How To Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets

Just because the interiors of your kitchen cabinets are hidden from view doesn’t mean you should not bother to organize them.  When you fail to give these hardworking cabinets the attention they deserve, they’re bound to be a catch-all for all things.  You may even end up dreading the thought of opening them.  Follow these tips on how to put order into those little spaces in your kitchen.

Set a kitchen cabinet cleaning schedule.

It may not be practical to clean your kitchen cabinets daily, but these storage nooks should receive some dusting at least once a week.  Take a few minutes each week emptying a cabinet or two, dusting down the interiors, throwing away trash and rearranging items back in.  If you do this faithfully each week, you’ll avoid the common scenario of expired items, rusty pots, strange growths and funny smells.

Install kitchen cabinet organizers.

When you are habitually cleaning your kitchen, you will begin to take note of some things that you need to install or put up.  Some of these things would be kitchen cabinet organizers which make your life in the kitchen so much more convenient.  One at a time, invest in a pretty spice rack, a nifty shelf divider, neat under shelf baskets, functional pan dividers and easy roll-out drawers.

Arrange kitchen appliances by frequency of use.

A good rule of thumb in arranging your array of kitchen appliances is to consider their frequency of use.  If you are a smoothie fan, your food blender should be up front on your countertop.  In contrast, if you rarely use the blender and are a caffeine addict instead, your coffeemaker should take center stage while your blender should be relegated to the lower cabinet.

Maximize kitchen cabinet real estate.

Use up kitchen cabinet space well by applying the rule of 3S’s—stacking, shelving and storing.  The rule of stacking states that you must stack stackable items on top of each other.    Shelving, on the other hand, makes use of additional horizontal or vertical dividers to increase shelf space.  Storing involves learning smart ways of nesting pots and pans into each other to maximize space.

Arrange kitchen cabinet stuff logically.

• Foodstuffs such as your spice rack, bottles of oils, vinegars and sauces should be grouped together in a cabinet close to your prepping counter or cooking area.
• Frequently used kitchen appliances should be placed on the countertop while rarely used ones should be hidden in cabinets.
• Dishes and glasses should be close to the dish drainer and dishwasher.
• Cleaning and dishwashing supplies should also be close to the dishwasher and sink area.
• Pots, pans, lids and baking sheets should be near to the oven and stored vertically or else nestled inside each other to save space.  Pots and pans may also be hanged on a pot rack for more space savings.
• Cutting boards, cookie sheets and mixing bowls should be close to the dishwasher and workstation.