30 Day Declutter The Kitchen Challenge will get your kitchen cupboards and counters clutter free in just 10 minutes a day with NO mess.

AND it could even make you some money!!

That sounds pretty amazing doesn’t it? So are you up for the challenge?

Brilliant.  First, I’ll explain how to declutter your kitchen with a completely different approach to Marie Kondo. And then explain why this declutter methods work better for lots of us. And finally, I’ll give you the step-by-step kitchen declutter challenge checklist. I really hope it helps.

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1. How To Declutter Your Kitchen

This truly is, I promise, the easiest way to declutter your kitchen cabinets and countertops even when your kitchen is buried under crazy mountains of clutter.  

All you have to do is:

• Put aside 10 minutes a day
• Focus on one small area from my kitchen declutter challenge checklist below
• Without yanking stuff out, spot stuff in that area you are ready to let go
• Aim for roughly 10 items in each area
• Pop items in a charity box, recycling or trash
• Or snap a photo and take a minute to post on Facebook to sell
• Repeat the next day
• And the next … for 30 days
• And you’re done!!

Can it really be as simple as that?

It can honestly. This is exactly how I decluttered thousands of things from my crazy mess of a home when other methods failed.

And this is why it works.

2. Why This Kitchen Declutter Works

This 30 day kitchen declutter challenge uses the Just 10 Things declutter method. I totally love this declutter approach.

It gave me the inspiration to start decluttering when I was beyond overwhelmed and kept me motivated to keep going. It works because it:

1. Only takes 10 minutes a day – we can all find 10 minutes, even when we’re hectic
2. Doesn’t make an unholy mess – so tells our brain decluttering is easy & worth doing
3. Works with our psychology – it clears out stuff we are actually ready to let go and avoids the “I might need it” battle 
4. Turns decluttering into a habit – there’s loads of science now that shows habits are the super powered way to change our lives
5. Uses the power of numbers – if we let go of just 10 things a day, we can declutter 300 things in a month, without breaking sweat.

And most importantly, by turning decluttering into a super powered daily habit we break the hold of clutter on our minds and lives.

After letting stuff go for 30 days we are totally up for the challenge of letting go loads more.

And before we know it, we’ve reclaimed our homes from the clutter monster, and can start living again. Hurrah!

So let’s get started … 

3. Kitchen Declutter Checklist

OK so use the kitchen declutter checklist below to focus on one small area of clutter every day. Just click on the item for your daily prompt.

It will give you 10 suggestions of clutter to look for. Now you will NOT have all of them. Some WILL seem crazy. But they will help you open your eyes to the unwanted clutter in your kitchen hiding in plain sight.

Each prompt also includes some little psychological nudges and motivational thoughts to help us break clutter’s hold on us.

Now, if you whizz down the checklist you will see there are actually 40 prompts. I’ve included extra because everyone’s kitchens and everyone’s clutter is different. If one prompt doesn’t work for you, skip to the next.

Or if you’re on a roll, use the extra prompts to clear another 100 items. Whoop whoop 🙂

Right that’s all you need. Off you go …

1. Crockery
2. Cutlery
3. Kitchen Utensils
4. Spoons & Spatulas
5. Kitchen Linen
6. Tableware
7. Cooking Bits & Bobs
8. Pans
9. Pots
10. Kitchen Knives
11. Flavours
12. Baking Equipment
13. Cake Decorating
14. Tea & Coffee Clutter
15. Glasses
16. Barware
17. Picnic Stuff
18. Summer Stuff
19. Party Stuff
20. Kitchen Storage
21. Kitchen Gadgets
22. Fancy Cleaners
23. Pest Control
24. Smelly Stuff
25. Laundry
26. Drying Stuff
27. Ironing Clutter
28. Food Wraps
29. Floor Cleaning Stuff
30. Dusting & Polishing Clutter
31. General Cleaning Clutter
32. Kitchen Sink
33. Dried Food
34. Food Bottles & Jars
35. Tins & Cans
36. Cooking Ingredients
37. Fridge
38. Freezer
39. Alcohol
40. Confectionery

And there you, a seriously deep declutter of all the stuff you will just be much happier without on your kitchen counters and in your kitchen cupboards. 

Do let me know how you get on. And check out these guides for your next declutter challenge:

• How To Declutter Your Garage
• How To Declutter Boxes Of Forgotten Stuff
• Summer Declutter Challenge
• Christmas Declutter Challenge
• How To Sell Clutter On Facebook
• Clear Paper Clutter Easily

Photo: White and red kitchen by Marco Verch and minimalist kitchen by rawpixel under Creative Commons 2.0 Original image source: jars