Kitchens serve as the heart of many homes. Thanks to the popularity of open floor plans, kitchens also tend to be highly visible from nearby spaces, such as family rooms and even main entryways. A messy, cluttered kitchen can be an inefficient eyesore that’s visible from various locations in a home. That makes getting organized in the kitchen a worthwhile goal.
The following are some tips to help homeowners organize their kitchens.
Start with the utensils
Utensils come in all shapes and sizes. Take inventory of your utensils, discarding or donating items you don’t use. Next, designate drawers or countertop storage solutions for the utensils you use most often. Place them within easy reach, and take into account your dominant hand for placement.
Categorize your pantry
Empty the pantry, paying attention to staples you regularly use. Then figure out a system for categorization that works for your household. Perhaps place all baking essentials together, such as flour, oil, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Maybe you need to designate a “kids’ corner” in the pantry where you keep fruit snacks, granola bars and breakfast cereals. Use uniformly shaped containers to store packaged foods so you’re not contending with oddly shaped boxes and bags.
Use extra wall or ceiling space
Large pots and pans can eat up cabinet space or clutter the inside of an oven for those who don’t have any other space. While your decorative enamel Dutch oven might fit nicely on a shelf or counter, cast-iron pans and skillets can be hung from durable hooks over an island or near the stove.
Organize under the sink
It can be difficult to keep cleaning products tidy and within reach. Try installing a short tension rod inside the cabinet and use it to hang spray bottles, rubber gloves and cleaning cloths.
Use kitchen cabinet rollouts
A shortage of storage space in cabinets can be remedied with rollouts. They provide additional capacity to cabinets and make it easier to find items, instead of having to dig at the back of dim cabinet recesses.
Tame your container collection
It’s tempting to save all of those take-out containers or empty margarine tubs for leftovers. But if there’s an avalanche every time you open up a cabinet to reach for a container, you probably have too many. Invest in one type of storage container so you can nest the containers and lids for ultimate organization.
An organized kitchen is more attainable than it may seem. Some simple strategies can help homeowners make these home hubs less cluttered and more calming.
