27 Quick and Easy Ideas for Kitchen Organization
You don't need a major overhaul to banish clutter and boost storage in your kitchen -- these tips get you on the right track today.
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Maximize space
Look at odd-shaped empty spaces, such as above the fridge or in corners, as opportunities for added storage.
Click ahead for 26 more ideas for creating better storage and corralling clutter in your kitchen.
Think outside the kitchen
First things first: Get everything that doesn't belong in the kitchen out of there. If your countertops are constantly cluttered because they are the drop zone, take a look at organizing your entryway.
Good to go
Keep those keys from hitting the counter by making sure you have plenty of hooks by the door, as well as a couple of slots for mail — you could sort by type of mail (incoming, outgoing, bills) or who it's addressed to.
Plenty of pockets
A hanging shoe holder organizes a variety of tools in your kitchen.
Pantry perfection
Make better use of space in your pantry and cupboards by getting rid of bulky packaging. Clear canisters let you see when you're running low on staples; just make sure to keep the cooking instructions with the food.
Structured snacking
Keep snacks organized and reachable by corralling them in cute baskets.
Bleachers for food
See how those foods in the back peek over the ones up front? A set of shelf risers means you quickly find what you're looking for.
Extra space
Bringing a small armoire from another room into the kitchen makes a huge difference in homes lacking enough cabinets.
Divine dining
Fancy dishes and platters you don't use every day don't need to be stored in the kitchen. Consider installing a shallow shelving unit in the dining room to display them, along with some pretty collectibles.
Make the most of shelves
If you can adjust your shelves, make sure they're not too much taller than their contents. If you find you have room to add another, a hardware store can easily cut a new board to fit.
Just hanging out
Free up counter space by keeping produce in a hanging basket. This also keeps healthy food in plain sight — instead of the bottom drawer of the fridge or a pantry shelf.
Cookbook central
Keep the cookbooks you use often — and more recent editions of magazines — in easy reach. Store seldom-used ones (think holiday cookbooks) outside the kitchen.
Beneficial backsplash
The wall space behind the stove is valuable acreage. Installing a shelf there keeps items you use most (olive oil, wooden spoons, salt and pepper) close at hand.
Within arm's reach
Pots and pans find a convenient home above the stove — no more digging around in cabinets to find them. Just make sure the hooks are sturdy enough to hold the weight.
Curtains to cabinets
A couple of inexpensive tension curtain rods inside a base cabinet add upright storage for cookie sheets and cutting boards, keeping everything in sight and easy to grab.
Better bottle storage
Serious wine lover? Easily keep track of your collection by adding a strip of chalkboard paint to the bottom of your wine cabinet. You could sort your bottles by type or by region.
Classified crates
Keep the freezer in order by storing everything in bags (no big boxes) and sorting items by type in labeled crates. Lay liquid items flat until they freeze into stackable, sortable packages — like the soups pictured.
Tidy trash
Replacing one big, smelly trash bin with multiple smaller ones makes things easier come recycling day: Presort your junk into trash, recyclables and redeemables.
In the bag
If you reuse plastic grocery bags as trash can liners, a compact bag dispenser like the one at top right keeps them corralled. Recycle the ones that don't fit.
Quick clean up
Hanging a rack (like the ones made for in showers) on the inside of the cupboard under the sink keeps dish soap and sponges handy.
Dish rack double duty
Dish racks aren't just for drying. Add one to a drawer to keep lids organized.
Speedy spices
Find the spice you're looking for in a flash by storing them with the labels all facing the same direction. If you don't have space to lay them flat, label the top of each jar with a marker before standing them up.
Message central
Add chalkboard paint to the faces of a few cabinets to create a centralized place for messages and notes, like that ever-evolving grocery list.
Hang it up
There's no need for a sharps drawer if you add a few magnetic strips to your kitchen walls. Place them near the cutting area for easy access or near the dishwasher so they're quick to put away.
Collected cookie cutters
A paper towel holder doubles as an organizer for cookie cutters.
All-purpose pegboard
The same material that keeps garages and workshops in order works in kitchens, too. Hang a sheet of pegboard, add a few hooks, and you've got plenty of versatile hanging storage.
Keep a junk drawer
Yes — it's OK! Every household has odds and ends no one knows quite where to put. Designating one drawer for "junk" can keep it from ending up elsewhere. A divider maintains some organization.
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RE: beneficial back-splash This is a nice idea, however, placing salt/pepper and other spices does not really work out that well as the steam from cooking on the stove causes spices to stick and makes it nearly impossible to get them out of the bottle.
2/1/2012 10:02:12 AM Report Abuse