Alice Cheptoo While keeping a clean home, in general, is no mean feat, maintaining an organized kitchen is even harder. It is a high-traffic area which means it can get messy very fast. Staying on top of the mess can drive you insane. Having a solid organization system is your only secret to staying organized for the long haul. I searched the internet for just that and came up with the following information.
So how can you create a perfect home organization system? Well, the secret is to clear the counters, find a place for everything, and maximize on vertical space. You can achieve this by using floating shelves, cabinet dividers, wall hooks, corner shelving, lazy Susans, bins, and pan/lids to expertly store your items.
Let’s take an in-depth look at each of these ingenious tips.
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Clear the counters
There’s no hiding the fact that clutter is the real enemy when it comes to home organization. Crowded countertops aren’t only unsightly, they make cleaning difficult. The fact is, keeping them completely clutter-free can be a real task, especially when you have a small kitchen. If you encounter this problem, here are a few practical tips that may come in handy.
2. Get a place for everything
This is also a big tip to a good organization system. Having a location for every single item in your kitchen will catapult you to success. Whether you have a small or big kitchen, you can create a designated area for everything. Here are brilliant ideas to keep in mind when getting a place for everything in the kitchen.
Pans and lids are perhaps the hardest items to store in the kitchen. Luckily, the market abounds with metal racks specifically made to accommodate them. These fit into just about any cabinet and have space for both the pan and the lid. For less than $15, you can get a hand on a holder than can hold up to four pans and their lids.
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Bins
Storage bins are handy tools for organizing pretty much anything. The pantry looks better when you place items in bins rather than lining them up individually. Storage totes come in different designs, sizes, and materials of construction. No matter the size of your cabinets, you will find a container for your cabinet space. When you do, be sure to group like items for aesthetic reasons. Group your cereal packets, cocoa envelopes, chips, spices, and sauce mixes in one jar. Use clear bins and label each one to make your life easier.
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Drawer dividers
Drawer dividers help organize both junk and utensils drawers. The number of miscellaneous items in your kitchen will blow your mind. These dividers will help you assign a place for each and everything so you can easily find it when you need it.
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Lazy Susans
From vinegar to spices to medication, there are a plethora of items you can store in a lazy Susan. You can have a few in your pantry and one in the fridge. Not only will this strategy help you display your items neatly, it enhances convenience a great deal.
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Appliance storage
Apart from pots and pans, most people struggle to appropriately store their appliances. Many simply throw them at the top of the cabinet or the refrigerator. However, there are better ways of keeping your beloved appliances in the kitchen. One of them is using a rolling cart. This idea has become popular in recent times because of convenience. It can both hold a number of appliances at once (hand mixer, microwave, electric kettle, and more). In addition, it is portable meaning you can move it to the power outlet with ease. The only problem? A rolling cart needs space. If you don’t have the luxury of space, consider using an old cabinet to store your clients. This way, you can keep them out of sight but within reach.
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Divide your pantry adequately
One pantry can store a plethora of things if it is divided well. If you are having a challenge fitting all your desirables in there, consider installing wood boards to divide wide sections into two. Just beware that you don’t make the sections too short for your totes or containers.
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Use shelves on open walls
If you have some extra space on your walls, don’t let that go to waste. Install two or three floating shelves and just like that, you have an extra room for your stuff. You can do the same for the side of the refrigerator or the pantry.
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Corner shelving
Are your kitchen corners available for more storage? Just like your walls, you can add a few floating shelves and place your items over them.
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Use tall and thin shelves
Rather than using one wide shelf unit, go for a tall and thin one instead. You can fit one in the space between your cooker and the door or the refrigerator and the wall.
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Add a shelf above your cabinets
The space between the ceiling and the cabinets often goes to waste in many homes. When you are desperate for more storage, consider using one or two shelves above your cabinets. Use them to store items that aren’t used on a daily basis. These can be pressure cookers, roasting pans, cake stands, and large stock pots.
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Hang items on the side of your cabinet
If you are lucky to have a cabinet that is not attached to the wall on all sides, consider it as extra storage space for you. Hang smaller items such as magnetic strips, cutting boards, and a spice rack or mount a shelf.
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Make use of the cabinet doors
Many homeowners are yet to fully embrace the idea of using their cabinet doors as extra space. There are a number of ways you can utilize this space – attach a few hooks and hand pot holders and dish towels or buy an organizer and hang it over it.
Organizing and maintaining a clutter-free kitchen may seem daunting at first but when you have a good system, you are already victorious. Just make sure you get a place for everything, clear your counters, and maximize on vertical space. If you do these three things, you will be headed to greatness. All you have to do after is develop a few habits for keeping the space organized.
