Ideas to organize the kitchen

An organized kitchen can sometimes seem like a pipe dream. It is the heart and soul of the home and one of the busiest rooms in the house. This makes it one of the most difficult rooms to keep organized and tidy, but there are a few things you can do to stay on top of the chaos.

1. Clean your counters

It’s tempting to keep items like toasters, mixers, and crock pots on the counter when you use them often. It’s much, much better to find a cabinet close at hand and put them away. Once you get things on the counters, you attract more items, and before you know it, you have no counter space left to cook. Keep items on your counter to a minimum. On my counter I have a pestle and mortar, jars of tea, coffee and sugar and that’s it. It gives me plenty of space to prepare meals and is easy to keep clean and sanitary because I can wipe down the entire counter several times a day without having to move everything first.

2. Have a system for dishes

Some people have dishwashers and others wash dishes in the sink. The important thing is that there is a system for the dishes to be washed. Dirty dishes in the sink are the fastest way to make your kitchen look disorganized and uninviting. I wash dishes by hand and usually keep the sink stocked with hot, soapy water so I can wash on the go. If you have a dishwasher, all you need to do is make sure you empty it of clean dishes in the morning so you can put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher for the day.

3. Clean your fridge

A good tip is to clean out your refrigerator every week the day before your garbage is collected. Discard all leftovers and anything past the expiration date. Clean the shelves and doors and check what needs to be replaced. If you can do your weekly shopping that day or the next, much better. It’s a great feeling to be able to place your purchases directly into a clean refrigerator. You can also save money by using all the fruits and vegetables in the drawer before they expire. On the day you clean out your fridge, use up any remaining fruits and vegetables by making a soup, casserole, fruitcake, or muffins. You can always freeze the excess and use it at a later date.

4. Organize your pantry

There’s nothing more annoying than random packages of food stuffed into a pantry. It looks terrible, makes it harder to find what you need, and can cost you money when you can’t find what you’re looking for. The easiest way to avoid this is to ban containers from your pantry. Have a container for each and every item you need to store and use. The most important thing to look for with storage bins is that they stack neatly on top of each other to make the most of your space. Then label each one with what’s in it and use it exclusively for that item. When you run out of something, the empty package will help you see at a glance what you need to buy. I use lidless trays or containers to sort and store all my sauces, herbs and spices, food base packets, oils, and vinegars. This makes it very easy to find what I need. I also have a spread tray and a tray for drinks like tea, coffee and cocoa. If I am using a variety of herbs and spices, I can take out the entire container and place it on my counter while I cook. Similarly, at breakfast it’s easy to pull out the entire tray of spreads and place it on the table. When cleaning, it takes just seconds to lift the tray up and put it back in the pantry.

5. Plastic tubs are your friends.

Forget trying to stack your plastic containers neatly in the cupboard. Have you ever noticed that the next day all your hard work has been destroyed by someone rummaging through the dishes looking for a container? Plastic jars that fit on your shelves are perfect for keeping track of all your containers. You can pull out the entire tub to find a container, then put it back on the shelf. It makes it easier to find lids and increases storage space in your cabinet. When the tub gets too messy, you can tidy it up in less than two minutes by taking out the tub and rearranging it. Much easier than trying to rearrange a cabinet full of loose plastic containers. You can also use the tubs to store your cleaning supplies, recipe books, shopping bags, and anything else you need to store in the kitchen.

It may take some effort to organize your kitchen the first time, but by implementing the strategies in this article, you’ll find it much easier to stay in control of your kitchen clutter. It pays to have a cozy place to cook, talk and eat with your family and friends.

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