These kitchen storage organization tips will not completely transform your kitchen but will make it easier to navigate, regardless of its size. Some people have classified the kitchen as the most important room. With everything needed to prepare meals, storage for these things and a space to have conversations and informal meals. Now, even if you have the best interior design and appliances, you may not be able to complete all of your tasks if your storage is disorganized.
Continue reading to learn our best tips for organizing your kitchen storage for maximum efficiency.
1. Group items
It is stressful to go through drawers and shelves inside to find a single small tool. You waste a lot of time digging around a messy drawer unless you have a good memory and keep track of where you keep everything (which most of us don’t). Create a home for everything by grouping items used for the same activity together to avoid this. For example, if you are a baker, you could designate one drawer for baking tools, another for ingredients, and yet another for decorations. This alone can significantly increase your efficiency.
Use drawer dividers and organizers to create zones to make a neater arrangement.
Grouping items can be as simple as reserving a drawer for your cutlery or as elaborate as establishing a coffee or tea station.
When grouping items, remember to create dedicated storage for your spices and appliances. Spice bottles can easily cause a lot of clutter in your drawers and shelves. Some bottles are also so tiny that they get lost between bigger jars. Looking for them becomes a hustle, and sometimes you forget about them only to discover the bottle while decluttering or after buying another bottle.
The same goes for kitchen appliances. Select a designated part of your pantry or cabinets for the smaller kitchen appliances like electric mixers, kettles, blenders etc.
2. Put staple items at arm’s reach
Sort your kitchen storage by frequency of use. Items that you use frequently should be kept in places that are easy to find. Breakfast cereal and beverages cannot be placed on the highest shelves, where you struggle to reach them. Consider the other household members and store everyday items in places where they too can easily see and reach, such as eye-level shelves. It would help to put them at the front of the shelf. Nobody has time to move everything to get to the jar in the back, especially early in the morning. Lazy Susan cabinets and trays can improve accessibility, especially in small kitchens.
3. Max out space
A lot of kitchen storage space is lost due to drawers that are too wide or too deep and shelves that are too far apart. Dividers and organizers allow you to make the most of your storage space while keeping the surfaces neat. Choose long and slim cylindrical containers and jars, deep bins, or rectangular ones with lids that can be stacked on top of each other to maximize vertical height in drawers and between shelves.
Shelf and counter risers can also be used to increase available space. Organizers, such as mesh hanging trays, can be used under shelves to provide extra storage, particularly for small everyday items.
Don’t forget about pegboards, hooks, command strips, and rods for hanging various items on the wall.
4. Ditch commercial packaging
Most of what we buy for the kitchen comes in boxes or plastic bags and containers. These commercial packaging options are either bulky or air-filled and unappealing. To achieve effective storage, remove the packaging that supplies come in. Transfer your food to airtight containers and jars to save space, keep your food fresher for longer, and look better.
Use clear or mesh containers and organizers. Transparent containers allow you to quickly locate and identify foodstuffs and know how much you have left, instead of opaque containers, which must be opened if not labelled to determine what is inside and in what amount.
Instead of full weave baskets, choose mesh or open weave baskets that allow you to see through them.
You can also choose detailed labelling for easy identification. Even if your storage jars are transparent, use a simple marker or prettier customized labels to distinguish them. When ingredients look similar and are in matching containers, mixing them up is very easy. It’s also important to label the expiry dates as they appear on the packaging to avoid using harmful ingredients.
Perishables should also be dated based on the arrival date, with the oldest items at the front to remind you to use them first.
5. Frequently edit your stash
Decluttering is the surest way to determine what you should keep and what you should throw away. It aids in the disposal of expired foods and ingredients in the kitchen. We recommend going through your fridge, pantry, and other storage areas once a month, preferably right before grocery shopping. This allows you to see what has expired and needs to be discarded, what is finished and needs to be replaced, and it also makes room for the new items you will be bringing in.
You should also clean up after each activity. The simple habit of cleaning and returning things to their proper place as you go saves you a lot of time and stress later on.
6. Get creative with additional storage
With all of the appliances and cabinetry installed in the kitchen, almost every layout will have a few dead spaces. If you’re crafty, you can add extra storage with floating shelves to give you more storage surfaces. If you use shallow shelves and hooks, even your cabinet doors can be used as storage space. Pots and wine glasses can be hung from the ceiling, and under the sink and window sills are also hidden storage spaces!
Conclusion
Above all, strive for a visually appealing appearance. Visually attractive kitchen storage is underappreciated. There is always contentment in simply looking at a neatly organized and clean kitchen.
Besides, an organized kitchen storage system makes it easier to find what you need, improves the appearance of your kitchen, and improves the overall kitchen experience. You don’t have to be a neat freak to keep your kitchen clean and tidy. All that is required are simple, intelligent, and thoughtful organizational skills. We hope the tips above have demonstrated this to you and will assist you in maintaining organized kitchen storage.
