100 Kitchen Items To Declutter Today CHECKLIST

Taking this decluttering checklist to your kitchen can launch you several steps toward an ultimately clutter free kitchen. So let’s get going!

100 Kitchen Items To Declutter 

Here are 100 items you can cut from your cabinets, pantry, and junk drawer to give you more storage space and functional movement.

Cookware & Bakeware

1. Duplicate pots and pans

How many pots and pans are you actually using regularly? Give yourself some room in the kitchen cupboards by minimizing down to your favorites.

2. Scratched non-stick pans

These release carcinogenic chemicals into your food! Only use non-scratching implements (like rubber spatulas) in your non-stick pans to avoid harmful damage.

3. Extra baking sheets

How many baking sheets fit in your oven at once? That is the max you should own.

4. Chipped or cracked dishes

5. Worn-out or unused cutting boards

Have you noticed how many cutting boards people tend to keep? A whole pile of them! And which one do they use each time? Their favorite. There’s no need to have 13 “second-favorite” cutting boards.

I get by with one wooden heirloom chopping board from my Granny. Haven’t missed the others even once.

6. Excess mixing bowls

I keep three metal nesting bowls for cooking prep, but often, you’ll find you only use one or two of the bowls from your set.

7. Broken or rarely used small appliances

I love kitchen gadgets! But wow, did I rarely use them, if ever. Clearing out all that kitchen clutter to have more room for the things I use frequently gave me room to breathe and enjoy the space.

8. Mismatched food storage containers

Unless you love the look of mismatched pieces!

9. Extra lids without matching containers

The prodigal containers never return. Set those lids free.

10. Rusty or warped baking pans

How many baking pans fit in your oven at once? Keep only that many! Choose the best ones, and ditch those dingy ones.

Utensils & Tools

11. Dull or broken knives

While you’re in there, maybe you can give your fav knives a good sharpen and shine! Then toss the rest.

12. Extra sets of measuring cups/spoons

Again–how many of these do you use simultaneously?

I get away with one glass pyrex measuring cup and a small set of measuring spoons.

13. Unused specialty gadgets (avocado slicer, banana slicer, etc.)

SO MANY of these random little items can be effectively replaced with one good knife. Unless you get true use out of it, avoid specialty and single-use kitchen tools.

14. Worn-out or melted spatulas

Particularly black plastic spatulas, which aren’t healthy to begin with.

15. Extra wooden spoons

Often, we buy wooden spoons in packages of several, so if you’ve got some you never got around to using, pass them on to someone who can get some use out of them!

16. Duplicate or broken can openers

Can openers are another of those items that people will mysteriously have five versions of. How come??

17. Excess strainers or colanders

I have one large strainer that’s big enough to double as a colander, and life’s good.

18. Old or rarely used kitchen scissors

One solid pair of kitchen scissors is all you need! You might have one for meat, one for opening packages, but other than that, we don’t need that whole drawer.

19. Unused rolling pins

How often do you use a rolling pin? Much less four of them?

20. Multiple bottle openers or corkscrews

Again, when are multiple people in your kitchen opening bottles simultaneously? Keep the best, ditch the rest.

Dishes & Glassware

21. Chipped mugs or glasses

22. Excess coffee mugs

You shouldn’t need more than one travel mug per user. Having Just Enough of things saves so much space, plus forces us to stay on top of dishes.

23. Cloudy or stained plastic cups

Ick!

24. Unused party drinkware

I’m guilty of holding onto disposable dishes because I’ll “use them eventually,” but I literally never even thought about them. If you also have several years’ old party dishes, pass ’em on or bring them to the next cookout!

25. Extra sets of silverware you never use

26. Unused serving platters

27. Water bottles you don’t use

28. Promotional or souvenir cups

29. Extra or broken trivets

30. Excess coasters

Food & Pantry Items

31. Expired canned goods

32. Stale or expired spices

If you have chickens, do a quick Google to see which of your old herbs and spices can be a snack for them.

33. Half-used condiments you don’t like

You’re not going to develop a taste for something you hate before it goes bad.

34. Unused specialty ingredients

35. Stale or expired baking supplies

36. Old or freezer-burnt frozen food

For freezer-burnt meat, consider making dog food.

37. Expired snacks or cereals

38. Duplicate spices you don’t use

39. Expired tea bags or coffee beans

You might compost these.

40. Broken or leaking oil and vinegar bottles

You might just rebottle these if you still intend to use them.

Fridge

41. Expired condiments

42. Old salad dressings

43. Opened jars of sauce past their prime

These typically have a two-day lifespan after opening. Check the label!

44. Expired dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese)

45. Moldy or wilted produce

For wilted leaves that haven’t begun to mold, try dropping them in a bowl of ice water to revive them.

46. Leftovers you won’t eat

47. Half-empty beverage bottles you forgot about

48. Expired deli meats

49. Expired dips or spreads

50. Mystery containers (if you don’t recognize it, toss it!)

51. Bottles of things you never use (fish sauce, fancy jams, etc.)

52. Unlabeled leftovers (if you don’t know how old it is, it’s time to go)

53. Expired plant-based milks

These have a much longer shelf-life than dairy milks, but they still have a shelf-life…

54. Hard or crystallized honey/jams (if not salvageable)

Sometimes a warm bath is enough to revive a jar of crystallized honey. In the future, do all you can to avoid moisture in the honey container.

55. Stinky or slimy meats

56. Flat soda or beverages

57. Opened cans of food stored incorrectly (cans should be transferred to airtight containers)

Freezer

58. Freezer-burnt meats

Dog food!

59. Old frozen vegetables

Chicken food!

60. Ice cream that’s been sitting there forever

61. Unidentifiable frozen leftovers

In the future, try to use labels and a revolving system to avoid freezer waste.

62. Freezer-burnt bread or baked goods

63. Expired frozen meals

64. Opened bags of frozen fruit with freezer burn

Chicken food!

65. Old or unfinished popsicles

66. Stale ice cubes

You know when you leave a tray in there for too long and the ice…dries out? And tastes like freezer? Yuck.

67. Old frozen soups or stews you forgot about

68. Unlabeled mystery bags of food

69. Frozen convenience foods you’ll never eat

If they’re still good, donate to your local food pantry.

70. Opened, freezer-burned fries or snacks

71. Expired frozen seafood

Great bait if you fish!

72. Old frozen herbs or pesto cubes

Chicken snack.

73. Reusable ice packs that are leaking or broken

74. Expired butter or margarine

75. Frost-covered frozen pizza that’s been buried for months

76. Bags of frozen grains or rice you never use

Chicken food.

77. Excess bags of frozen bananas (how many smoothies are you really making?)

Consider starting a compost bin if you don’t already have one! A kitchen clean out often provides a great starting point.

Miscellaneous

78. Old, stained, or holey dish towels

Unless that’s how you like ’em.

79. Excess or unused placemats

Especially holiday themed ones you can only use once a year, and usually don’t.

80. Worn-out or damaged oven mitts

81. Unused cookbooks

82. Broken or mismatched Tupperware

83. Unused or cracked ice cube trays

84. Random takeout condiments and utensils

Unless you genuinely use them regularly.

85. Excess grocery bags

86. Broken kitchen timers

87. Extra/unused aprons

88. Expired probiotics or vitamins stored in the fridge

89. Expired or unwanted coupons

90. Unused or expired meal prep kits

91. Half-drunk energy drinks or juice bottles

92. Old or expired baby food

93. Stale cheese or butter

If you find dried out cheese/butter, you can toss it, OR try one of these waste saving options.

For dried/hardened butter:

• Melt it for baking–it works perfectly fine in cookies, cakes, and other baked goods
• Use it to make brown butter for a nutty, rich flavor in both sweet and savory dishes
• Soften it in the microwave in short bursts to make it spreadable again
• Use it for sautéing or frying–the water loss actually makes it better for this

For dried cheese:

• Grate it–harder cheese is easier to grate and works great on pasta, salads, or soups
• Use it in cooked dishes like casseroles, mac and cheese, or gratins where it will melt
• Add it to sauces–it will melt smoothly into a warm sauce
• Use it for cheese crisps/fricos–the lower moisture content is ideal for making crispy cheese wafers
• Add to soups or stocks for extra flavor

94. Expired refrigerated cookie dough

If you’d like to use some dried up cookie dough that hasn’t actually spoiled, I recommend crumbing it up to mix into brownies!

95. Frozen alcohol that shouldn’t be frozen

Alcohol like gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whiskey typically shouldn’t be frozen, as freezing alters flavor and aroma. If you have any of those in your freezer, give them a taste to see if you still like them.

96. Unused frozen baking ingredients (like old yeast or pastry dough)

When stored optimally, yeast can last for two years in the freezer. After that, it will lose effectiveness.

97. Old frozen stock or broth that’s been in there way too long

I recommend a Freezer Soup on the day you declutter your frozen items. If something isn’t quite spoiled, but it’s no longer optimal, you might just toss it all in a pot to clear it out.

98. Collection of bottle corks

Are you saving a container of bottle corks? What are you going to do with them? Something? Someday?

Do something with them now or pass them along.

99. Old pet medication

Pet meds can cost SO much money that I feel unable to throw them out, even if my pets are no longer taking them. But they’re just going to expire, and it’s risky using prescription meds for other animals they weren’t prescribed to. Go ahead and toss them.

100. Decor you hate

If you’ve got gifted decor that you feel obligated to display, don’t! <3 

10 minute kitchen decluttering challenges.

For another way to speed declutter your kitchen, here are some fun, quick challenges you can try!

Challenge 1: Spice Cabinet Sprint

• Pull everything forward
• Check expiration dates
• Toss duplicates and rarely used items
• Combine partial containers
• Wipe down shelves as you go

Challenge 2: Container Cabinet Chaos

• Match containers with lids
• Toss any without matches
• Stack by size
• Remove stained/warped pieces
• Keep only what you actually use

Challenge 3: Utensil Drawer Deep-Dive

• Remove everything
• Sort into keep/donate/trash
• Test each tool – if broken, toss it
• Remove duplicates (how many spatulas do you need?)
• Only return items you’ve used in the last 6 months

Challenge 4: Counter Clear-Out

• Set timer for 10 minutes
• Remove everything from counters
• Wipe surfaces clean
• Return only daily-use items
• Create designated spots for essentials

Challenge 5: Fridge Front Sweep

• Remove all magnets and papers
• Wipe clean
• Sort through papers/artwork
• Keep only current calendars/essential notes
• Create one designated spot for papers

Challenge 6: Under-Sink Speed Sort

• Pull everything out
• Check cleaning supplies for expiration
• Dispose of empty bottles
• Group similar items together
• Return in organized categories

Challenge 7: Coffee/Tea Station

• Check dates on coffee/tea
• Toss old sweeteners/creamers
• Organize by type
• Keep only favorite mugs
• Create dedicated zones for supplies

Challenge 8: Dish Towel Toss

• Gather all kitchen towels/cloths
• Sort by condition
• Toss stained/torn items (or retire them to the cleaning rag basket)
• Keep only what fits in designated drawer
• Organize by type (cleaning vs. drying)

Challenge 9: Cabinet Quick-Clean

The kitchen cabinets can be intimidating, and they conveniently have a cover to hide the mess, so we might do all we can to avoid confronting that mess.

Let’s take care of one cabinet today.

• Choose ONE cabinet
• Remove everything
• Wipe down shelves
• Check expiration dates
• Return only what you need/use

If you’re ready to tackle all of those kitchen cabinets, here’s the ultimate guide: How To Declutter Kitchen Cabinets.

Challenge 10: Junk Drawer Justice

• Dump entire drawer
• Sort into categories
• Toss broken items/trash
• Keep only kitchen-relevant items
• Use dividers for organization

100 more items to declutter.

If you had fun with that list, here are 100 MORE simple things to declutter around your house to keep the ball rolling. Good luck!