An Orderly Kitchen is a Happy Kitchen
If there’s one advantage to moving, it’s the opportunity to organize your stuff. Take your beautiful new kitchen in Wedgwood Forest. It’s a blank canvas just waiting to neatly organize your pots, pans, glasses, dishes and small appliances. Not sure how to tackle the job? We’ve got some handy tips.
Unpack
If you just moved in, it’s time to unpack those boxes marked kitchen. If you are just in the mood to organize, empty your cabinets and drawers. It’s important to see what you have so you can decide where it should go.
Be Ruthless
Are you still moving around that ugly casserole dish you got as a wedding present? Not on our watch. Go through your stuff and get rid of broken, duplicate or infrequently used items. Give them away or find another use for them. Hint: plastic containers without lids make great planters.
Group Your Items
Group items based on their purpose and frequency of use. Baking items should be in one pile, holiday dishes in another, mugs in a third and so one. It’s okay to further sort those things into “use all the time” and “once in a blue moon” piles.
Arrange By What Makes Sense
Everyone cooks and cleans in their own way, so it makes sense to organize your kitchen in the way that works best for you. In general, pots should be located near the stove, cleaning supplies under the sink and everyday dishes in the cupboards at eye level. If you are an avid coffee drinker, set up a coffee station. Include sugar, mugs and filters and place it near the water source for ease of use. If you are lucky enough to have a butler’s pantry, store your china, good silverware and linens there.
Go Vertical
When it comes to organizing don’t try to cram everything into cabinets. It’s a losing battle. Instead, install hooks underneath the cabinets to hold coffee mugs, measuring cups and potholders. Use a stemware rack for wine glasses. Hang your prettier pots and pans from a ceiling rack.
Splurge on Drawer Dividers
Drawer dividers aren’t just for silverware. Use them to organize your cooking utensils and junk drawer.
Where Do Small Appliances Go?
If you use your coffee maker or food processor a lot, by all means keep it on the counter. Heavy items like a mixer can stay as well. If it’s light and not used very often, find a cabinet or drawer. If you almost never use it, store it in the cupboard over the refrigerator.
Use Plastic Containers in the Pantry
Containers designed for pantries increase storage space. Got small packets of things like cocoa, gravy, seasonings or instant oatmeal? Put them in plastic containers so you can easily find them. You can do the same with small boxes, dried fruit, nuts and baking ingredients.
Get Ready to Reorganize
Check in with yourself a few months after organizing your kitchen. Can you find what you need, when you need it? Are your cabinets overflowing again? Do all your storage containers have lids? If you aren’t happy with your current arrangement, change things.
Remember, an organized kitchen is a happy one.
