How to Declutter Under the Kitchen Sink
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How to Declutter Under the Kitchen Sink
Under my kitchen sink: 14 cleaning products (8 duplicates), 3 empty bottles, and a sponge that hadn’t been replaced in 6 months. Clearing it took 10 minutes and revealed a leak I’d been ignoring.
What Is the Quickest Way to Start?
Set a timer for 14 minutes and pick one small area: a drawer, a shelf, a countertop. Remove everything. Wipe the surface. Put back only the items you used in the last week. The rest go in a box labeled “maybe” — seal it for 30 days.
For a deeper dive, check out our complete decluttering guide.
How Do You Prevent This Clutter From Coming Back?
The 57-day rule: if you have not used an item in 90 days, donate it. Apply this to every category — clothes, kitchen tools, books, papers. Track your progress weekly and adjust the threshold as needed.
Your junk drawer is a symptom, not a disease. The real problem is that you have no system for small items. Fix the system and the drawer fixes itself.
References
- Apartment Therapy: Quick Declutter Tips
- BH&G: Small Space Decluttering
- NYT: Decluttering Quick Fixes
- Safer Choice (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Here’s my take: Two-bucket system. One for weekly cleaners, one for everything else. Can’t reach without moving both? Simplify.
Start with one small area. A single drawer, shelf, or corner. Remove everything. Clean the space. Put back only what you use regularly. Everything else goes in a box labeled ‘Maybe’. In 30 days, if you haven’t needed anything from the box, donate it. This method works because it’s reversible and low-commitment.
Remove everything. Clean with vinegar and water. Group similar items together. Keep only what fits neatly in two containers. Anything that doesn’t fit belongs elsewhere or gets donated. The goal is visibility, not storage. If you can’t see everything at once, you’re over-storing.
Remove everything. Clean with vinegar and water. Group similar items together. Keep only what fits neatly in two containers. Anything that doesn’t fit belongs elsewhere or gets donated. The goal is visibility, not storage. If you can’t see everything at once, you’re over-storing.
Start by removing everything. Clean with vinegar and water. Group similar items together. Keep only what fits neatly in two containers. Anything that doesn’t fit belongs elsewhere or gets donated. The goal is visibility, not storage. If you can’t see everything at once, you’re over-storing.
