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The kitchen is undoubtedly one of the most chaotic rooms in a house. It is a room that is used all the time every day and it should be a room that can support a lot of activity.
One way to do so is to make sure that your kitchen is well-organized. But what if you have limited storage space or you do have a huge kitchen but have no idea how to organize things to make it become more efficient?
If you have no clue on how to do this, here is our simple guide: How to Organize the Kitchen
Now if you are looking specific solutions for certain parts or things in your kitchen, then here is a list of organization ideas – simple tips and tricks that you can apply to the kitchen no matter what size yours is!
Let’s do this!
Simple & Proven Organization Ideas for the Kitchen
1. Add drawers to your high cabinets.
If your cabinets are high, maximize the vertical space by adding pull-out drawers. You can install it on your own like a DIY project if you are good with your tools. If not, you may just fit in a free-standing drawer inside the cabinet.
2. Make use of turntables in your deep cabinets.
Some kitchen cabinets are built too deep that people have to strain to reach the items in the far back. You can make life simpler by buying a couple of turntables or Lazy Susans!
Now when you open the kitchen cabinet, just give it a little turn to get the items you need. No more struggles!
3. Store your cutting boards behind a cabinet door.
Cutting boards are bulky and we have this tendency to burry our cutting boards underneath other items in a drawer.
There’s a better way! Hang a wire rack behind a cabinet door and store the cutting boards there! This is easier to access.
4. Put open shelves on the wall.
You may not realize how much wall space you have on your walls.
This is real space for open shelves! Get some shelves up there and store light items that you need quick access to while cooking.
Open shelves in the kitchen can be a great way to display your dishware, especially if you have beautiful or unique pieces that you want to show off, like bowls in minimalist style and a double wall glass mug set with a teapot.
However, open shelves can also collect dust and grease, so keeping them clean is important.
If you’re unsure how well open shelves will work in your kitchen, you could try using just one or two to see how you like it before committing to a full kitchen renovation.
5. Use a tiered fruit basket.
Most fruits and vegetables are stored best at room temperature, so no need to waste pantry space on them. Invest in a tiered fruit basket and just display them on the counter!
You will find lots of stylish pieces that can complement any kitchen theme these days.
6. Get clear containers for food storage.
Store your food in clear containers. This makes them easier for you to see what you still have and your leftovers will not have to sit in the fridge unnoticed.
Clear containers are also great in the pantry since you can store and stack them easily too..
Here’s a BPA-Free clear plastic canisters from Amazon.
We prefer to use glass containers at home to stock our food, so here’s a set of glass food containers also from Amazon.
More choices can be found at this page!
7. Chalkboard labels do help!
Transferring dry goods into uniform and clear containers is another simple, yet very useful step in organizing the kitchen. However, even if you can obviously tell what is in the container because it is see-through, some food products look the same such as salt and sugar, or flour and cornstarch.
To avoid confusion, label your containers. For easy labelling, use chalkboard labels and an erasable chalk marker. This way, you can fill the container with another food item and you can just erase the label you made before.
Get this waterproof chalkboard labels at Amazon.
Go to this page for more chalkboard labels choices!
8. Stack baking pans vertically.
Stack your baking pans vertically instead of arranging them on top of each other. This way, you do not have to dig around the cabinet or remove everything on top while looking for just one particular pan.
Place tension rods in the cabinet to create slots. This gives you “compartments”, allowing you to categorize your baking pans too!
9. Hang opened dry goods in pants hangers.
Is your pantry filled with half-opened chips and goods?
Keep these lined up using pant hangers! This will also allow your chips to stay fresh longer. Plus, you will have more space to store things underneath – on the actual shelf! Isn’t that cool?!
This works best when your pantry uses wired shelves. If not, choose a shelf with the biggest vertical space and hang a tension rod in it. Hang those bags up on the rod!
10. Use egg cartons for sauce bottles.
Do you have lots of condiments and sauces? Save space in your fridge by lining up a fridge door shelf with an egg carton. Then put all your condiments and sauce bottles upside down.
This is a stable way to organizing your condiments and sauces. The next time you need them, they will be ready to use!
11. Use a magazine holder for your food wrappers.
Here is a really convenient way to store your food wrappers like aluminum foil, plastic wrap, zip lock bags! Just stick that magazine rack inside the cabinet door.
Choose the cabinet that is nearest to the fridge as you mostly need these items for storing leftovers.
12. Get a tea stand organizer.
When you love tea so much, I bet you have more than a handful of teabags!
The thing about tea bags is that if you do not keep them in their boxes, they can scatter and get lost around your drawers. But if you drink different brands of tea, all those containers are accumulating valuable storage space.
So why not just take everything out and place everything on a tea stand organizer that you can easily store away?
You can get this exact tea stand organizer at Amazon!
Visit this page for more choices!
13. Install a pegboard on the wall.
If you need more storage space, install a pegboard on the kitchen wall. This allows you to hang the most used items and spices on the pegboard. The best thing about the pegboard is that you can arrange things in any manner you want.
This idea could free up a lot of space for storage! Even Julia Child uses a pegboard in her kitchen!
14. Establish a coffee bar out of the kitchen.
Establish a coffee bar in a small nook preferably in the living room where you usually entertain guests. This way, guests can help themselves to a warm cup of coffee, hot choco, or tea without having to go to your kitchen. This also makes it easier for you to tend to your guests!
This idea can get rid of a lot of things to store from the kitchen like coffee mugs, saucers, teaspoons, serving trays, cookie jars, coffee maker, water heater, thermos, and so many more.
15. Create a command center for kitchen essentials.
Let everyone in your family know where to look for grocery lists, coupons, recipes and other kitchen essentials!
It doesn’t have to be a big space. One cabinet door is all you need! You can even include some reminders in there!
Organization Ideas for the Small Kitchen
The following tips are especially useful in small kitchens – giving you more storage space. However, even if you have plenty of space in your kitchen, you can still apply these organization ideas! Doing so will help you move around in your kitchen more efficiently!
1. Use the sides of your cabinets.
If you have cabinets with one side exposed, use that space for extra storage. Add a rail, hanging shelves, or hooks.
You can use that space to hang kitchen utensils, pans, store cookbooks, and more!
2. Use shelf risers.
Double the usable space in your kitchen cabinets by using shelf risers. Shelf risers will let you store things on top of each other without having to deal with the hassle of pulling things out from a tall stack.
3. Use magnetic containers.
Store light food item containers or spices on the fridge, or on a magnetic strip on the wall. Stick magnets on your containers and they are good to go! The key is to make sure that these containers are carrying light items only such as spices or nuts.
4. Get a slim storage cart.
This is for small nooks or gaps in the kitchen. A common example is that small gap between the fridge and the counter. Slide in a slim storage cart in there and you get more storage space! Just pull it out when you need something.
If there are no gaps, put this beside your kitchen island or beside the fridge.
Here’s a rolling 6-tier shelf from Amazon.
Check this page for more slim cart choices!
5. Hang your pots and pans.
Pots and pans are probably one of the bulkiest items in the kitchen and they can easily fill up all your drawers and cabinets.
So consider buying a hanging pot rack, or make one yourself, and then just hang your pots and pans!
For more ideas on how to organize your pots and pans so that it’s easier to get one when you’re cooking, check out our post Simple Ways to Organize Pots and Pans Like a Pro!
If you need more organization ideas for a small kitchen, head on to our other post – 51 Clever Storage Hacks to Maximize Small Kitchens!
It doesn’t have to be complicated.
As you can see, organizing your kitchen does not have to be so difficult.
These organization ideas for the kitchen are simple solutions. Go try them and I’m sure you’ll end up with a more organized and functional kitchen that allows you to cook and prepare your food easily and smoothly!
Need more organization ideas for the kitchen? Check these out!
- How to Organize the Kitchen
- 51 Clever Storage Hacks to Maximize Small Kitchens
- Kitchen Appliances List: Essential & Non-Essential
- How to Organize the Pantry
- How to Organize the Fridge
Need help decluttering your kitchen? Download this printable checklist for FREE!
Get it here!
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