Kitchen Purge: One of the Best Places to Start

If you’re wondering where to begin your 500 Item Purge, I almost always recommend starting in the kitchen. It’s one of the hardest-working rooms in the house, which also makes it one of the easiest places for clutter to quietly accumulate. Between cooking, packing lunches, unloading groceries, and hosting holidays, cabinets and drawers slowly become home to things we no longer use.

Some clutter is obvious, expired pantry food, old spices, and chipped dishes. Other items are sneakier: duplicate utensils, extra coffee mugs, mismatched food containers, appliance boxes saved “just in case,” water bottles without lids, and kitchen gadgets that haven’t seen daylight in years.

As I worked through my own kitchen, I kept asking myself one simple question: “Does this earn its place in our kitchen?” If the answer was no, it went into the donation box, trash, or recycling. Little by little, the cabinets became easier to use, the drawers actually closed, and cooking became less frustrating because I could quickly find what I needed.

As you work through your own kitchen, remember that every single item counts toward your 500. Don’t overlook the little things like expired seasoning packets, takeout condiment packets, old dish towels, or instruction manuals you can find online. Those small decisions add up faster than you think.

The goal isn’t to have an empty kitchen. it’s to have a kitchen filled with things you actually use. When every item has a purpose, your kitchen becomes easier to cook in, easier to clean, and more enjoyable to spend time in. And once you experience that feeling, you’ll be amazed at how motivated you are to keep going. ✌🏼