9 Tips for a More Organized Kitchen

Today, we’re sharing 9 Tips for a More Organized Kitchen! 

A few years ago, I decided to go on a major purging spree and I started with our closets.  It went so well I decided to declutter and organize the kitchen which at the time was a TOTAL disaster.

Organizing the kitchen and pantry was one of those projects I had wanted to tackle for a while. But I never took the time to actually complete.

The mess just seemed too overwhelming!

The Turning Point…

Then one day, it was my turn to make dinner.

I found myself crouched down in front of the kitchen island fishing for pots and pans. Next, I had to go to the pantry to get the small grill because we were making chicken.

The mixing bowls we needed to make mashed potatoes were all on different shelves in different cabinets.

It was an inefficient mess and it was driving me nuts.

But it was also a blessing because that day was a huge turning point in my journey to a more organized home.

I decided I had had enough.  So, I started pulling everything out of the cabinets.

Every. single. item.

I categorized and piled like items with like (dishes with dishes, knives with knives, etc) in an effort to see what I was really dealing with.

Believe me, it got worse before it got better. But it made me realize one important thing…

…I had too much stuff.

The Keys to Change…

Over the years, I’ve come to believe three important lessons when it comes to organization:

1. Every item we own needs a designated home and space.
2. Visual clutter hampers wellness and creativity.
3. We have the power to change how we chose to live with clutter each day.

It took all day to get the kitchen back in order and multiple trips to the donation center. But it felt amazing to have it all done.

Thankfully, it’s been YEARS since our kitchen has been as disorganized as what you see in the pictures above which is a true testament to the power of how transformational organizing your surroundings can actually be.

Here’s a look at the 9 tips for a more organized kitchen we use on a daily basis…

Arrange the Kitchen According to Zones

Make the kitchen more efficient by moving everyday items closer to the space in which they’re actually used.

For example:

• Move the pots, pans, lids, plates, cooking utensils and spices closer to the stove.
• Create a drink station by moving the glasses next to the refrigerator and the coffee mugs closer to the coffee pot.
• Corral your all your baking items together and place them in a cabinet close to the stove.

These things might seem small, but you’ll save time during busy mornings or at night when you’ve had a long day and you’re ready to relax.

We used to keep the plates next to the stove…

Now, we keep the pots, pans and lids organized next to the stove and the plates in the cabinet next to the dishwasher.

It’s one of those easy tips for a more organized kitchen you can accomplish in an afternoon.

Create Workstations Based on Your Daily Needs

We pack lunches almost every day and I know you probably do too.

The morning and nightly routine of packing lunches went something like this…go to the pantry to fnd a lunch bag,  head to the refrigerator to grab a yogurt, go back to the pantry to find a container for walnuts, then back to the refrigerator for berries, before finally heading back to the pantry to find another container, napkins and a to-go spoon.

It took way longer than it should have to pack lunches because the process was super inefficient.

We finally committed to creating a lunch making workstation closer to the refrigerator using a single cabinet and drawer space.

Of course, we had to get rid of the things that weren’t serving us well in the cabinet but it made packing lunches a million times easier.

Since then, we’ve added a drink station, a baking station and a meal prep station too!

Rethink Cabinet Storage

I have a lot of baking items including pans, cake molds, rolling pins and different mixing bowls. They were literally in 3 different places in the kitchen.

Even after I decluttered things, I knew it could be better organized.

Since my stand mixer always stays out on the kitchen island, I created a baking station in the cabinets under the island. The island provides plenty of work surface area and it’s also close to the oven making it a win win.

If you don’t have a kitchen island, don’t sweat it! Find a little nook or corner cabinet in your kitchen that will fit the needs of the tasks you do most.

Make Things Easy to Find

We’re blessed the kitchen island has 2 big drawers that house cooking utensils and eating utensils too.

But it wasn’t always that way.

When I lived in a tiny apartment in graduate school my kitchen counter space was limited to a small conversation bar.

It forced me to keep only the kitchen utensils I actually used on a regular basis so I could keep kitchen clutter at a minimum.

While I’ve been out of college for a while, I still have that same mindset.

Corral Lids

One of the easiest tips for a more oganized kitchen you can do right now to keep your kitchen organized is to find a way to corral all the different container lids.

Most of our lids are organized and corralled in baskets.  The only execption are the lids that fit the glass storage containers we use in the lunch making station.

It seems like such a simple thing but it was one of the easiest transitions we made in the kitchen.  Finally, no more searching for a pot lid that fits!

Make Recycling Efficient

For years, we would walk the recycling items out to the big trash bins every night knocking over cleaning supplies just to get the bins out.

I finally put another small trashcan under our sink and now we have an indoor place for our recycling needs.

It’s been a big time saver because now we can take the trash and recycling out at the same time.

Organize the Pantry and Refrigerator

We’ve been using baskets in both the pantry and the refrigerator for a while now.

The baskets in the pantry work pretty flawlessly. The baskets in the refrigerator have taken a bit of getting used to especially if we have a lot of leftovers.

I still feel the system is an effective one because we never have to hunt for what we need.

Use Clear Storage Jars & Baskets

I like using clear storage jars to keep spices and dry goods in the pantry organized. It’s a quick and visual reminder of what we have and what we need.

If we’re low on sugar I can immediately tell just by opening up the pantry door which is nice when I’m trying to get to the grocery store before it gets crowded.

It’s another one of those simple tips for a more organized kitchen, we’ve never regretted.

Create a Menu Board and Running Grocery List

We usually plan our meals out by the month.  So, each week, it takes about 30 minutes to gather an ingredients and grocery list.

While that might seem like a lot spending time planning meals, it’s so much better than having to decide every day what to eat or worse being in the middle of making dinner only to realize we don’t have all the ingredients we need to finish it.

Thankfully, we’ve gotten pretty good at using meal planning apps and time saving tips over the years because we live a long way from town.

I hope these 9 tips for a more organized kitichen have helped!

Keep in mind, making the kitchen efficient and clutter free doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You just have to find out what works best for you and your family.

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo