These are my top tips to help keep your kitchen organized and efficient.
Hack number one is my favorite organizing hack ever. This one change alone will make your kitchen WAY easier to use.
1. Store your food storage containers WITH THE LIDS ON!
When I first recommended this to (let's call her) Helen, she was resistant. Like you, she was probably thinking, "How are they all going to fit in there? Won't they take up too much space with the lids on?" But in the end, after just a couple minutes of reorganizing, Helen had plenty of space for all her containers, even with the lids on.
While it can take up more space depending on the containers you have, it's 100% worth it. Why? Because you will NEVER have to go hunting for a lid EVER AGAIN. Game changer!
If you try this and they don't all fit in your cupboard/drawer here are my tips:
Declutter a few containers until they do all fit with the lids on. Do you really need that many anyway? Wouldn't being able to get your favorites out stress free make it worth it to declutter a few?
Take the lids off the largest 1 or 2 containers and store those lids underneath them. Then put a few smaller containers (still with their lids on) inside the largest ones.
See if you can recruit one more shelf or drawer to be used for food storage containers. Do you have other kitchen items you could declutter to make room?
2. Hide long, awkward items inside cupboard doors.
This and the next hack are all about using hooks to take advantage of vertical space in your kitchen.
Have some long or odd shaped utensils, scrubbers, or other kitchen items that you can't find a good home for? Add a hook for each on the inside of a cupboard door.
If they don't already come with a hole in the top, you can drill a small hole yourself and/or add a string. Or you could add two hooks spaced out and hang the item across both hooks horizontally.
Not only will this hack save you space in your drawers and cupboards, it will also make items easy to grab and easy to put back.
As I live in an apartment, I use Command Hooks, but if you own your own home, feel free to use screw-in or nail-in, high quality hooks instead.
3. Hang pretty hot pads as decor and for easy access.
Not only can you use hooks inside your cabinets, you can also use them on your walls.
I hang my prettiest hot pads above my kitchen sink. I do this both to add fun color to my kitchen and to make the hot pads easy to grab for when I need them fast. No need to open a cupboard door or drawer when you're in a hurry and something's burning!
4. Give everything a home, and if you're not sure where, designate a small tray, bowl, or basket.
This hack is the same as number 3 in my last post, except instead of using large baskets to house items that often end up on the floor, here we are giving each food item and utensil in your kitchen a designated home so that it doesn't end up just "hanging out" uninvited on your counters.
The reason to give everything a home, is so that when there are things out that aren't supposed to be there, it makes it obvious; Therefore making it easy to put the clutter away.
If you keep fruit, bread, chips, and peanut butter on your kitchen counter for example because you use them often and they don't fit in your pantry, rather than just having them in a pile by your microwave or toaster, why not give the bread and peanut butter a large tray, give the fruit a bowel (or two), and the chips a bowel. That way they look like they are supposed to be there.
This also makes it easier to clean as you can now lift each container and wipe under it, rather than having to picking up each individual food item.
WARNING: I don't advise that you keep a ton out on your counters. But depending on your kitchen and pantry size, you may have to store some things on the counters. But the point of this tip is to choose those things intentionally and house them intentionally.
BONUS: Declutter & shop your house BEFORE buying new storage solutions.
Thinking of buying a new bowl or hooks for your kitchen organizing project? HIT PAUSE!
Have you sorted and decluttered that category of items yet? If not, you might be getting an organizing solution just to organize things you do not really use or want. Most of my clients have more containers and organizers than they need. And after decluttering the house, garage, and storage units, there are even more.
So, before you buy:
Sort
Throw away obvious trash
Declutter (aka throw away, donate, or sell things you do not use or love)
Organize keepers by type
Put things back where they go
Do they even need an organizing solution?
If so, shop your house. See if you already have something that would work.
Then, if you still want/need a storage solution...
Measure
Shop around (thrift, shop in person, and/or online)
Then buy, reorganize, and enjoy!
When you go through this process. You have not only have an organized space, but also a functional, simple, and lower cost one.
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If you found one or more of these organizing hacks life changing OR if you have a great organizing hack of your own, be sure to let me know! I'd love to hear from you.
Talk to you again soon. Until then, remember that I believe in you and your ability to curate a home and life you love.
