Here it comes one of the most clutter-prone areas of most individuals’ homes. If you cook frequently, chances are that you spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Unfortunately, from bulky coffee makers to blenders and other kitchen essentials, it seems that this is the one room that never has enough room, but you can still organize efficiently.
In this room, like others, you’ll have to purge the belongings that you no longer use. If there’s a utensil, appliance, or other kitchen objects that you never use (or, if you use it very infrequently but could get by without it), consider getting rid of it.
You’d be amazed to discover what some people find when they go through their kitchen drawers and cabinets sometimes, you might even come across an object that you didn’t even know you had, or ones that don’t even know how to use!
Of course, you may have “special occasion” appliances, dishes, or pieces that you simply can’t part ways with. While you might not use that Belgian waffle maker on a daily basis, you’re pretty sure that you’ll use it again (and plus, it was expensive).
Make a point to store your kitchen items based on their frequency of use. If, for example, you use a pot or a pan on a weekly or almost daily basis, keep it within easy reach: on a low, easy-to-access shelf or within a drawer that’s not too difficult to get to. Likewise, keep the lesser-used objects up high on harder-to-reach shelves, or behind other objects in your cupboards.
Next, you might even want to consider hanging the items that you use frequently if your kitchen space allows for it. Hanging pots, pans, utensils, and oven mitts are widely accepted and can even give your kitchen a homey vibe. Mount hooks on the walls and hangs whichever items you’ll need to access frequently, but just make sure to keep any flammable items (oven mitts, aprons, etc.) at least two feet from the stovetop.
It may also benefit you to keep all of the objects with the same purpose in the same area of your kitchen.
Bakeware, for example, should all be stored together in one specific cabinet or drawer. Plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and baggies should also be stored together in one commonplace. You should also place all of your tools or utensils that get used frequently in one container or area as well.
If you have cabinets that contain shelves but no pull-out drawers, it can be difficult to access the areas further back. One simple way to fix this is to place plastic tubs on the shelves, and then fill those tubs with the items you would ordinarily place directly on the shelves. The tubs will act as mock-drawers, allowing you to pull them out when you need to find something.
One of the biggest obstacles in the kitchen tends to be storing plastic containers.
While these are essential for storing food or carrying meals on-the-go, they are often prone to creating avalanches of lids and containers. Your best bet is to approach plastic containers as you would a filing system: in a drawer or cabinet, organize lids in one area (consider using a different, separate container simply for storing the lids), and then organize by shape.
All square containers should be stacked inside one another, fitting into the largest one, and you should repeat this process for circular and rectangular containers. In essence, you’ve created a nesting doll arrangement for your plastic containers, which will make them easier to store and access.
Also, just as you would consider using drawer organizers in different areas of your home, you should consider implementing a separator of some sort into your utensil drawer so that each type has its own specific spot.
People also neglect to consider the backs of cabinet doors for storage spaces. If you have cabinets under your sink, the backsides of their doors are the perfect spot for storing things.
For instance, you could affix a magazine rack to the door and use it to stash items like tin foil, plastic wrap, or garbage bags.
Or, you could use the areas on the backsides of cabinet doors for pocket dividers. Just as you would use these on the back of a closet to hang shoes or accessories, you can use them on a smaller scale for hanging miscellaneous items such as sponges, rubber gloves, or any other kind of supplies you may use in the kitchen.
Here are a few additional tips and ideas to use in organizing the kitchen:
Consider using towel racks on the inside of a cupboard or cabinet door for storing your pot and pan lids.
Use cup hangers inside a cupboard or cabinet door to hang measuring cups and spoons on. For an additional option, you can put a chart inside the door with them to help with measures and conversions.
Under the sink, use elevated shelves to rise above your various cleaning products such as spray bottles, etc. Then, place cleaning clothes above them on the shelves or racks.
A creative idea for organizing all those plastic container lids is to get a rack for holding compact discs to store the lids in.