Every room has clutter, but the kitchen takes the cake. Between family members dumping mail and homework on the counter every time they walk in the door to stashing canned goods and baking supplies in the pantry and forgetting about them for years, “the kitchen tends to be the biggest source of clutter in most homes,” says professional organizer Maura Fitzgerald, owner of Fitz Just Right.
While some forms of kitchen clutter are a nuisance, others can have a negative impact on your health. Here are the 15 items currently clogging up your kitchen. Tossing them (or in some cases, donating them) will leave you feeling lighter, less stressed, and more inspired to cook.
1. Take-Out Condiments and Plastic Cutlery
We all have that drawer—the one stuffed with leftover ketchup packets from McDonald’s, plastic pouches of soy sauce from Chinese take-out, little tubs of Chick-fil-A sauce, and unopened packets of plastic cutlery. “It’s okay to keep a very small stash of these things in case you want to throw a packet of ketchup in a kid’s lunchbox at some point, but they shouldn’t be front and center in the kitchen,” says professional organizer Bridget Urgo, co-owner of The Settler. Urgo recommends throwing out 90% of these packets and putting the rest in an “on the go” basket in the pantry along with disposable coffee cups and other paper goods.
2. Expired Food
Most people are diligent about tossing out moldy strawberries and past-their-sell-by-date cold cuts, but they will let a can of mustard linger in their refrigerator for a decade. “Your refrigerator doors are a good place to start when decluttering a kitchen, as dressings, sauces, and condiments tend to live in there longer than they should,” says Fitzgerald. And while you’re at it, check the expiration dates on the oils (canola oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and so on) stored in your pantry.
3. Past-Their-Prime Spices
Spice racks tend to be seasoning graveyards. “I will be organizing a kitchen in Connecticut and see spices from New York City grocery stores—and the client hasn’t lived in New York City for 15 years!” says Urgo. (When I went to organize my own spice drawer while researching this story, I was ashamed to find a jar of bay leaves older than my youngest child—he’s nine.) While eating expired spices won’t make you sick, they will be less potent and flavorful. “Some spices can last a year past the sell-by-date, but if you come across anything older than that, throw it away,” says Urgo.
4. Mismatched Tupperware
Tupperware was invented to improve kitchen organization, but it often has the opposite effect. “People are nuts about Tupperware—they keep tons of it, even if the pieces are missing tops,” says Urgo. Throw out any mismatched containers, and aim to keep just three round containers and three rectangular containers. To prevent containers from losing their tops, “store them with their tops on,” advises Fitzgerald.
5. Unused Small Kitchen Appliances
The Instant Pot sounded like a good idea at the time. So did the Vitamix. And that Air Fryer! But how often do you actually use these things? “In my experience, juicers are the most underutilized appliance of all,” says professional organizer Nikki Boyd, founder of At Home with Nikki and author of Beautifully Organized: A Guide to Function and Style in Your Home. “Fueled by New Year’s resolutions and the desire for healthier habits, people eagerly invest in a juicer in the beginning of the year. But the enthusiasm fades as soon as they realize how much work it is to maintain and clean the juicer after each use!”
For Avi Szapiro, executive chef and co-founder of Gioia in New Haven, CT, bread makers are another kitchen offender. “If you became interested in bread making and the fever only lasted a few months, that bread-making machine is now just taking up a lot of space.” Donate any appliances currently collecting dust in your cabinets to make room for things you use.
6. Old Cookware and Baking Sheets
Pots, pans, and cookie sheets are designed to last for years—but not forever. “It’s important to throw away any pans or baking sheets with scratched non-stick coatings; these can pose real health risks,” says Fitzgerald. You only need one size of each thing (for example, one 8-, one 10-, and one 12-inch frying pan). Holding onto any additional sizes will simply hog cabinet space.
7. Bulky Entertaining Items
Do you entertain a lot? If you do, it may be worth hanging onto extra wine glasses, flatware, and tablecloths—plus oversized serving platters. But if you don’t, it’s best to donate these things and just rent party supplies if you decide to have a bash one day. “When you’re renting tables and chairs, it’s easy to just rent items like wine glasses and linens at the same time, and then you don’t have to deal with cleaning all of that stuff when the party is over,” says Urgo. When I recently went through my table linens (again, inspired by writing this story) I discovered I had tablecloths that were sized to go with tables that I no longer even own—so I gave them to friends who could use them.
8. Inherited China
If you love your grandmother’s China or your mother’s silver tea service and it has sentimental value, it can stay. “But if you’re never going to use it and you’re only holding onto it out of guilt, give yourself permission to let it go,” says Urgo, who says her clients tend to look to her to give them to the gentle encouragement they need to part with these items. You can either sell or donate your heirlooms, depending on the value of the items.
9. Water Bottles
Every organizer has their own pet peeve, and for Fitzgerald it’s water bottles. “Why is this such a problem for people?!” says Fitzgerald, with a laugh. “Keep one water bottle for each family member plus no more than two extras. Having any more than that is a huge waste of space.”
10. Mugs
People tend to hoard mugs, which is unnecessary since most of us have a favorite mug that we use daily. “It’s nice to have a matching set of eight mugs in case guests come over and you want to serve coffee,” says Urgo. “But that being said, you should stock your kitchen for the space you have and the size of your family.” In other words, if you don’t have much storage space, aim for six mugs instead of eight. Tea cups are another culprit. I have two sets of tea cups with saucers—one for every day and one for formal entertaining—and I have never used a single one of them in the 13 years I have lived in my house. I plan to pack them up and donate them, and if I ever want a cup of tea, I’ll use one of my mugs.
11. Duplicate Items
Kitchens are often filled with so much stuff that it’s hard to find a can opener when you’re in the mood for soup or a pizza cutter when you want to slice up a pie. So what do you do? Go out and buy a new one, of course! “When my clients can’t find what they need, they often buy a replacement which can lead to an accumulation of duplicates,” says Boyd. By keeping everything in its proper place, organized by type and readily accessible, you can streamline your kitchen and reduce clutter.
12. Cracked or Chipped Dishes
This sounds obvious, but experts say you’d be shocked at the number of chipped dishes people have sitting in their cabinets. In addition to being an eye sore, broken dishes can pose a real safety hazard. “They actually harbor bacteria,” says Fitzgerald. Every few months go through your dishes and check for dings and cracks—and throw out anything that is damaged.
13. Empty Jars
Szapiro says he often sees empty glass jars (from things like jam, marmalade, and yogurt) stored in people’s kitchens. These jars seem too substantial to throw away, so people hold onto to them in case they can find use for them—but they rarely do. Unless you have a firm plan for these jars, don’t feel badly about placing them in the recycling bin. Recycled glass can be used to make new glass bottles and jars as well as construction materials like tiles and countertops—and this recycling process reduces carbon emissions and trash in landfills.
14. Frozen Foods With Freezer Burn
Freezers buy you extra time, but eventually even frozen foods go bad. “I often find many expired items in my clients’ freezers, which they have forgotten are in there,” says Boyd. Each food has a specific freezer life, but as a guideline, chicken pieces can last for nine months, shrimp can stay in the freezer for six to 18 months, and vegetable soup is good for two to three months, according to Foodsafety.gov). But a good rule of thumb is that if you notice something is coated in freezer burn, it’s likely degraded to the point that the taste and texture will be compromised.
15. Anything You Haven’t Used in Three Years
When decluttering a kitchen, it’s important to take into account your lifestyle and cooking habits. If you’re a vegetarian, you probably no longer need that large turkey roasting pan. If you don’t bake, there’s no need to hang onto muffin tins and cake pans. “You want a useful kitchen that has the room for things that you use often,” says Szapiro. “If you haven’t used something in three years, it’s time to give it away.”