Declutter Under Kitchen Sink {15 Minute Mission}

Today's mission is to declutter under your kitchen sink cabinet.


This mission is designed to be done while working on the Kitchen Drawer & Cabinet Organization Challenge here on the site.

Since the space under your kitchen sink is small and contained the best way to approach this mission is to empty everything out of there, and then make each item "earn" its spot back under the sink.

That means getting rid of trash and items you never use, putting items away that do not belong there, and then finally, removing excess and duplicates until what you've got in the space can easily fit.

While I don't personally believe this area has to be empty, the fact that there are pipes and such items under here means you've got to be able to remove stuff from it quickly in case a plumbing emergency happens. That means it is important not to have it packed to the gills, but instead to have only what is necessary there.

You can store whatever you want or need in this lower cabinet space, but often people keep cleaning supplies there. If you decide as part of this mission that you will declutter some of these cleaners, make sure to read this article about how to properly dispose of cleaning products to make sure you're doing it safely for your home, your health, and for the environment.

Further, after you declutter you'll need to add all the stuff back under your sink cabinet yet again. There are lots of ways you can place these items in there in an organized fashion. To get ideas check out my article on how to organize under your kitchen sink here.

Now, below I've shared lots of photos from readers who've taken on this mission, showing their great results from decluttering, to get you inspired and give you ideas for what you can do under your own kitchen sink.

And make sure, if you haven't already, to also do the mission to declutter your kitchen sink area itself, that is above this cabinet!

Top photos courtesy of a reader, Suzanne

Under My Kitchen Sink Now Has Much Less Stuff

by Lisa
(Northeast Arkansas)

Lisa says:

This challenge was timely, as I had to replace my kitchen faucet this week. So, I emptied my undersink cabinet completely to do that, and put it back with much less stuff. I think it looks much better. (Sorry no before picture.)

I also worked on clearing my kitchen countertops this week, and even got a head start on some of the things coming up in the kitchen in the weeks ahead.

Thanks so much for these challenges! I look forward to working on more!

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing your picture Lisa. It looks great under there!

Here's some more photos from a reader, Camisha, who also did this Declutter 365 mission and shared her before and after photos. She said, "I finally got to under the sink. It really was easy- guess I don't have attachments or feelings to most items there - it didn't take much thought, and boy am I going to love the order!"

Moved Out Cleaning Supplies Not Used In Kitchen To Declutter

by Jennifer

Jennifer at Life of Reilly showed before and after of this cabinet after she decluttered it.

She said: Well, first of all, it's a good thing the cabinets were organized this week. When I started taking everything out from under the sink, I noticed a pool of water at the bottom.

I called my husband over to inspect the problem, and it turns out that the garbage disposal had a crack in it. So he replaced it that day, and I was able to finish organizing.

As you can see in the picture above, I already have my saran wraps stored on the door, and this system works for me, so they're staying there. I had some freezer storage bags down here, so I moved them to the upper cabinet with the rest of the storage bags.

There were a few cleaning supplies that I didn't use in the kitchen, so they moved out. All that's left down here now are garbage bags and kitchen cleaning supplies.

Straightened Up & Decluttering Before & After Pics

by Bec

Bec from 2012 - The Year of Challenges, shared her before and after pics of this area of her home.

Just straightening everything up and decluttering a bit can make a big difference!

Karen's Under the Sink Before and After Pics

by Karen

Karen shared her before and after pictures on the Home Storage Solutions 101 Facebook page.

I like how she has some cleaning caddies in there holding her supplies. That way she can pull things out when she needs them, anywhere in the house, easily carry them around and then put them back.

In addition, she can easily get to get garbage disposal or sink plumbing if needed with the way she's organized in there. That is important since you never know when you may need to do a repair or deal with an issue with this appliance.

Are You Ready A Clutter Free Under Kitchen Sink Cabinet?

I hope these photos have gotten you inspired and ready to tackle your own kitchen under sink cabinet, and to remove the clutter.

Once you've gotten rid of the clutter your job is almost over, but not quite. You'll still need to organize what you've got left. But don't worry, I've got real life ideas and practical advice for that task too. You can see lots of photos, similar to the one above from a reader, Debbie, who organized under her kitchen sink here, in this companion article on the site.

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!

Get This Kitchen Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home

Right now you're decluttering your kitchen, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in this space.

Get your 2 page kitchen decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.

I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.

In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!

Before, during and after photo courtesy of a reader, Jennifer

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

Getting Rid Of Kitchen Clutter Hall Of Fame

Go From Declutter Under Kitchen Sink Cabinet To Home Page