Kitchens can become a host of mess, disorganization, and frustration if things are not properly placed. Live a more organized life in the kitchen this 2016 with these 10 helpful tips from Cabinets Direct USA.
1. Empty Kitchen Cabinets
Take everything out of each cabinet and carefully go through it all. Get rid of items you don’t frequently use, duplicate items, broken items, or things you forgot you had and have no use for anymore. Make sure to empty out each cabinet and drawer in your kitchen, setting up separate areas on the floor or table for each group. Most kitchens are low on storage space, so the idea is to only have things you really love and use.
2. Put Similar Items Together
After your cabinets have been completely emptied, consider what the best way is for you to group items. Try sorting through your things and piling together similar items, such as putting all of your bakeware in one pile separate from other items in the kitchen. Group together the dishes, glassware, holiday or other seasonal items that you only use once or twice a year, as well as special entertainment pieces that are only used occasionally. You can also group objects by purpose and assign them to specific cabinets.
3. Organize Kitchen Cabinets
Now that your items are grouped together, it’s time to decide where each item should be stored. A good idea is to keep cooking items and bakeware close to where you do food preparation, as well as utensils. Glassware might be best near the sink or refrigerator so it is closer to your favorite beverages. Another excellent idea is to make a coffee or tea station that includes sugar, mugs, and filters in a cabinet near a sink. This way you avoid going back and forth across the kitchen to make your morning coffee or tea.
4. Make More Cabinet Space
Utilize more space in your kitchen cabinets with some unique dishware rearranging. Try storing stemware glasses by placing every other glass upside down. Since dishes are one the most frequently used items in the kitchen, you should place them on the bottom shelves of a cabinet that’s most convenient to you. Think about rearranging the cabinet’s interior shelves to accommodate your different size dishes as well. If your shelves are stationary, nesting bowls and casserole dishes are a great space saver.
5. Use Shelf Organizers and Draw Dividers
Installing shelf organizers and utilizing drawer dividers are great additions to keep your kitchen more organized and mess free. Sliding shelf organizers makes frequently used items easy to access and more organized since they are all in one place. Draw dividers keep utensils neatly separated, so you never have to frustratingly search for what you need anymore. Draw dividers and shelf organizers are easy to find as they are sold at any major home department store.
6. Utilize Vertical Space
A great way to create more space and organization is making use of your vertical space. You can do this by placing hooks underneath cabinets to hold mugs above the countertop, or hang a stemware rack in the same spot for wine glasses. This will free up a tremendous amount of cabinet space. You could also buy adhesive hooks to hang on the inside of your cabinet doors or pantry doors to hold kitchen tools such as measuring cups, oven mitts, or other kitchen items. Also try using wall space or a ceiling rack to hang pots and pans. Pots and pans can double as kitchen artwork if they are color-coded and put on display with the ceiling rack. Keep in mind the more items you can hang leads to more optimal space inside your cabinets.
7. Organize Plastic Containers
Trying to find a plastic container with the right lid is a pain. The first step to organizing your plastic containers is going through all of them to see if they have a matching lid. If you cannot find the lid to certain containers, throw them away! Then orderly store the remaining plastic containers either with the lids on them, or store the lids in another larger container so they can all stay together. A larger clear box will also keep them nicely together and on their sides. Another great option is to store plastic containers on their sides on a wire rack in the cabinet for more space.
8. Empty the Fridge
This is something you do not want to put off any longer. Get rid of unpleasant fridge smells by tossing out any expired food before it turns into a moldy mess. Make sure you check the state of all leftovers and expiration dates on milk, juice, canned items, and salads. Focusing on the latter, produce and lettuce can often go bad quickly, which means you may have to do adjustments to the temperature on your refrigerator if you are noticing your produce items prematurely wilting. Once you have checked all expiration dates and wilting items, throw away anything that is old and wilted in the trash. Make sure you have an ample amount of trash bags ready to use by your side. Once everything is thrown out and temperatures are changed, give your fridge a thorough wipe down. Once clean, then take the next step and organize your remaining foods by type to make your fridge less cluttered, with the most frequently used items in the front.
9. Declutter Countertops
Kitchen counters accumulate the most junk out of the entire kitchen. You can start decluttering kitchen counters by mounting clutter basics on the walls such as calendars, the home phone, and to-do-lists. The most important part of keeping your kitchen counters decluttered is to make it a habit. Keep your counters clean by making it a daily part of your kitchen cleaning routine. If you notice things on the counter that already have designated spots do your best to put them away, so the mess won’t take over again.
10. Sort Papers and Recipes
Recipes and random papers, such as coupons, have a tendency to take over the kitchen. There is a solution to this problem! Go through all your recipes and get rid of ones that you don’t regularly use and have no use for anymore. Take the recipes that you want and put them in a three-ring binder for proper storage. Go one step ahead and organize the recipes into different categories with handy dividers. This way you can find a recipe you want to use efficiently and there won’t be any messy papers hanging out of your pantry or cabinet anymore. For coupons, takeout menus, pens and other random papers that accumulate, utilize a magnetic sorter box to hang on the side of the refrigerator. This way your countertops and drawers won’t be filled with junk. Each type of significant paper should have its own section in the sorter to maximize organization.
Kitchen Remodeling Services in NJ
Invest the time to organize your kitchen in 2016. Following these helpful tips and developing kitchen organization habits will pay off in the years to come. If you are looking to go a step further and get a complete kitchen makeover in 2016, Cabinets Direct USA is the place for you! We offer 10 prestigious cabinet lines to meet any budget and style. Contact Cabinets Direct USA for more information on our incredible services.