The kitchen is the heart of your home. It’s the place we gather together to prepare food and eat meals. Good organization is key, especially for the cook in the family. It’s not the size of your kitchen that makes it functional, but rather its organization. The first step is to consider your family’s lifestyle.
Start by asking yourself a few questions:
Is there an avid cook in the family?
How much do we entertain friends?
Am I packing lunches daily?
In my current setup, what’s already working?
What areas of my space need tweaking?
Your answers can help create a kitchen divided into zones; zones such as food prep, cooking, baking, storage, and cleaning. Personal work style determines where to store and use most items in your kitchen.
Here are a few tips to help set up your efficient kitchen space:
1. Store items near the area of most use. For example, pots, pans, and cooking utensils near the stove; coffee cups near the coffee maker; cutting boards, knives, and measuring cups near the food prep area.
2. If cupboard space is limited, store rarely used items on top shelves, in the pantry, or elsewhere in your home to create space for everyday items.
3. Keep dishes, glasses, and silverware near the dishwasher to make unloading convenient.
4. Take inventory of plastic storage containers and discard anything discolored, cracked, or missing a lid. Nestle bowls inside each other according to shape and store all lids upright, sorted by size in a rectangular container or lid organizer.
6. Organize utensils and utility drawers by sorting into like items and then storing them in appropriately sized drawer organizers.
7. Keep your kitchen counters free of visual clutter by storing all seldom-used items or appliances out of sight in a cupboard or pantry.
8. In the pantry, group food together by categories, such as breakfast items, grains, snacks, or baking products, to name a few.
9. Clean out your pantry every six months and check foods for expiration dates. Remember to rotate older food to the front when restocking with new items.
10. Use turntables or lazy Susans in cupboards or your refrigerator to store oils, vinegar, small bottles or jars, spices, vitamins, and similar items. Large-sized turntables are great to use on deep pantry shelves or hard-to-reach spots. Everything becomes easily accessible with a quick turn.
11. Use clear, airtight, labeled containers to store flour, sugars, pasta, and snacks. These work well with other opened food items to preserve freshness.
12. Store small food items such as pudding boxes or gravy mixes grouped together in small containers or baskets to keep them tidy. Canned goods, jars, and bottles store well on tiered shelving units or turntables for easy viewing.
Keeping your kitchen organized and clutter free will inspire you to work efficiently and enjoy the space. The time and energy spent is an investment that will pay for years to come!
Contact me at Yve@OrganizingbyYve.com for advice and hands-on assistance with all your organizing needs.
Disclosure statement: some blogs on this site occasionally contain affiliate links that may provide a small commission to OrganizingbyYve at no additional cost to you.
I write about the things I love and have recommended or used myself throughout my years as a professional organizer.
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