Easy Steps to Organize your Kitchen

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Easy Steps to Organize your Kitchen
by Alex Levin

Whether you're a master chef, closet epicurean, casual cook, or connoisseur of the kitchen, you must become the master of your domain (and not the other way around.)

No matter your culinary skillset, having an easy to manage kitchen is important for any household. The biggest problem kitchen dwellers seem to face is answering the question, "What goes where?"

That’s why we’ve created a guide you can follow when developing a kitchen organizing plan of attack and finally cure your kitchen paralysis!

The first task is to purge like crazy. Empty all bins, buckets, barrels. This includes the fridge, the drawers, the cabinets, and the pantry - anything that resembles storage. Take everything out and place it in the available space (hopefully you still have some) and leave nothing to chance. If you’re questioning an item or location, most likely it hasn't been cleaned out in a while and therefore could use a good rummage, toss, and scrub.

Get rid of any unnecessary items. (Unnecessary items qualify as any items that you don't use regularly or ones that haven't seen the light of day in a good decade.)

Recycle old cookware. And consider donating them to second-hand stores like the Salvation Army, The Goodwill, or a local scrap metal company (for pots and pans). Don't forget you can be rewarded by the government for your charitable donation. Ask for a receipt so you can deduct the value of the items on your taxes. Then give yourself a pat on the back for being such a good citizen (and taxpayer!)

If you can pare down the items, it will work wonders on how you envision your space. You'll realize there was a lot of wasted room that you were unable to take advantage of. The more you get rid of now, the more zen-like peace of mind you’ll receive in return. Think of it as ‘kitchen karma.’

Miscellaneous items - Remember that collection of plastic cups from visiting the amusement park? Or the 7-11 Big Gulp tumbler? Or the water bottles from the annual company outing? Or the souvenir shot glasses? Well, all of those need to go. Keep your favorites and chuck the rest. Hold fast. Be Spartan in your approach. Remain rigid and steadfast and you’ll be in kitchen bliss in no time.

Still at odds with what you should or should not toss? Use the ‘post-it note’ method. Place a post-it note on any items you're not sure of. Then mark the date on the calendar as a start date. Carry on with your usual kitchen activities and remove post-it notes on items that you use. If in six months you still have items in the kitchen with a post-it note on it, then you can be sure you can toss it. You can do this for saucepans, appliances, non-perishable foods, and anything else you have a giant "?" about.

Be vigilant about those countertops! It’s your biggest asset and the fastest way to opening up your kitchen for space. Maintaining your countertops will unlock your psyche, releasing key endorphins that... well, maybe the results won’t be that dramatic. But you’ll see a drastic difference in your kitchen space, once you get a handle on the counters.

First off, the counter requires a strategy. Try hooks and racks mounts. Place graduated wire racks under-the-counter cabinets for pots and pans. Go for a spice rack that is compact and uses wall space, rather than the coveted and closely guarded room on the counter. Consider hanging a pot-lid rack inside a cabinet door.

For essentials and everyday items like the coffeemaker, the juicer, or toaster, then aim for a designated spot on the countertop. A lazy susan can be extremely convenient if you have items you reach for often: honey, sugar, salt, pepper, etc.

What about those remaining small appliances that have taken up residence on the counter? Well, if they’re items you rarely use that made their debut in an infomercial like the George Foreman grill, the Magic Bullet, and the everlasting Ginsu knives, then they will need to make a grand exit into storage, through donation, or to a garage sale.

The kitchen is the most frequented room in the home and is often the social center for the modern family. With all the traffic the kitchen receives, it's easy to see why it could easily become a disorganized space, but with a little spatial planning you can experience the thrill of a clutter free kitchen – it’s certainly a thrill for me!

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