In the UK we have had storm after storm after storm, it’s one of the stormiest winters I can remember. My toddler does not like the wind so we have stayed indoors more than I’d like. A lot more. One of the things that has kept me occupied is a thorough kitchen de-clutter. Yes, this is one of the things that brings me deep joy.🤓Downstairs is generally fairly organised (I thought) but one of the last areas in my home that was stressful to use was the spice shelf.  I started sorting it out last week and it turned into a whole kitchen thing! Spring is also very nearly here and I am definitely feeling the spring clean itch. The increasing light levels are doing a brilliant job of illuminating our collection of dust bunnies. 🐰

Heres what I did, plus some kitchen decluttering, organising styling tips too! I have packed LOTS of tips in this one, so buckle up!

Kitchen organising tips

FIRST AND FOREMOST, DECLUTTER. 

I don’t see decluttering as a single act, but rather as a way of living. We are really careful about what comes into our home, but still, in this latest round of kitchen decluttering, we got rid of quite a lot of excess stuff. In December I clocked some baking trays, cooling racks and cake pans we hadn’t used in ages. I kept them on a sort of probation basis (!) but 3 months later they haven’t been used so they have been donated. If you don’t want to immediately discard or donate, put some items on probation 👮‍♂️and set a reminder to review in a few months time. 

TAKE EVERYTHING OUT. 

If you are tight on time you might not want to do your whole kitchen! But do it by category. Ie if you have plates in more than one place, get them all out.  Once you’ve taken everything out, clean. I try to keep the kitchen cupboards clean, and keep food in sealed jars or bags,  after a horrifying kitchen moth incident in our London flat 😱😱. The hoover is super helpful for getting crumbs and lint out of drawers and cupboards. 

ASSESS. 

Handle everything, don’t just glance. Do you use this? Does it  bring you joy? If not, donate/discard them. I found spices that went off in 2011. Whoa. I have more chopping boards and wooden spoons than I officially need, but they bring me joy so they stay! Similarly with crockery. I use them for work so they stay but you may not need so much! Trust your instinct.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER!

Also known as put things in boxes! Once you’ve sorted through your stuff, it’s time to organise. There are far prettier cupboards, pantries and drawers on Pinterest. But the emphasis of this post is on the quick and simple.  I wanted to share how I have organised my rental kitchen without spending much, and without wanting to spend loads of time and energy on it either. 

Cupboards and drawers function much much better when everything has a compartment of some kind. I use a mix of boxes to do this - almost entirely recycled. In my drawers, for example, I have used old Tupperware that have missing or broken lids, and recycled postal boxes. 

In my cupboards, most things now live in boxes that I can slide out really easily. The white boxes are a mix of (old) Ikea boxes that were dotted around the house, but pulled together for the kitchen, and some new ones from Wham storage. (Don’t buy storage until you have decluttered and know what you need)

SIMPLE LABELLING.

My plan was to use some chalk labels I already have, but my chalk pen has run out out, so I used the next best thing- a dry erase marker. Is it the prettiest labelling system? Nope. Does it work? Yep. A whole shelf of spices was sorted through then condensed into 2 boxes. I Decanted everything into jars with a lid that I could write on, meaning with a quick glance you can get out everything you need. It has brought me so much joy. All the jars are recycled. Again. possibly not the prettiest solution but I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily.

The kitchen drawer. This was our ‘junk drawer’ a few years ago. Tea towels are folded and stored vertically, along with my recycled dish cloths (I rip up old stained t-shirts) We also have recycled boxes for tech and cables, our beeswax wraps, re-usable wipes, Frankie’s hair things, and stationary. And a fire blanket too- safety first! We also have an extinguisher by the fridge too. I feel better having these things to hand. *Note the toddler evidence- Auden is super into unravelling rolls of bin bags, toilet roll etc! so this would look a lot neater if the food and bin bags were neatly rolled up! The roll of food bags is hardly used and really old so it’s going to take ages. Ha.

Kitchen styling tips

EVERYDAY ON DISPLAY. 

My kitchen styling philosophy is to have the things you need, but don’t look great, in cupboards. Display the more beautiful but practical objects. Over the last few years I have slowly curated a selection of everyday items that bring me joy. *Years* is the most important word there. Take time to collect items you actually need. Don’t rush or spend unnecessarily. Some of my favourite things: My shoe cleaning kit complete with brushes (all vintage), the surface spray I use (homemade using recycled bottles and nozzles), the handmade mugs, recycled dish cloths and linen tea towels. The broom, mop bucket, and candle holders. These items bring a small measure of joy to my daily living, and these micro joys add up considerably. Handling them helps me to be mindful, to focus on the small pleasures. Rather than having items on display that look nice but don’t serve a purpose (this can lead to lots of clutter if you’re not careful) I prefer to have beautiful versions od the things I use and interact with everyday. 

Set the scene. 

The table tray. The candle on the mantelpiece. I have blogged before about ‘setting the scene’ for what you want to happen. For us, I want our meal times to be candle lit, and to start our day in a calm way.  This means candles, essential oil diffuser and matches to hand,  a kids poetry book for us to read at breakfast, flowers and natural items to honour the season we’re in. How do you want to use your space? What memories do you want to make there? How could you set up your space to provide more of that?

Living in spaces that feel calm and organised can have such an astonishing effect on how we feel. I know that some people genuinely don’t see it, but i’d argue that even for people who dont notice mess and clutter, it will still have a positive effect subliminally. Kids are a great example of this- mine couldn’t care less what the cupboards look like but they get more stressed out when the house is messy and they can’t find their things. The de-cluttering and organising is ongoing- the kids craft shelf that I organised in December needs another go through. I just do what I can, when I can, often with a tiny helper in tow!