It’s time to put your kitchen to work for you. When everything is organized and easy to find, it will make preparing meals in the kitchen much less of a chore. You may even start to enjoy the time you spend in the kitchen, with the exception of doing the dishes! Use the following ideas to start 2022 off with the organized kitchen of your dreams.
1. Start by getting rid of unnecessary duplicates. When you start cleaning out the drawers, cabinets, and pantry, you may find duplicate items that you had put away and forgotten about. Our advice is to immediately compare the two items, keep the more practical or less worn of the two, and donate the other. Also, donate any kitchen appliances you haven’t used in the past year and throw away any broken items. If you are unsure about the idea of getting rid of some of your tools, try removing them from the kitchen and see how often you go looking for them.
2. Moving around easily and having what you need close at hand in your kitchen is a top priority. The items you use most often should be easy to reach and stored at eye level, while less frequently used items can be kept higher or lower. Surrounding your cooktop should be the pots, pans, utensils, and spices that you often use when cooking on the stovetop. Knives, mixing bowls, chopping boards, and other prep utensils should be stored near where you do most of your prep work. Store your everyday dishes and glassware closest to the dishwasher to cut down on unloading time.
3. Use vertical space to get items off the counter and free up cabinet space. Install a hanging rack for pots and pans or mount a rack for spices. Add a magnetic knife holder near your prep area and install a cork board inside your cabinet to hang small items like measuring spoons. Hang a clear shoe organizer on the inside of your pantry door to hold small items that get lost in the pantry.
4. It may be needless to say, but everything should have a place in your kitchen, and that place should not be on the countertop. Clear counters are easy on the eyes and easier to keep clean.
5. Before purchasing storage items for the kitchen, take the time to be intentional about buying storage solutions that work with the space you have and the size and quantity of the items they need to hold.
6. Make organization a continual process. As you move around your kitchen and set up new routines, don’t be afraid to experiment with your organization setup. Get a feel for the flow of your drawers and cabinets and make them work for you. It is very common to find that what you had planned for a space needs to be reworked for optimal efficiency with time.
Decluttering and getting organized can help you feel more in control and more productive. If you get in the mood to make significant changes, 1-800-PACK-RAT’s portable storage units are perfect for storing whatever you need, from furniture and housewares, to boxes and other home goods, giving you more space to clean, organize, and remodel. Let us bring the storage to you and show you how we can make storage simple for you and your family today!