Everyone wants a spacious kitchen and a walk-in pantry, but for many, this is nothing more than a dream. Maybe your kitchen is cramped and needs more counter space to hold everything. On the other hand, maybe your kitchen is spacious enough, but you can’t find anything you’re looking for to save your life. Whether you’re desperate to make space or you want to be able to find things in your kitchen quickly, this article is perfect for you. We’re going to talk about six kitchen organization ideas to maximize space and minimize stress. From hanging your ceramic non-stick pans to getting a cutting board that fits over your sink, we’ll give you plenty of ideas that are sure to inspire you.
1. Hang Your Pots and Pans
Pot pots and pans are some of the bulkiest, space-consuming items in any kitchen, especially if you can’t seem to get enough of them. A great way to maximize space in your kitchen cabinets is to install a rack to hang your pots and pans. This will save space and protect your cookware from getting scratched, which is especially useful when you have high-quality cookware, such as ceramic non-stick pans. You’ll want to keep those ceramic pans in stellar condition for as long as possible, so hang them up to ensure they don’t get scratched during storage.
2. Designate a Place for Everything
Many people make big organizational mistakes by throwing things in the pantry or kitchen drawers and trying to make them look organized. Although it might appear organized temporarily, this will only work in the short run; you’ll eventually need to have a designated place for everything. For example, you can dedicate the right side of your center kitchen drawer to eating utensils and the left to reusable straws and straw cleaners. This organization is much more effective than tossing your forks, spoons, and straws in a drawer and calling it a day.
3. Throw Out Everything Expired or Stale
It’s easy to forget about that box of crackers or chicken bouillon container you threw to the back of an already cramped pantry. However, because of expired and forgotten items like these, so many pantries are disorganized. It’s critical to go through your pantry every month or two and throw out everything expired or stale. You’ll be surprised at how much space you’ll free up by doing this.
4. Use Lazy Susans in the Pantry
Have you ever been to a restaurant and seen delicious dishes rotating on a circular board in the middle of the table? If so, then you already know what a Lazy Susan is. In restaurants, these turnable boards make it easy for everyone at the table to access any dish they want; all they have to do to reach a plate at the opposite end of the table is spin the Lazy Susan. Similarly, Lazy Susans can make access to items in your pantry easier. Consider putting your spices and cooking oils on one; you won’t need to dig through your pantry to find that specific spice anymore.
5. Store Dry Foods in Stackable Containers
Most dry foods come in unnecessarily bulky packaging. Your rolled oats might have come in a vast cardboard cylinder, or maybe your sugar is still in the plastic bag you bought it in, sealed with a kitchen clip. Packaging like this makes organization difficult and stacking impossible. A simple space-saving idea is to transfer all your dried goods into clear stackable containers. Using these containers, you can stack your pantry items and see how much you have left.
6. Place Your Cutting Board Over the Sink
This final kitchen organization idea is perfect for people struggling with counter space in their kitchen; try getting a cutting board that’s large enough to fit over your sink. Although getting a “larger” cutting board might sound counterintuitive, you’ll save a lot of counter space when cooking if you can use the sink area when prepping your ingredients. Additionally, cutting boards are thin, easily slipping anywhere and barely occupying space. You can’t go wrong with an over-sink cutting board.
Conclusion
In summary, here are the six kitchen organization ideas we covered today:
- Hang your pots and pans
- Designate a place for everything
- Throw out everything expired or stale
- Use Lazy Susans in the pantry
- Store dry foods in stackable containers
- Place your cutting board over the sink
We hope we’ve inspired you to organize your kitchen. By following these six simple steps, you’ll have the organized kitchen of your dreams in no time.