Finding Friday- The BEST Kitchen Organization Tips!

Good morning, friends! Thank goodness Friday has arrived. Kitchen restoration has created the perfect opportunity to offer the BEST kitchen organization tips in putting everything back together. I am so happy to share the great progress on our kitchen restoration with the BEST kitchen organization tips in the mix.

Are you ready? Here goes!

Have I told you how much we love our contractor, his wife and team? I can’t wait til this restoration is complete and I can have THEIR FEET under my table for a celebration meal!

What a wonderful week it has been!

New flooring went down on Monday! Woo Hoo!

Those plastic coverings were removed and cleaning began.

Walls and trim are still in the process of getting painted.

Still more restoration to finish before move in begins.

Then I realized that cleaning the INSIDE of those cabinets and its contents was required.

With spring cleaning just around the corner…it was perfect timing…right?

It became ALL about this…

Kitchen Organization Tips

If you have done remodeling with sheetrock in the midst, I am sure that you understand that even though that plastic hung over my cabinets prevented sheetrock mud from covering them…it did little to prevent the dust from entering them.

How does that happen?

So, the kitchen cleaning began.

Here’s the plan.

• Empty each cabinet of all contents.
• Clean the inside of each cabinet thoroughly.
• Add new shelf liners, if needed.
• Wash each cabinet’s contents in the dishwasher or by hand, line and then reorganize each cabinet.

Back to Kitchen Organization Tips-

It truly is easier to organize someone else’s home than your own…at least that happens with me!

I have helped many friends and family members organize their kitchens after moves in my lifetime. Kitchen organization was a part of preparing food lab kitchens in the classroom, too.

Here are some basic considerations when you organize your kitchen:

Kitchen Cabinet Arrangement

Look at your kitchen arrangement and make sure that you have a great flow for how you use and store items in your kitchen.

*A kitchen island is a great place to turn to move things from that work triangle-(the distance between your stove, refrigerator and sink- the less the better) things in and out of the fridge, in and out of the oven or stove, or out of the dishwasher. See what I mean?

*Think about the loading and unloading of your dishwasher. Your dishwasher is close to your sink for loading. Where have you placed storage that makes unloading easier? The silverware drawer is in my island, close at hand when I unload the dishwasher. Likewise, glasses are in the upper cabinets next to the sink for unloading.

How is your flow working for you?

Ease of use

*Place items that you use more often close to where you will use them. Potholders need to be placed close to the oven and microwave; measuring tools close to the preparation area; baking tools and things you use need to be close to baking area where you prepare baked items. Are you following me?

*A drawer for linens needs to be where you need those linens; a drawer for storage bags, garbage bags, parchment paper, plastic wrap is close to where you need to use it. Colanders need to be located where you can use them easily–perhaps, on a lower shelf than one out of reach.

*Things you use infrequently go on the top shelves, but labeling containers that hold them or shelves are great reminders of what’s up there before you pull the step stool out.

Recently, I created a drawer for great glass food storage containers with space above to load leftovers in and move smoothly to the fridge. Perhaps, that will work for you.

Store like items together

*Cookie sheets are stored together. Baking pans are placed in one spot. Serving dishes have their own location. Knives have their own drawer. Thermometers even have their own space.

*Using plastic tubs or containers and labels for shelves are great ways to keep things in order and view for use.

Spices away from stove

Don’t fuss at me! I realize grandmother and mom may have placed those spices in the cabinet next to the stove. Mine did, too.

But, a “no-no” in the kitchen is to place spices near the stove. Spices release their oils when heated–that’s why they work in your recipes. If they are warm in a cabinet, they will lose their potency and not last long.

So thankful, my husband had heard me say this and created that great spice organizer away from the heat. They are in a perfect location for me to SEE, use and last longer!

*While you are organizing your kitchen, REMOVE ALL of those spices! Look at the dates…they are best used within one year. Stretching those dates are okay because they are expensive, but it may make your recipes work less effectively or not taste the best.

*Next, arrange those spices in “like” order so that baking spices are together; BBQ spices are together; salts together, etc.

Empty out all contents of each cabinet

This may be a daunting task, but, to truly know what’s in each and where its best home will be, empty and reevaluate.

Clean shelves, replace shelf liner if you use it to begin a new kitchen organization slate.

TIP: IKEA makes a great shelf liner that I used for many of my cabinets. I have also linked others for your convenience.

*A helpful tip is to cut a piece of brown craft paper a little larger than your cabinet shelf and push in on all four sides leaving an edge to know where the paper ends as a template for your shelf liner.

Group like items together

*Again, think about what you need where for your work flow and use and see if they will fit in a new location or on a different shelf.

*The number of items may complicate where you locate them. If shelving helps to keep everything together, use them.

*Think about using drawers differently. I have a drawer for the ones I use most often. So much easier to stack, pull out, organize and use that crawling around on the floor to reach lower cabinet shelves.

Toss things you don’t need

*This “keeper” of all things has an issue with this one. If there are lots of random cups from travel or gifts that aren’t used, toss them.

*Please make sure that you keep multiples of things you may need multiples of…for example, knives or cutting boards. I use them all! But, if you have more than one peeler, perhaps someone else could use your less favorite.

*Streamline to downsize duplicate things and choose your most favorites or those that work best to keep.

Look for the best use of kitchen organization tools

*Shelves, bins, labels, and other organizational tools help in keeping things orderly and in the right spot.

If you have family or friends who in their “helping” of putting things away, they may relocate items that are difficult to locate later.

Make it easy for yourself and others to “find” where things are stored and take out the guesswork.

Thoughts about small appliances

Many people have a “garage” for appliances like the toaster, coffee pot, teapot, etc. that allows for doors to be closed and out of the way.

Others have a coffee, hot cocoa or tea bar where things for serving are grouped and placed together for each of use.

If leaving small appliances out on counters, think of how often you use them. We rarely use a toaster, so ours is tucked away.

Heavy appliances like my bread mixer are left out; however, the kitchen aid has a home inside a cabinet. Simply think about what is used and what is clutter and arrange accordingly.

Also, a great reminder is to make certain that outlets for small appliances don’t have multiple plug adapters added to handle multiple small appliances. No one needs electrical issues in the kitchen!

Let’s talk about clutter in your kitchen organization process

Some of us love a clean kitchen counter with only a tray with seasonal beauty on display–while others display every canister, small appliance, holders for kitchen tools, soap dispensers, you name it across the counters, with reckless abandon.

What makes you happy? I am trying to remove most of the items from counters for cleanliness and beauty.

Shelves are a huge trend in kitchens now and if that speaks to you, remember that shelves outside of cabinets will require more cleaning and organization to give a pleasing look to your kitchen.

They become more of a design element. Which are you–form or function? A great consideration before remodeling with shelves only for upper cabinets.

Cleanliness

While we are talking kitchen organization, let’s talk about cleanliness.

Many kitchens have pull out garbage cans. I have one on a pull out tray under my kitchen sink, but it requires cleaning around where people miss that can because they don’t pull it out.

A favorite motion activated trash can is placed at the end of my island that everyone else is learning to use to help prevent the “under the sink” issues.

Many kitchens have pull out garbage drawers and some have suffered loss of paint around those drawers or difficulty in cleaning the drawers when spills happen when changing out bags. A great thing to consider when making decisions to include those in kitchen redo’s.

Where do you keep cleaners? Have you made choices for those that are healthy or clean for the environment? No judgment here. I often choose things based on their performance for cleaning.

Now, whatever you do, don’t store cleaners in the same area with food or in open reach of little ones who live with you or come to visit. Even things like dishwasher detergent need thought and care.

Most of us keep cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. As mentioned before, make sure that they are in a safe spot.

Kitchen Drawers Organization

When it comes to drawers, how do you organize them?

I realize everyone has a “junk” drawer where random things rest. Consider drawer organizers to keep things stored. I recently learned to keep batteries out of junk drawers…who knew they could cause a fire? Not the cause of our fire, but I truly want to eliminate issues with any future unknown causes.

Most of us use dividers for silverware drawers.

You might be like me if you place storage bags, plastic bags and wrap in a drawer and fit those boxes like puzzle pieces. Works better for me that kitchen organization bins.

As I shared earlier, pots and pans are in their own drawer, that offers ease of storing and using; potholders are in a drawer near the stove/oven/microwave areas; and knives have their own drawer.

TIP: Pot protectors are placed in between my cast iron pots. A great investment.

Drawers have grouped contents–like a measuring drawer, baking tool drawer, and trivet drawer.

The latest drawer idea I have included is removing the holder with those ladles and serving pieces into a drawer.

The future will determine if they will stay in their new home, but I do love that they are close to use and tucked away.

NOTE: My pantry contains all of my food with the exception of baking supplies and spices. Sharing more on pantry organization will happen on another day.

Hope I have helped you begin your spring cleaning!

The spring cleaning will continue here; but, oh, to be gloriously cleaned out and reorganized in February!

YES!

Happy Spring Cleaning to all of you– and perhaps Kitchen Organization is now a priority. Mine was long overdue.

Next Friday, when the sleet and snow that has paused this project will be gone, hopefully there will be more to share with you –both the inside and outside renovation.

SPOILER ALERT:

While the table is out for the renovation…my husband has decided it needed a makeover…more sharing on that soon!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends and thank you so very much for joining me for the journey!