Helpful Ideas for Organizing Your Kitchen
The easiest and most helpful idea for organizing your kitchen is to start from scratch. There are several organizational items necessary for purchase like shelf paper, over door organizers, lazy Susans, and drawer organizers. Though they might seem expensive, they are important to keep your kitchen clean and properly arranged. These items as well as keeping frequently used items in easy to find places are the keys to sustaining organization.
The first step in organizing you kitchen is shelf paper. There are two types of shelf paper: adhesive and non-adhesive. The non-adhesive paper is much easier to apply and has a grip top to keep it in place. Using shelf paper will keep your shelves cleaner and protect your shelves from water and crumbs. Non-adhesive shelf paper can be easily removed and machine washed.
Once it is time to put things away, placement is very important to maintain organization. Like items should be placed together. Put the pots with the pots and the dishes with the dishes. Keep items within their category makes it easy for not only you, but other family members and guests to find. Then place the items near where you will use them. Pots and pans should be stored near the stove. Plastic wrap and aluminum foil should be stored near the refrigerator to make for easy storage of leftovers. Placing dishes near the dishwasher makes them easier to put away.
The items used on a daily basis should be placed in easy to reach lower cabinets while rare-use items like fine china can be stored on top shelves.
If you are lucky enough to have glass front cabinets, use them for to their full advantage for your nicest items like antique dishes and decorative bowls. Keep mixing bowls, pots and pans, and appliances in more hidden places.
Once everything is put away, it is important to keep it organized. Drawer organizers keep silverware and other utensils separated and easy to find as well as cleaner. Lid racks keep the lids for pots and pans from getting lost and easier to sort. Sliding shelf organizers keep frequently used items easily accessible. These items can be found at the Container Store or Bed Bath & Beyond.
When organizing your pantry, there are many ways to expand a limited space. An over-the-door organizer is a great place to keep snacks making them easy to catalogue and find at a later time. As with dishes, place the spices and food used frequently in front while items used less often can be stored in the back. Also, grouping your food items by category makes them easier to find. To keep things clean, use a lazy Susan to store items that tend to drip. It is much easier to pull the lazy Susan out of the pantry to clean than let the mess infest the rest of your food.
At typical problem when organizing a kitchen is a lack of space. To save space in a small kitchen, pots and pans can be hung from the ceiling. A moveable cart can be used to transport heavy items as well as save space. To save counter space, mount calendars, bulletin boards, and phones.
Following these small tips keeps your kitchen both clean and organized for longer.
