Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      Hot off the minds of Midwest travel writers: a fresh look at where to eat, drink, play and stay around the region. Read More
    • Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Find your summer adventure with our new bookazine, available now in the magazine store! Read More
    • This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      On land passed down through generations, a Wisconsin family experiences—and shares—the glory of gardening. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    On a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana, catch a colorful wave of fresh development, plus a new hotel from the cofounder of Vera Bradley.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart

    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart

    With smart accessorizing, a potting bench becomes a celebration station for summer soirees.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Casey Lawrence’s lush window boxes were a revelation to her online followers. Use her tips to grow your own.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Get out your red, white and blue for these patriotic dessert recipes.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    Don't toss those orange peels! Instead, use them as vessels for our super-simple and fragrant candles.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Homes
  3. Decorating Ideas
  4. 30 Quick and Easy Ideas for Kitchen Organization

30 Quick and Easy Ideas for Kitchen Organization

June 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Island 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.
Start Slideshow

1 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Structured snacking

Structured snacking

Keep snacks organized and reachable by corralling them in cute baskets.

1 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Maximize space

Maximize space

Look at odd-shaped empty spaces, such as above the fridge or in corners, as opportunities for added storage.

2 of 30

3 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Think outside the 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.

3 of 30

Advertisement

4 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Good to go

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.

4 of 30

5 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Plenty of pockets

Plenty of pockets

A hanging shoe holder organizes a variety of tools in your kitchen.

5 of 30

6 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Pantry perfection

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.

6 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Bleachers for food

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.

7 of 30

8 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Extra space

Extra space

Bringing a small armoire from another room into the kitchen makes a huge difference in homes lacking enough cabinets.

8 of 30

9 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Divine dining

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.

9 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Make the most of shelves

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.

10 of 30

11 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Just hanging out

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.

11 of 30

12 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cookbook central

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.

12 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Beneficial backsplash

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.

13 of 30

14 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Within arm's reach

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.

14 of 30

15 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Curtains to cabinets

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.

15 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Better bottle storage

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.

16 of 30

17 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Classified crates

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.

17 of 30

18 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tidy trash

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.

18 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

In the bag

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.

19 of 30

20 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Quick clean up

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.

20 of 30

21 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Dish rack double duty

Dish rack double duty

Dish racks aren't just for drying. Add one to a drawer to keep lids organized.

21 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Speedy spices

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.

22 of 30

23 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Message central

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.

23 of 30

24 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Hang it up

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.

24 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Collected cookie cutters

Collected cookie cutters

A paper towel holder doubles as an organizer for cookie cutters.

25 of 30

26 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

All-purpose pegboard

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.

26 of 30

27 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Keep a junk drawer

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.

27 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Stylish crates

Stylish crates

Add drawer pulls to inexpensive wooden crates to make them easier to pull out from shelves. 

28 of 30

29 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Basket solutions

Basket solutions

Baskets add not only style but convenient storage in just about every room of your house. In the kitchen, try a shallow basket for storing cooking oils and spices. Put a cookie sheet or aluminum foil on the bottom for easy cleanup. See more ideas for basket storage 

29 of 30

30 of 30

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Island organization

Island organization

Add a hanging shelf to your kitchen island for easy-to-reach storage of spices, utensils and measuring spoons. 

30 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 30 Structured snacking
    2 of 30 Maximize space
    3 of 30 Think outside the kitchen
    4 of 30 Good to go
    5 of 30 Plenty of pockets
    6 of 30 Pantry perfection
    7 of 30 Bleachers for food
    8 of 30 Extra space
    9 of 30 Divine dining
    10 of 30 Make the most of shelves
    11 of 30 Just hanging out
    12 of 30 Cookbook central
    13 of 30 Beneficial backsplash
    14 of 30 Within arm's reach
    15 of 30 Curtains to cabinets
    16 of 30 Better bottle storage
    17 of 30 Classified crates
    18 of 30 Tidy trash
    19 of 30 In the bag
    20 of 30 Quick clean up
    21 of 30 Dish rack double duty
    22 of 30 Speedy spices
    23 of 30 Message central
    24 of 30 Hang it up
    25 of 30 Collected cookie cutters
    26 of 30 All-purpose pegboard
    27 of 30 Keep a junk drawer
    28 of 30 Stylish crates
    29 of 30 Basket solutions
    30 of 30 Island organization

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    30 Quick and Easy Ideas for Kitchen Organization
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.