11 Small Kitchen Organization Habits for a Cleaner Kitchen
You don’t need more space in your kitchen — you need a better system that keeps only your daily-use items where you cook, and that alone makes a kitchen look cleaner and feel less stressful.
A clutter-free, organized kitchen saves your time and energy, creates less mess, and makes cooking and every other chore go more smoothly. The best part: fixing all of this costs nothing. You’re not buying expensive organizers — you’re removing what you already have too much of. Here are 11 small habits, drawn straight from the video, that transform how a kitchen works and looks.
Which things should I throw out before I start organizing?
Every home collects the same junk: plastic lids, lids from steel and plastic containers, empty glasses, empty bottles, and stacks of plastic. We keep them thinking “someday I’ll need this” — and years pass without them ever being used.
The rule is simple. Before you clean anything, sort out whatever you haven’t used in at least a year. You’re never going to use it. If a thing can genuinely be useful, put it to use at that moment — a small lid slipped under an oil container stops the surface getting spoiled, and a plastic lid under a plant catches water so the surface underneath stays clean. Everything else goes out. The moment you remove these useless things, space opens up on its own.
How do I set up the area where I actually cook?
Keep only what you use in daily cooking within arm’s reach of the gas. In the video, a decorative plant was taking up kitchen space for no reason — decoration belongs in the living room or bedroom, not where you cook, so it was removed.
The same logic applies to oils and spices. Near the gas you really only need the ghee bottle, mustard oil or olive oil, and your regular daily cooking oil. A tea box that had drifted onto the counter went back to storage, because that kind of tea is only had once in 15–20 days. An empty jar and two refilled bottles of rai were removed too — both jeera and rai were already in the masala dabba, so the duplicates were pure clutter. What stays: salt, tea, coffee, sugar, and a few sugar-free sachets. Keep only as much near your gas as you genuinely need, and work and cleaning both get easier.
How do I declutter a crowded cutlery holder?
An area full of unnecessary things always looks messy. Go through your knives and tools and sort them into three groups:
- Things you use daily — keep these within reach.
- Things you use once every 15–20 days — keep them, but elsewhere.
- Things you never use — remove them completely.
In the video, only a pink knife and a yellow knife were daily-use keepers; a big knife, a small knife and a second peeler were all removed (one peeler is enough). With three or four items gone, the cutlery holder instantly looked pleasing and uncluttered.
How do I stop wasting time searching for spoons while cooking?
Your cutlery should always sit right next to the gas, so at cooking time you grab what you need without running around. A chaotic holder — four knives where one would do, five spoons instead of one — wastes your time, and sometimes the food burns while you hunt.
Sort and remove the duplicates, keeping a single one of each. A few examples from the video worth copying:
- Big spatulas kept to one side so your hand doesn’t get burnt while cooking.
- Small serving spoons and a lemon squeezer kept together because they’re used daily.
- A nutcracker kept for opening walnuts in their shells.
- One butter knife kept — Indian kitchens mostly apply butter with a spoon, so the rest were removed.
- Plastic spoons removed entirely, since they’re used barely once or twice a year.
Anything that can be hung up should be hung, not left lying in the middle of your spatulas. Extra items go to the pantry if you have room, or straight out of the kitchen — thrown away or given to someone who’ll use them.
Where should cleaning supplies live in the kitchen?
Cooking always brings cleaning with it, so give your cleaning things a fixed home near the sink instead of scattering them. Store scrubbers and dishwashing soap in a transparent box so you can see what’s inside at a glance. Keep two soaps out on top, so when one finishes you grab the next without opening anything. Put cleaning sprays and liquids on a shelf above the sink. Storing them together and in front also lets you spot when stock is running low, before you run out.
How many utensils should I keep out, and where do extras go?
We store far more plates and utensils than daily life needs — the big stacks only come out when many family members or guests are around. Keep out only the plates you use every day, and never force-fit anything. If a glass lid or extra piece won’t fit a spot, it was never meant for that spot; move it or remove it. Unused things crowd out the room your daily items need, so buy something new only after you’ve cleared out the old and actually freed up space.
What is the one habit that keeps a kitchen clean long-term?
Reset the kitchen the moment you finish cooking. After cleaning, don’t leave items lying wherever the work ended — you’re the one who has to come back and cook again, and a messy kitchen kills the urge to start. Putting everything back in its place is the final step of your kitchen work. Skip it and the kitchen won’t look clean even after you’ve cleaned it; follow it and it stays organized and spotless.
📺 About this video. This post draws on Jasmine Choudhari’s YouTube video 11 Small Kitchen Organization Habits That Makes Your Kitchen Look More Cleaner & Less Stressful. Watch the full video for visual demonstrations of every tip.
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Frequently asked questions
How can I make my Indian kitchen look cleaner without spending any money?
You don't need more space or new products — you need a better system of keeping only daily-use items where you cook. Remove unused lids, empty bottles, duplicate utensils and decorative items from the counter, store grocery in cabinets, and keep only the oils and spices you use every day near the gas. Clearing what you already have instantly opens up space and makes the kitchen look clean.
What kitchen items should I throw out because they never get used?
Throw out anything you haven't used in at least a year. In most homes that means collected plastic lids, random container lids, empty glasses and bottles, duplicate knives and spoons, extra peelers, plastic spoons used once or twice a year, unused glass lids, and butter knives (Indian kitchens usually apply butter with a spoon). Keeping them only makes the kitchen look cluttered no matter how much you clean.
Why should I keep grocery and dal containers off the kitchen counter?
Grocery like chana, dal and large containers take up counter space you need for cooking, so store them inside cabinets instead. On the counter near the gas, keep only daily essentials such as ghee, mustard oil, olive oil and regular cooking oil. A clear counter is easier to work on, faster to clean, and makes the whole kitchen look mess-free.
How do I organize a messy cutlery holder or drawer?
Sort everything into three groups: items used daily, items used once every 15–20 days, and items never used. Keep one of each daily tool instead of duplicates — one peeler, one knife per task, one butter knife. Remove extra big forks, plastic spoons and little-used knives. A sorted holder means you find things instantly and don't waste time searching while the food burns.
Where should I store dishwashing and cleaning supplies in the kitchen?
Store all cleaning supplies together near the sink. Put scrubbers and the dishwashing soap into a transparent box so you can see what's inside, keep two soap bars out on top so you can grab one the moment the other finishes, and place cleaning sprays and liquids on a shelf above the sink. Keeping them in front also tells you when stock is running low.
How many plates and utensils should I keep out in a small kitchen?
Keep out only as many plates and utensils as your family uses daily. Extra plates and serving pieces are mainly needed when many guests visit, so store those elsewhere or in the pantry. Never force-fit items into a space — if something doesn't fit, it wasn't meant for that spot. Removing unused pieces leaves room for the things you actually use.
Should I put everything back in its place after cooking?
Yes — resetting the kitchen after you finish cooking is one of the most important habits. If you leave items lying where the work ended, the kitchen won't look clean even after cleaning, and you'll dread walking in next time because you'll have to tidy before you can cook. Always return everything to its place as the final step of your kitchen work.
When should I buy new kitchen organizers or tools?
Buy something new only after you throw out the old or unused items and free up space for it. Constantly buying new things while keeping the old ones is what creates clutter in the first place. Repurpose what you can at that moment — for example, a small lid placed under an oil container keeps the surface clean — and discard or give away the rest.
About Jasmine Choudhari
Jasmine Choudhari shares practical, no-frills ideas for organising small Indian kitchens and homes. Follow her on YouTube (600K+ subscribers · Silver Play Button), Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. For collaborations: collab@jasminechoudhari.com.