Introduction
If you’re like most people, you have a little (or maybe a lot) of clutter in your kitchen. Whether it’s a bunch of random gadgets you don’t use, or stacks of half-empty junk food containers from your kids, you can find yourself overwhelmed by the clutter in your cabinets. And while you might think tidying up takes too long, taking the time to organize saves you time. Who doesn’t like to save time? So, here are 5 easy ways to organize your kitchen cabinets.
1. Start with a Purge
How much of your cabinet shelf space is occupied by condiment bottles, spices, and cups you don’t use? Start by doing a purge and overhaul. Donate the dishware and glasses you rarely use. Then, go through food items, cabinet-by-cabinet. Eliminate unhealthy junk food, expired items, and other items you don’t use. If you use them rarely, they’re just taking up space and making meal prep harder.
Once you’ve removed items you no longer need, do a thorough clean-up. Nothing feels better than clean shelves and storage space! Start with the vacuum and remove those hidden crumbs in the nooks and crannies of your cabinets. Then, use a natural cleaner, such as dilute vinegar, to go over the cabinets with a cotton cloth. Once you have everything spic and span, breathe a sigh of relief and take a short break.
2. Organize Items By Category
Now it’s time to organize. Once you’ve pared down and removed items you don’t need, it’s time to organize what’s left into a time-saving system. When you think of organization, you might picture intricate filing systems, separate plastic bins for each color of tape, and drawer dividers. But kitchen cabinets don’t have to be so complicated.
Keep it simple by allocating specific areas of a cabinet for items that go together. For example, keep baking items together and separate from canned items and condiments. Have a designated area for the snacks, breakfast, and items you use to create a certain style of food, like Italian. It’ll be easier to find what you need and get a meal on the table when everything is grouped together.
3. Organize By Priority
When organizing your kitchen cabinets, the items you drink out of in the front. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to remove drinking glasses to get to the coffee cup you use every morning.
Keep the items you use most often in the front of the designated cabinet. If possible, store spices in a drawer or invest in a dedicated spice rack so you don’t have spice bottles loose in your cabinet. Get creative, and buy an old soda box shelf and mount it on the wall. The slots are ideal for placing spice bottles.
4. Label Items Clearly
If you buy items from bulk bins, invest in plastic containers for storing those items. Buying from bulk bins will save on your grocery bill, but it’s important to know at a glance what you have and whether it’s still good. You can buy dissolvable food labels that attach to the front of containers for this purpose. Write the name of the item and the date you bought it. Then, place the items you use less often toward the back.
5. Take Advantage of Under Sink Storage
Don’t let the space under your sink go to waste. You can install shelving under the sink to store items like paper towels to free up more cabinet space. Some people even install pull-out drawers in this underutilized part of the kitchen. Another way to enhance storage space is to hang baskets on the inside of the cabinet door below your sink. Use it to store sponges, scrub brushes, or other cleaning supplies.
The Bottom Line
Kitchen cabinets are one of the utilized parts of any home. Those doors are always opening and closing! Put things back the way you got them will be helpful. This way, you can access everything you need without unnecessary stress or frustration. With these 5 ways to organize your kitchen cabinets, you’ll get the most out of them.
