Simple Tips That Will De-Clutter Your Kitchen

De-cluttering your kitchen is on many people's long-lead to do list, But it isn't difficult, and will save you time and money in the long term
FEMAIL rounds up the best tips around for keeping things in order at home.Try storing plastic bags in tissue boxes and using baskets for canned food

Not too hard: But making your kitchen look its best isn't as difficult as you might think - and it will pay off in the long term

If your to-do list reads anything like ours (sort financial affairs, organise the kitchen, create a practical storage system), then you might find this useful.

De-cluttering the kitchen is on many people's home project lists, but somehow it never gets done.
But making your kitchen look its best isn't as difficult as you might think.

From storing all of your plastic bags away in a tissue box, to getting rid of your fridge magnets and investing in a few baskets for your canned food, cutlery and spices, FEMAIL rounds up the best hacks from the Internet to make your kitchen look organised.
GET RID OF WHAT YOU DON'T NEED
First up in the big de-clutter, you need to get rid of what you don't need. The fact is that you will never have one of those attractive, streamlined, modern kitchens with things lying around all over the place.
Instead, you need to create an illusion of space.
Got too many fridge magnets that are crowding out your fridge door and making it look messy? Get rid of some.
Got plastic bags spilling from cupboards you know you'll never use? Stash them inside a used tissue box.
Some experts go as far as saying you should even ditch your spare pan lids, as somehow many Australian kitchens end up with more lids than pans.
Chances are if you bin two or three you'll still have enough left to cover all your cooking needs. And the bonus is they won't come crashing out every time you open a cupboard.

Get organised: First up in the big de-clutter, you need to get rid of what you don't need - the fact is that you will never have one of those attractive, streamlined, modern kitchens with things lying around all over the place

DE-CLUTTER YOUR KITCHEN - FAST
* First up, get rid of what you don't need. This might include old fridge magnets, plastic bags and spare pan lids.
* Store plastic bags inside a used tissue box to keep them contained.
* Next, create simple, effective storage units.
* Use baskets inside your cupboards to organise canned foods and spices.
* Get rid of any cutlery you don't need.
* Similarly, ditch anything you haven't used in the past two months. This includes chopsticks, soy sauce packets, recipes torn from magazines and water bottles.
* Hang pots and pans from railings and shelves to give a rustic look and create more space in your kitchen.

Homely feeling: Try hanging pots, pans and glasses from railings and shelves in your kitchen - as well as giving a rustic feel to the room, it will also help to save you some space

CREATE SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE STORAGE UNITS
Most of us intend to set up a storage system when we move into a house, but often, we rarely find the time to actually get round to it.
Use your de-cluttering session as the time to change all of this. Install baskets in your cabinets to organise your canned food and spices, and buy some glass containers or Tupperware boxes to keep your dried goods inside.
Similarly, sort out your cutlery drawer and keep everything together in different sections.
After all, when did anybody last need twenty different kitchen knives?

Big investment: Invest in some glass containers or Tupperware boxes so that you can put your dried foods such as pasta and cereal inside - this avoids messy packaging

DITCH THE SOMEDAY STUFF
Those chopsticks you got with a takeaway, that recipe you tore from a magazine months ago, those water bottles you're stashing up for when you're caught without, and - well - any of the packets of soy sauce that most houses have in a drawer somewhere.
If you haven't used them in two months, get rid of them.
Next, make sure the things you do have to keep are neat, tidy and stored away in an easy-to-find place.
Line up your cookbooks rather than stacking them all over the place, and stow away your user guides and appliance manuals inside an airtight, zip-lock bag.
Finally, try hanging pots, pans and glasses from railings and shelves in your kitchen. As well as giving a rustic feel to the room, it will also help to save you some space.

Keep and ditch: If you haven't used something in the past two months, get rid of it - then, make sure that the things you do keep are neat, tidy and stored away