If yours is like most families, the kitchen serves as the hub of your home. It’s where you serve meals, hold family meetings, oversee the kids’ homework, and entertain friends and family. So it only makes sense that this would be the room above all others with an overabundance of stuff.
As one of Sydney’s most trusted removal companies, we’ve heard some version of the following words from countless customers…
Packing up the bedrooms was fine. The living area was no problem…but the kitchen! I had no idea it was so cluttered until I tackled packing it up!
It’s our business to make your moving process as smooth as possible. That’s why we’re sharing this list with our top 7 ways you can declutter your kitchen before you pack up.
1. Take Your New Space into Consideration
What is your kitchen situation in your space? Will you have more room than is currently available? Are you downsizing? Knowing the layout and space availability in your new home can help you prioritise what makes the move and what doesn’t. This is particularly important when you are downsizing, but even if you’ll have more space in your new home, it doesn’t mean you should pack everything up. There’s no sense in paying to move items you never use, no longer need, or that no longer work properly.
2. Make a Plan
Plan to divide kitchen items into 3 categories: things that are destined for the garbage bin, things that could be cleaned up and sold or donated, and things that will make the move to your new home.
Knowing every item in your kitchen will fall into one of those 3 categories will make the decluttering process infinitely easier.
3. Start Earlier Than You Think is Necessary
Believe us when we say…you do not want to save decluttering the kitchen for the last minute. Culling the clutter there will inevitably take longer than you expect, so plan to declutter a month or so before you begin packing for the move. Your family and your sanity will thank you for it.
4. Trash the Trash
What do we mean by that? It’s simple…start with your pantry and throw out anything that is expired—canned goods, dry goods, expired spices, oils, and seasonings. The same goes for the fridge…dump any out-of-date or expired items.
5. Get Rid of the Unused or Unwanted
Go through your pantry and cabinets with a critical eye and be honest with yourself. Are they pots and pans that you’ve had for years but never use? What about that tagine you got for a wedding present and have used exactly zero times? Or the bread maker from 1997 that works like a dream but hasn’t been plugged in since 1998?
Kitchens are often filled with air fryers, food processors, rice cookers, ice cream makers, and other gadgets and appliances that are rarely used. Ask yourself when the last time was that actually used each item. If it’s more than a year, consider selling working items in a garage sale or donating them to a local charity or shelter.
The same goes for dishware sets you never use, old, mismatched cups, cutlery, and pots and pans…sell what you can and donate the rest.
6. Don’t forget the Dreaded Junk Drawer
There’s no shame in it. Every kitchen has one—that one drawer that is the wasteland where paper clips, glue sticks, post-it notes, and spare change go to die. We’ve had clients tell us they got the junk drawer, became instantly overwhelmed, and just dumped the whole thing in a box to avoid going through it.
Don’t be that person.
Go through the drawer and get rid of dried-up glue sticks or bottles, collect any spare change, ditch dried-out markers and pens, and reduce the number of pencils (we promise, you will not need access to 37 pencils…ever). Consider running to your local office supply store and purchasing a drawer organiser kit to keep the remnant contained until it’s time to pack up for the move. Then, on the big day, you can simply place each container in a shoe box or small container and make the move without the mess.
7. Move Like Things Together
It’s easy for similar items to get spread throughout the kitchen. As you declutter, group like items together so that, on the day of the move, you can pack them all in the same box or boxes, then place in them a central location when you unpack in your new place.
Getting your kitchen organised doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With a little forethought and elbow grease, you can get your kitchen in ship shape and make the packing process a breeze.