If you are someone who loves to cook, you will enjoy more space for you to prepare. However, as time goes by, more and more items will be sitting in your preparation area and it will be taking up more space than you can imagine. 

It pays to declutter from time to time to maximize the efficiency of your kitchen space. You can set your decluttering schedule, prepare a couple of boxes and trash bags, and start looking at the items that you have around. When decluttering, these questions can help you decide: Do I use this? Is this item extra? Does this help make my life easier? Whatever your answer to these questions will help you keep or throw away that item in your kitchen. 

To help you further, here are some things that you can declutter in your kitchen:

 

1. Cookbooks. Cookbooks can be bulky, and it takes up space. For cookbooks that you do not use anymore, donate them so someone can make use of them. If you are following only 2-3 recipes in a cookbook, it would be better to write it down.
   
2. Wooden Spoons and Other Cooking Utensils. Will you be needing all the wooden spoons and cooking utensils displayed in your kitchen? Keep only those you frequently use, store those you don’t often use, give away, or throw those you do not use. 
3. Dish Towels. Check your dish towels and decide which to keep. There are those that are past their prime and are better in the trash than in your kitchen. Also, check whether you need all the towels you currently use. 
4. Baking Ware. Retain only those you can use. We tend to buy extra tools like cookie sheets, pie pans, and muffin tins. If they’re unused, it’s best to donate them to someone who can benefit from it. 
5. Cleaning Supplies. Do an inventory of your cleaning supplies. For multiple bottles of the same product, check those that you can combine. Put forward those bottles that have been used or almost empty, so it will be the first to go. 
6. Countertops. Check your countertops. Chances are there are some things there that you do not need like unnecessary papers and decorative accessories. If there are small appliances that you do not often use, it would be better that you store it somewhere and just take it out whenever you need to use them. 
7. Spices. Here’s another one you need to give attention to. Chances are some spices that have already gone hard in their container or spices that have lost their flavor already. Throw them away. Just try to stock up on basic spices and just have a small number of other spices ready when you need them for a recipe. 
8. Pantry Items. Check items that have been opened for quite a while, but don’t really make it to your pot or your bowl. It might even be expired already—time to toss them to the trash bag. 
9. Fridge/Freezer. Just because you can store food longer in the fridge, doesn’t mean it will stay there forever. You might be surprised about how many you can throw away when you do a quick decluttering in your fridge right now. There might still be food from before that is not good to eat now or opened cans that are already expired. 
10. Tupperware. You might have a lot of them sitting in your storage area because you might need them someday. Double-check all your Tupperware, see if all of them have pairs. If you have unpaired plastic storage or Tupperware, you better recycle, donate, or go to the trash. Again, check whether you need all the remaining complete Tupperware. You can choose to donate or give away those you no longer use. 

 

Having a kitchen with enough space will help you be more productive. You do not just have extra space to prepare, and you can find things you need more accessible as well.