Tips for Maintaining a Well Organized Kitchen

The kitchen is the only place in your house used one way or the other, almost all day. Whether it is some snacks you are craving or trying out a new recipe, your kitchen needs to be the most organized place.

You cannot work attentively if your cooking items and utensils are spread all over the place. However, as this place in your house is used often, there is very little time to declutter it all together and organize. The best thing you can do is break your organizing goal into smaller goals that you can achieve by the end of every day.

Biggest Tip of All 

You can find tons of articles on the internet about how to declutter your kitchen. However, the best piece of advice is to keep the organizing cycle maintained. For instance, you can organize all you want in a single day, but if you do not bound yourself to keep things away at night after you are done with all the work, your kitchen cannot stay organized.

Always remember to keep away the washed utensils and other cookware in their respective places in the cabinet. If you don’t keep them away at night, you will wake up with a cluttered kitchen which will not let you start your day right away before putting the things away.

Tips for a Well-Organized Kitchen 

1. Group Similar Items 

Group Similar Items

Before diving into decluttering your kitchen, start with observing and making a note of all the things you have in the kitchen. Make an inventory of all the things and group similar items together. For example, all the spoons and ladles go together while all the plastic containers go with their lids in another group.

Once you have done that, it is much convenient to continue.

2. Sort Them Out and Giveaway 

 

The hardest part is looking through the items you have grouped and sorting out the unused ones. Any plastic container that has lived its life to the fullest should be thrown out. For other items, such as an old pot or a spoon set you have been using for a long time, you can give them to the charity or someone needy.

3. Create Zones 

Create Zones

Create a mental note for designating various zones in your kitchen. Dedicate one zone for meal prepping, such as cutting, chopping, and peeling. It might be the messiest corner in your kitchen, so it is better to create it near the bin and the sink.

Also, the cooking zone has to be near prepping zone. The clean-up zone includes your kitchen sink and dishwasher. Slightly away from this should be your dining area, including a little cupboard or sideboard for serving food and having related items, such as a cutlery drawer or paper towels nearby.

4. Organize According To the Zones 

Organize According To the Zones

Now that you have a map in your mind about the various kitchen zones, it is time to start organizing. Refer to the way you had grouped your kitchen items and align them with the corresponding zones. All the cookware, such as pots, pans, wooden or plastic spoons, whisk, etc., go near the cooking zone.

Keep all the cutting and peeling essentials, including knives, peelers, cutting board, etc., in the cutting zone. Also, have your shopping bags stored in a nice container or holder in the cutting zone so that you can grab a plastic bag whenever you need it. Moreover, remember to clean up as soon as you finish cutting and peeling to avoid mess.

5. Place Things Where You Can Find Them 

Place Things Where You Can Find Them

Since the kitchen is where a lot is going on at once, it is important to place things right where you need them. Keep the cutlery you use every day in the front while the formal cutlery at the back. Cutlery organizers are the best to have in your drawers so that all the spoons, forks, and knives are visible upon opening the drawer.

6. Plastic Bags 

Plastic Bags

One of the messiest items that make your kitchen look like a warzone is an ever-increasing number of shopping bags. You can find them scattered but still never find them when needed. The best solution is to get stainless steel or plastic containers with holes in them, also called plastic bag dispensers. They can hold many plastic bags.

7. Look into the Fridge 

Look into the Fridge

One of the vital steps in decluttering your kitchen is to look into the fridge and throw all the outdated things. Check the expiry dates on the items and clean out the fridge. You can get some clear bins and add them to your shelves for a more organized look. It is also easier to spot small items when stored in clear bins. You can even put a hand-written label on the bins to name the category, such as fresh produce or sauces.

8. Smart Storage 

Smart Storage

If your kitchen is a little tight on space, it is best to get cabinet dividers or even a rolling cart. Cabinet dividers help in utilizing every corner of your cabinet. You can arrange the pots and pans in the cabinet depending on how frequent they are used. Most used pans and pots should be placed in the front or on top (depending on your storage method) for optimum cooking convenience.

Adding a rolling cart is a smart idea for smaller spaces. You can place your everyday use plates, cutlery, and sauces on the cart and move them around to make space when needed. You can also prepare the rolling cart with everything you might be needing for dining near the family table. This way, you can skip the hassle of bringing plates and spoons from the kitchen before meals and grab the things you need from the cart.

9. Storing Appliances 

 

Similar to the other kitchen items, you should set the appliances according to their daily use. If you regularly use the blender for your smoothies or shakes, keep it near an electrical outlet on the countertop. It is better not to hide the appliances in the cabinets and then go through the routine of taking them out and using them. You can neatly arrange your appliances near your food prep zone so that you can easily do all the clean-ups.

Note: Keeping all the appliances clean and tidy is vital as they can gather a lot of dirt when sitting on the countertop. 

10. Use Big Jars and Containers 

 

If you want your kitchen to look like the one you admire on Pinterest or other platforms, get floating shelves and put clear glass containers and jars on them. Put your most-used spices and sauces on a floating shelf near your stovetop. It is more convenient if you put labels on the containers. You can buy bigger ones for rice, pasta, sugar, or beans and store them with labels on them.

Declutter and Organize As You Wish  

Your kitchen should be the most convenient place for you to work in. Can you imagine how lost you would feel cooking in someone else’s kitchen as you do not know where the items are? It is the same thing with your kitchen. Your kitchen is your space, and it should only follow the organization system you are good with.