Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the products and deals we love. If you love them too and decide to purchase through the links below, we may receive a commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. 

Adriana Urbina is an In The Know cooking contributor. Follow her on Instagram and visit her website for more.

Although the rest of our house stays relatively uncluttered day to day, our kitchen requires constant cleaning and upkeep. Every time I finish cleaning and organizing my kitchen, I feel so much better, as a tidy kitchen certainly makes eating at home more enjoyable and meal prep easier.

Here are some key organizing tips to help you get a simplified and more organized kitchen:

Basic Tips to Always Remember 

Make Use of Your Cabinets

Your kitchen cabinets can help you declutter your valuable counter space. When possible, move items that are not used daily off of your countertops and into whatever cabinet space you have available. Clear, organized countertops will transform the way your kitchen looks and feels.

You probably have more cleaners than you need. Sort through them all and only keep the ones that you use most. This really should only be two or three products. The rest should be discarded or brought to your community’s hazardous waste drop-off site.

Hang Items Under the Sink

Use a spring-loaded curtain rod to hang up spray bottles under your kitchen sink. The handles should fit perfectly over the rod. This will free up space under your sink for other items you want to keep on hand. You can also hang a large coffee cup from the rod to store your extra sponges.

Use 3M adhesive hooks to hang up cooking utensils on the insides of cabinets. For example, measuring spoons and cups can be hung up by tying a piece of string to their handles; this frees up drawer space and makes it easier to find what you need.

Other Tips to Keep in Mind

Always strive for an empty sink.

Be extremely selective about what stays out on your countertops.

Clean up after every meal.

Rethink what’s in your cabinet.

How to Contain Your Food

Why glass? Glass doesn’t absorb the color, odor or flavor of food the way plastic does. Glass storage options are also far sturdier and survive the dishwasher and microwave without any adverse effects over time.

Silicone is more durable (though tears and punctures can still happen!) and lasts longer than plastic, which explains the higher price tags.

These are great for storing dried goods to help you organize your pantry!

Make sure to label your containers, especially in your pantry. This will help you keep count of what you have and find ingredients more easily. I bought a labeling machine, and it makes my life so much easier.

Questions to Ask Yourself 

As you go through the items in your kitchen and pantry, ask yourself the following questions:

Not “Will I use this someday?” but “Do I use this now?” We all have appliances we’d like to use, but oftentimes, our real life doesn’t match our dream life. Those tools and appliances you’re holding on to for “someday” are likely just taking up space and adding clutter to your kitchen. Let them go to someone who will actually use them, and make more room for the life you’re living right now.

How many do I have?

We often accumulate “extras” of certain things, especially wooden spoons, mixing bowls, coffee cups, plastic food containers and baking sheets. How many of these do you use on a regular basis? Keep your favorites and donate the rest.

Would I buy this today?

Our decorating styles and cooking styles change over time. Look at each item and ask yourself, “Would I buy this today?” If the answer is no, sell or donate it.

Remove Items That Don’t Belong 

There are probably plenty of things in your kitchen that don’t belong there to begin with. Clutter attracts clutter, and kitchen countertops are infamous for being the primary dumping ground for everyone in the house.

Put everything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen into a box to relocate to other rooms after you’re done decluttering your kitchen. Don’t waste time right now on relocation; that’s a task that’s easier done once the decluttering is finished. Better yet, delegate the relocation task to a spouse, partner, child or organizing buddy.

The most important thing is to not get overwhelmed. Start by doing one thing at a time!

If you enjoyed this story, check out Adriana Urbina’s tips for organizing your pantry!

The post Tips for de-junking and organizing your kitchen this summer appeared first on In The Know.

Expert painters reveal top tricks to give your blah kitchen a gleaming finish.

From storage baskets and stackable bins to pull-out drawers, these are the best under sink storage ideas that'll upgrade your kitchen and bathroom immediately.

If those life hacks you've read online aren't working, these cleaning essentials under $10 might help. Get them on Amazon.

This centuries-old room brings the essence of comfort to the heart of the home.

Upgrade your kitchen and broaden your cooking horizons with these amazing deals on high-quality cookware from Amazon.

It's easier than you'd think.

Ever since we got our own kitchens, we’ve wanted to make the most of it. We’ve spoiled ourselves with the best kitchenware sets and handy gadgets all over TikTok. Really, we’ll spend anything to make our kitchen so functional and stylish that Martha Stewart would want to sublet a stove. Now one brand we have […]

Between its convenience and stunning design, a pot filler will completely transform your kitchen.

These gifts are the perfect way to give grandma something from the heart.

'I get so many compliments' — you'll also get over 30% off these beauties.

Nearly 17,000 rave reviewers are aglow about this easy-to-use gadget.

Are you sure you're secure? Here's why you should evaluate your privacy settings to make sure they're still right for you.

Flirty and feminine, the little black dress of your dreams is on sale!

He's up, he's down — but David Harbour is enjoying the ride.

Lupita Nyong'o has one distinguished palate. The Us star shared a video of herself eating a piece of fruit garnished with ants on Instagram on Friday.

Ninja, Crocs, Revlon and more: There's something on sale for everyone —including massively popular earbuds for just $24.

Plant-based cheeses, fresh fruits, savory olives and crunchy crackers are all perfect additions to a vegan "charcuterie" board.

Save 45% now — and money and energy later — with this bestselling dryer vent–cleaning kit at Amazon.

"We want to show on the runway how people look in real life and you know, for everyone to feel comfortable the next day when they go to the beach and wear their swimwear," Stojanovic tells Yahoo Life.

Alicia Silverstone is elaborating on her unique parenting practices. In an interview for The Ellen Fisher Podcast, the Clueless alum, 45, shared that she and her son Bear, 11, still sleep in the same bed together. She also opened up about the “elimination communication” technique she used when Bear was a baby in an effort to potty train him early.