As one of the hardest-working spaces in your home, your kitchen needs to store all of your ingredients, tools, and utensils while providing enough room and efficiency for you to cook. Without the right systems in place, it doesn’t matter how much kitchen space you have—you still won’t be able to organize to your kitchen’s full potential. Here are some creative solutions to help you organize your cabinets and maximize your kitchen space.
Declutter your cabinets.
Before you start organizing, it’s a good idea to take stock of all the things you’re storing in your cabinets. To get started, choose one cabinet, take everything out, and place the items on your kitchen counter. If you don’t empty your cabinets often, this is also a great opportunity to clean your cabinets of dust and crumbs.
Next, evaluate each item you removed from the cabinet and ask yourself how often you use it. To free up space, consider throwing away broken kitchen utensils, old Tupperware, and expired food. If possible, donate your nonperishables and unused utensils to those in need.
Ultimately, less is more when it comes to keeping your kitchen organized, and maximizing your storage space requires letting go of items you don’t use often. Unless you have enough cabinet space to store bulk foods and/or specialty utensils you rarely use, don’t overbuy or hold onto them.
Optimize your countertop space.
Even if you have a smaller kitchen with little countertop space, it’s still possible to keep everything organized. For everyday staples like olive oil, salt and pepper, and hand soap that live on the counter at all times, use trays to keep them in their designated spots.
Using trays can not only streamline your countertop storage but they’re also aesthetically pleasing. To keep your space looking clean and fresh, opt for neutral colors and stay away from patterned trays. Be sure to take advantage of other easy fixes to keep your countertops clear, such as hanging your knives on a magnetic knife rack, using hooks to store pans, and storing your cutting boards upright.
Label everything.
When you’re searching through a collection of containers filled with different types of ingredients, finding what you need can feel impossible. While you can tell what’s inside clear containers, labels help eliminate visual noise, which can make a huge difference in your kitchen storage.
Plus, when labeling is part of your system, it’s much harder to put things back where they don’t belong. For example, if you’re organizing cleaning supplies below your kitchen sink, you’re giving everything a home instead of randomly sorting items into different cabinets when you can’t find enough room.
Install shelves in your cabinets.
Adding shelves to your cabinets can instantly transform your cabinets from an untamed mess into an organized storage unit where you can easily find everything you need.
Simple shelves are great for housing small, light items like spices, but if you’re planning to store soup cans, pots and pans, or other heavy items, opt for heavy-duty shelves. If you can’t find the right size, consider adding a free-standing drawer unit next to your counter. Meanwhile, if your cabinets already have shelves, you can adjust your shelves to create a space that works for you and your kitchen storage needs.
Invest in a kitchen cart.
If you still don’t have enough storage space after decluttering your cabinets and clearing your countertops, a mobile kitchen cart is the next best thing to adding cabinets and countertop space. Investing in a kitchen cart can help you take advantage of extra space when you’re preparing dinner, and carts with shelves can house items that would otherwise take up valuable counter space.
Kitchen carts come in a wide variety of finishes, so you can choose a finish that matches your existing cabinets. For a more eclectic look, opt for a metal or painted cart.
Ultimately, taking steps to keep your kitchen organized can help you find everything you need, and you won’t feel frazzled every day when you’re trying to create a grocery list or cook dinner.
Feature image: Unsplash
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