I Tried “Clutter Cleansing” My Chaotic Cabinets, and My Kitchen Hasn’t Been This Organized in Decades

I’ve come to believe that clutter is a universal condition. Whether you live alone in a 400-square-foot apartment or with a growing family in a sprawling home, clutter is pretty much inevitable for most people. And I am no exception! But there are two things about clutter that truly bother me. First, excess clutter makes it virtually impossible to know what you truly have, which often leads to repurchasing things you need, which of course leads to more clutter. And secondly, having stuff piled up everywhere makes it harder to have a truly clean home. 

Recently, as summer slowly begins to transition to fall (and in my home, back to school!), I realized my kitchen had gotten completely out of control. There was stuff jammed into every cabinet, I couldn’t find anything I needed, and it was the opposite of efficient (which is key, especially in a kitchen). So I decided it would be more than worth my time to rid my kitchen of all excess clutter, both seen and unseen — and I tried a technique called “clutter cleansing.”

Last year, decluttering coach Erica Layne urged her followers to “trade retail therapy for clutter cleansing,” noting that you can get the same kind of dopamine effect from both buying new things and getting rid of unused things. Of course, the long-term results of clutter cleansing are better for you and your home. And when I saw the concept on Apartment Therapy, I decided to try it myself.

I started by taking every single thing out of every single cabinet. My kitchen is pretty expansive, with lots of cabinet space, so I actually did mine in two separate phases to avoid having stuff laying around for days (anyone who’s ever quit in the middle of an organizing sesh like I have will relate to this!). 

Once I removed everything, I wiped the cabinet shelves and exteriors down so that I’d be starting with a clean space to organize the items I’d be keeping. Next, I separated the items into several piles: keep, throw away, donate, and move to storage. Here are some examples of each category that were specific to my situation: 

• Keep: Things we use regularly.
• Throw away: Trash, old food, anything broken or no longer functional, anything gross.
• Donate: Any duplicates. This was hard, but worth it — and it’s absolutely key to cutting down on excess clutter, especially in a kitchen. No, you probably don’t need three Pyrex casserole dishes if you only ever use your favorite! Here are some good places to donate or sell them.
• Move to storage: Holiday items and other rarely used things grouped together efficiently. I used small storage bins for things like cake decorating items (food coloring/sprinkles/piping bags/etc.) or my husband’s home brewing accessories. 

Once I decided what I would be keeping and what would be tossed or removed from the kitchen, it was time to put things back. But instead of putting them back where they had been previously, I decided to thoughtfully consider the placement of my kitchen items, and it made all the difference.

I chose to put all baking items, like sheet pans, muffin tins, cake pans, and rolling pins, in one cabinet. The drawer under my cooktop holds pots and pans, and the one below that holds cutting boards, strainers, and casserole dishes. The lazy Susan in the corner is where I decided to keep small appliances, like attachments for my KitchenAid stand mixer, a mandolin, a small blender we use every day, and my immersion blender. 

I’m so incredibly happy with the way my kitchen works now that I’ve taken the plunge and “cleansed” it of excess clutter. It was a difficult task, to be sure, so I recommend doing this when you have ample free time, the weather is crummy, or you just can’t even anymore with the state of your kitchen. Being fed up is great motivation! 

But remember this: Decluttering isn’t a one-and-done situation! Every morning, I unload my dishwasher and make myself put things exactly where they belong now that I’ve rearranged and decluttered. I’ve also been intentional about avoiding purchasing “stuff” (things or food!) that I know I don’t need and that will ultimately lead to another cycle of clutter. But if you can make these small edits in your daily life, it’ll be so worth it to have a clean, streamlined kitchen you look forward to starting your day in each morning. 

Would you try “clutter cleansing” your kitchen cabinets? Let us know in the comments below!