The kitchen is the heart of every home, and that heart can sometimes look cluttered and messy, especially if your kitchen organization is not on point.
A well-organized kitchen will not only help you cook as efficiently as possible, but it will also let you waste less food. So, if you want to put a stop to your disorganized kitchen, here are some tips you can try.
Decluttering should be the first step in organizing any room in your home. However, kitchens tend to be a little more complicated to declutter than the rest of your space, because of the abundance of different items, gadgets, and appliances.
You can start by getting rid of all those kitchen tools and dish sets you never use. You can also throw away all things that have already expired and those you are certain you’ll not use up.
Clean up your freezer every season and make space by throwing away all those nearly-empty spice containers.
Professional cooks always organize their kitchen to form a work triangle between the fridge, oven, and sink. This lets them move easily and quickly about the kitchen and helps them prepare meals more efficiently. Unfortunately, not all kitchens can follow this ideal, but you can try to think of your kitchen in terms of work zones.
Divide your space into food storage, dishware storage, a cleanup station with big sink and new Electrolux dishwasher, prep, and cooking zone. If you usually prepare food with your kids or spouse, you might consider creating a second prep zone.
Those who often bake, blend or juice might also want to create additional zones to keep things tidy and organized.
While we’re on the subject of work zones, it’s important to organize your items according to their related zone. This way you’ll always have everything you need at arm’s reach. It’s also logical to store items you use most often in a place that’s the easiest to reach, while you can put tools and appliances you use less high up or at the back of your cabinets.
Another trick you can try is item grouping. For instance, place your can opener in the cupboard that holds cans, or stores your baking pans together with baking ingredients. This analytical way of storing items will make your life much easier and your kitchen well organized.
As much as we hate to admit it, we all have that one drawer that’s a complete mess. It’s filled with all sorts of mismatched cutlery, rubber bands, plastic bags, ties and strings, and while you often need something from that drawer, finding what you’re looking for can be a mission impossible.
So, get some cheap transparent plastic containers and sort things out. This way you’ll always be able to find anything within a few seconds.
Simply putting food in the fridge doesn’t exactly count as good organization. Every refrigerator has ideal spots for different types of foods.
For instance, dairy is best kept on the upper shelf that has the most consistent temperature, while meat should be kept at the bottom where it’s coldest and leaks wouldn’t contaminate other food.
You might also want to make a designated space for groceries that should be eaten first to minimize any food waste.
Whiteboards come in super handy in the kitchen. The best way to stay organized is to get two boards: one for the shopping list, and one for freezer inventory. Every time something goes into the freezer, add it to the freezer inventory list together with the date, and every time something gets used, erase it from the list. Anything you need to buy for the freezer, fridge or pantry should go on the shopping list. This way you’ll always know exactly which ingredients you have and never waste food again.
No matter how clean and tidy your kitchen is, if the colors and patterns don’t match, it will always look disorganized. If the colors in your kitchen go well together and all the elements follow a certain theme, it will look cleaner and better thought out, even if there’s a sink full of dirty dishes.
Key Takeaway
These simple and fast organizing tips will turn your kitchen from beast to beauty in no time and make your life much easier. So, get to work!
