25 Tips For Organizing Your Kitchen

Photo Credits: By Sonja Lovas

Are you ready to read about some helpful tips on the subject of organizing the kitchen? I think the above photo is a prime example of a beautifully organized kitchen. 

Most people have busy schedules every day and it is so easy for their kitchens to become somewhat disorganized at times. Good organizing habits and a little daily maintenance can help to keep the kitchen area clean and free of clutter.

When my kitchen is organized, it definitely saves me a great deal of time and effort when I am preparing my family meals. I can cook more efficiently and I actually enjoy cooking a little more when my kitchen is decluttered. I have a great passion in general for organizing the house. That is the main reason that I became a professional organizer.

Many women need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen each day. It may be helpful to keep the kitchen organized, so your time spent in the kitchen is more enjoyable. These are some of my organizing ideas and tips that I personally use in my own kitchen.

1. I try to keep all kitchen countertops free of unnecessary clutter.
2. It is helpful to clean up and wipe my kitchen countertops immediately after preparing my family meals. 
3. We load the dishwasher after meals. I make sure the kitchen sink is clean and free of any dishes every evening before bedtime, so our family can enjoy a clean kitchen for breakfast.
4. Every evening, I clear the countertops of any unnecessary clutter that may have accumulated throughout the day.
5. When I clean my kitchen, I organize one cabinet at a time and just concentrate on that "one specific task" until I complete it and move on to the next task. 
6. I place most of the kitchen items that I frequently use in an appropriate safe area where I have easy access to them.
7. It may be helpful to keep any kitchen appliances that you do not use on a daily basis inside your kitchen cabinets, instead of keeping them on top of your countertops. (This may provide some extra space for your food preparation area.)
8. You may decide to place large or heavy kitchen appliances that are not routinely used everyday on a bottom shelf inside a lower kitchen cabinet. (A possible example would be a large or heavy-duty kitchen mixer that is only used periodically.)
9. I keep "like"or similar items together inside my cabinets, such as the following categories: dinner plates, bowls, glasses, coffee mugs, pots and pans, etc.
10. I have a Lazy Susan for my collection of spices that I use for cooking every day.
11. I labeled clear plastic containers to keep my vitamins in specific categories.
12. There are a variety of pull-out shelves that you can purchase for kitchen cabinets. These are helpful for easy access to your frequently used kitchen items.
13. I had a few drawers in my kitchen that used to be "junk" drawers, until I neatly organized everything by using individual drawer dividers.
14. In my pantry, I have placed all of the items with the oldest expiration dates in the front section of my shelving. I will be more likely to use these items first.
15. I routinely label all of my left-over food stored in my refrigerator with the content and the correct date.
16. I try to clean and wipe inside of my refrigerator before I go to the grocery store for a large order of food. I do a visual inventory of the food items inside my refrigerator and freezer before I go to the store, so I am less likely to buy duplicate items when shopping.
17. I keep one separate list of any specific items that I need to restock my pantry when I go to the store each week to buy my groceries.
18. If I happen to come across a kitchen item that I haven't used in quite awhile, I place the item in a separate box and put it away for a month to see if I still need to keep that item or I may decide to donate it. 
19. Also, we keep one separate "donation" box at our house to collect any items that we no longer need or want anymore.
20. I keep a labeled basket in one specific area in my kitchen to collect the mail until I sort through it each day.
21. It is so nice to have a dedicated area in the kitchen to have a small desk and a little shelf, or even a basket for your favorite cookbooks. The desk area is a great place for menu planning and paying bills. An action folder on top of your desk may be helpful to remind you of current bills, letters, appointments, etc. The desk area is an excellent place to keep your calendar, bulletin board, or weekly menu planner posted for your family.
22. Recently, I have narrowed down my very large collection of cookbooks. I decided to only keep the ones that I use frequently. I donated several cookbooks. There is a nice consignment store in our area that even sells used cookbooks, which is helpful.
23. I have been cutting out some of my favorite recipes from magazines and keeping them all togehter in plastic protector sheets inside one special binder that I made specifically for recipes. 
24. I also made one individual binder with various categories: home organizing projects, vacation plans, school projects, home improvement plans, decorating ideas, etc. 
25. Lastly, I use a printed grocery list that I can easily modify each week. 

Photo Credits: By Susan Serra, CKD 

I thought the above photo was a beautiful example of a desk area within an organized kitchen.

I hope you enjoyed our discussion about organizing tips for the kitchen. Also, you may want to check out a helpful link regarding specific organizing products: Kitchen Cabinets and Pantry Organizers at 
http://www.organizedatoz.com/Shelf-Organizers-s/46.htm?click=7114.