10 Simple Steps to Declutter Your Kitchen in a Weekend

1. Kitchen Area Rug

Do you really need that kitchen rug? “Item number one that your kitchen does not need anymore are throw rugs, scatter rugs, anti-fatigue mats,” Dawn says in her video. “It's just one more thing that you have to straighten out, sweep around, shake out, or vacuum off. Most of us don't have extra time for that. And I know maybe you don't want to give up the anti-fatigue mat because you're like, Hey, my back or my feet are going to hurt. I found that investing in a good pair of house shoes that are really supportive makes all the difference no matter where I'm standing.”

2. Fridge Clutter

Dawn recommends removing art work and clutter from the front of the fridge. “Now I know. Where are you going to display all the artwork that your kids make, or the super cute picture of your grandchild? Well, you could find other places in your house because over time this just reads as clutter to our brains,” she says in her video. “And if we remember, what does clutter do? It releases stress hormones, and so it can actually be really stressful for our brains to have a lot of clutter on the front of our fridge.”

3. Countertop Knife Block

Try storing your knives in something other than a countertop knife block to free up space. “Keeping your countertops nice and clear is a kindness to your brain as well,” Dawn says in her video. “And there's so many great options now for knife blocks that can go inside of a drawer that there's really no reason to have that tacky knife block out on your counter… You could try one of these drawer models or the magnets that go inside of your cabinet doors.”

4. Why So Many Cooking Utensils?

There is no reason to have a utensil caddy out on the counter. “Store your utensils in a drawer, but be sure to get rid of all of the duplicates,” Dawn says in her video. “You don't need multiples of pancake flippers and ladles and potato mashers and different serving things. Most of us can get buy with one of each thing, maybe two if you really do a lot of cooking, but you'll be surprised at how few utensils you actually need in your kitchen.”

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5. Unused Appliances

There is no reason to hang on to appliances you never use. “Are there things that you have purchased that might have served you in a different season of life or maybe never have and you bought it thinking you were going to develop these new habits, it was going to help you to be healthier, but the truth is no appliance can actually make us healthier or do it for us,” Dawn says in her video. “So for now, if it is not serving you, let's move it out. You don't have to necessarily declutter it right away, but let's move it out.”

6. Fancy Seasonal Linens

Do you have Thanksgiving-themed linens in your precious drawer space year-round? “If you have any fancy linens too that you're just not using, place mats, tablecloths, runners… take a really honest look at it,” Dawn says in her video. “If you're not using it now, either move it out of your kitchen and store it somewhere else. So this space functions really well. Or again, just donate it and let it go. It could be that that season has passed or it never actually existed, but none of us need that extra stuff in our kitchen day in and day out.”

7. Cookbooks

Keep cookbooks out of the kitchen. “Unfortunately, kitchens aren't actually that conducive with books, right?” Dawn says in her video. “So I try to keep a very few in general, and I actually decided because I look at the recipe books so infrequently that I don't even keep them in the kitchen anymore.”

8. Food Inventory

Don’t overload your fridge with food you won’t eat. “Especially as women, we are so hard on ourselves if we've been wasting food, food has been expiring before we could use it or going bad in the fridge,” Dawn says in her video. “Often we think there is something wrong with us and our management system when in fact it's really that we have too much inventory. And so often the inventory in our pantries, our fridges, our freezers has crept up to the point where we can't remember what we have and it's very difficult to use it all.”

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9. Pots and Pans

Don’t hold on to miscellaneous items just because they’re part of a set. “Not only do you have permission to break up sets, it's okay to donate just certain pieces,” Dawn says in her video. “You have permission to let go of any pieces of pots and pans that you simply aren't using. Even if you thought like, oh, the steamer basket, I should steam veggies all the time in it. But if you're not keeping the steaming basket isn't going to make it so you use it.”

10. Coffee Mugs and Cups

You probably have way more mugs and cups in your cabinet than you actually need. “We have one coffee mug per person,” Dawn says in her video. “We have about two drinking glasses per person, one water bottle, two coffee tumblers per adult. And it is more than enough. Again, this is one of those areas where the inventory can really creep up over time without hardly any intentionality.”