Clear the Clutter

Organize Your Kitchen

Organizing your kitchen is an efficient and inexpensive way to find additional space. Clearing clutter and rearranging your kitchen items will help you save time because you will be spending less time making extra trips and digging through your cupboards. You will also be able to save money by not having to replace items that have gone bad or gotten lost because you forgot about them, or simply could not find them! It is nice to come home to a kitchen that looks good and works with you instead of against you.

When organizing your kitchen, it is best to have a solid plan in place before you start. Time, convenience, and the various uses of the kitchen should all be included in your plan. Dividing your kitchen into areas such as cleaning, food preparation, cooking, baking, and food storage will help you to decide where everything needs to go later on.

As you go through the items, one area at a time, sort them into piles according to where they belong while getting rid of anything that is broken, outdated, or unneeded. Unnecessary items can be stored away or given away, tossed out, or sold. It is also wise to wipe out the shelves and packages so that you do not have to pull everything out again later on.

It is also a good idea to make a list of items that need to be repaired, replaced, or are nearing their "best before" dates. This will limit the time that something sits in your cupboards.

Up in the Air
Use under-the-counter racks, additional shelves, and racks at various heights to make your items accessible while making use of the height the cabinets have. Square containers and stackable bins are also helpful while keeping everything looking neat. Cookware, cookie cutters, and utensils hung on hooks, racks, or magnetic strips, whether from the ceiling, a wall, or along the bottom of a cabinet, will save valuable space and look great.

A Decorative Touch
Use containers instead of keeping dry goods in their original bags and boxes. A majority of pantry space is often lost empty packages. Keeping these items in a pretty canister set or jars will also keep them from spilling. Items such as fruit or linens look great in a pretty bin or basket.

Adding Space
Kitchen carts are great because they not only add cupboard space, but counter top as well. Look for one that has a workable surface such as a butcher block or laminate, while having storage underneath. Many carts offer things such as towel racks, wine racks, and bins that tilt or slide out for items such as flour or potatoes.

The benefits of good organization can be enjoyed for a long time as long as it is kept up. If you find that something is not working, move it around again. The work put in to organizing a kitchen is well worth the effort.

04/04/08