Since clearing out my kitchen cupboards recently, I’ve been able to move many of the items I used to keep on the countertop into that newly freed up cupboard space. What a difference it made — my kitchen looks bigger and brighter than ever now!
That got me thinking about other ways I could streamline and achieve my goal of an organized kitchen while making my kitchen both easier to use and nicer to look at. After some research and brainstorming, I came up with 9 practical kitchen organization tips to share with you today.
Check them out and see what you might be able to use in your own kitchen!
9 Practical Tips for a More Organized Kitchen
1. Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
Every good organizing effort should start with an effort to identify and get rid of any unnecessary clutter in the area. Go through your stuff and figure out what you can sell, donate, or give away, which will both reduce the amount of items you have to organize later, and make it easier to do so by freeing up some additional storage space.
(Drawing a blank? This list of kitchen items to get rid of should give you some ideas.)
2. Consider Your Countertops
In many kitchens, countertop space is extremely valuable real estate, so be mindful of how you’re using yours. Avoid cluttering them up with too much stuff — a good rule of thumb is to limit your countertop to items you use every day, and keep everything else in a cupboard, drawer, etc.
For more tips that can help you tidy up your countertops, check out my list of what should be kept on the counter.
3. Store Ingredients in Space-Saving Containers
Store bulk ingredients like flour and sugar in neat, stackable containers and label them so you can easily find what you need. These storage containers have saved me a lot of shelf space in my pantry!
Plus, you can refill your containers by shopping in the bulk section at the store. These items are often quite a bit cheaper than their packaged counterparts, so it’s a smart way to save money.
4. Keep Fruit in a Fruit Basket
Corral produce that doesn’t need to be kept in the refrigerator in a wire fruit basket. Fruit baskets not only allow you to easily see what you have on hand, but they also allow for airflow that will keep your fruit fresh longer — a win-win!
5. Hang Things up on Adhesive Hooks
Use adhesive Command hooks to hang your oven mitts or pot holders somewhere near your oven. This will free up space in your drawers and keep your oven mitts closer to the area where you use them most.
You can also use Command hooks to hang measuring spoons and other small items on the inside of a cupboard door or wherever they’d be handiest. It’s a lot easier than digging for them in a drawer!
6. Use Your Cupboard Doors
Speaking of the insides of your cupboard doors, another way to use that space is to hang the lids to your pots there. You can do this with Command hooks by using two hooks at the bottom to support the lid, along with one at the top to hold it in place.
Cookware lids can be one of those things that take up a lot of space when stored elsewhere, so this could free up some very valuable storage space in your kitchen. (And check out other ways to use Command hooks here.)
More Ideas You'll Love
7. Keep Necessities Close
Set up an area somewhere near your stove to store your most-used cooking items. For instance, I keep cooking oils, a ramekin of salt, and a pepper grinder next to my stove, since I use those all the time when I’m cooking.
You can do the same thing with your coffee-making supplies or other often used items. Arranging them on a nice platter (there are some pretty cute ones at Home Goods!) will help keep them neat and organized.
8. Find the Right Organizers
If there’s something in your kitchen that has become an organizational pain point, do a search on Amazon or Google, looking for “[item name] organizer.” You’ll be amazed at the types of organizers you can find for coffee and tea, underneath your sink, and spices and seasonings.
Finding the right organizer can be a game-changer. For instance, this adjustable rack for pots and pans can be configured in a dizzying number of different ways, making it easy to find the ideal setup for your unique collection of cookware.
9. Think Creatively
There are plenty of items that can help you get organized that aren’t considered “kitchen items,” like pegboard, mason jars, and magnets. Pegboard is highly versatile and can provide additional storage space for all sorts of things.
You can use mason jars to corral and store things, and you can use magnets to turn any metal surface (and some non-metal ones!) into more storage space.
Want Even More Kitchen Organizing Hacks?
- For even more tips and tricks that can help you keep your kitchen organized, check out these posts:
- 9 Simple Hacks That Will Help You Get Organized In The Kitchen
- 7 Clever Hacks To Organize Your Kitchen On The Cheap
How do you keep your kitchen organized?
Great ideas! I’m ready to clean out every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen and organize. My baking cupboard has a lazy susan that holds bins of flour, sugar and the like. Very handy and stays uncluttered.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Instead of purchasing a vertical bakeware organizer, I picked up a file folder organizer at the thrift store for just $1. It holds my cutting boards and baking sheets just as well!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have cute containers and baskets that I set out on my counter that hold the items we grab the most….like coffee mugs and granola bars.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Kitchen size is not an issue in my house but the drawer space is limited. One of our drawers is designated as the junk drawer- any suggestions for paring that down/ storage?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I LOVE the refrigerator containers! Those would help me tremendously to stay organized. I have stackable wire shelves in my pantry for cans of soup, veggies, tuna, etc., and plastic containers for my flour and sugars.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I hang my aprons on the side of my fridge using the 3M hooks (does anyone else even use aprons anymore?). I also had some small shelves built into the door of my pantry where I store the smaller bottles/cans of spices. That really opened up a lot of space! Lastly, I have a three tiered lazy susan next to my stove for spatulas, whisks, wooden spoons, etc. It is wonderful, freed up a whole lotta space, is so handy when I’m cooking, and looks nice on the counter! I have a feeling I will be borrowing some of your ideas, too! Thanks so much.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think I have about the same size kitchen, but because of windows (2) and doors (4) in the kitchen of this 1930’s home, there is very little wall space. The refrigerator has to sit in front of the back entrance because the home doesn’t really have a place for a fridge. The narrow cabinets aren’t even wide enough to fit our salad plates. However, the home does have a butler’s pantry which helps immensely. We store our pots/pans/dishes in there. I use containers to store dried beans, different flours (I like to bake), sugar, etc. We have a bookshelf in there to hold canned goods. Our microwave is in that room too. In the main kitchen area, sitting under a window is a 2’x’2 or so cabinet that we keep small appliances in. We love the house with all of its craftsmanship, wood floors, 10′ ceilings, wrap around porch, dormers, but the kitchen leaves us wanting for sure.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Command hooks and baskets!!!!! (And lots of ’em!!)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have any new tips for kitchen organization, but I am definitely looking for some! I am hoping to buy my first house soon. The one I’ve got my eye on has a really nice but very small kitchen. I will be looking for ways to maximize that space!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use canning jars to store opened, partially used boxes of pasta, rice, corn meal, oatmeal, etc. It stays fresher and neater.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a wire grid on the wall where I hang all of my utencils and gadgets with s hooks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Like Britta mentioned earlier, I have an over the door shoe holder on the door of my pantry. It is perfect for snacks, especially for my elementary school kids who make their lunches every night. Once I buy a box of granola bars, cereal bars, raisins, etc., I take them out of the box and place in one of the pouches. My kids can easily find them and the box doesn’t get pushed back to the back of pantry.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We keep our spices in a couple of those stack-able rotating spice racks by the stove. No more vast array of spice jars in the cupboard and every spice is accessible with a simple spin!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My husband put a sheet of metal on the inside of a cupboard door. I then got small metal spice containers with a magnet on the bottom. Labeled the containers with my handy dandy label maker and put them on the metal. Love it, freed up a whole shelf.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use CD holders to put paper back books in on the shelf I can store a bunch and the case doesn’t take up a lot od space. I also use shoe bags on the back of my pantry any door is fair game!! In my hall closet I have a organizer to hold (Clear) my tape measure, screwdrivers, hammer Pencil, three in one oil But I have to watch that cause the oil eats the plastic. but that’s ok I use the one below for long gift wrap holds it up right then my scissors, tape, ribbon go in a row and I can see everything when I open the door, Once I really lucked out and found a double shoe space so I can put stuff in front and taller stuff in the back.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow. I read this and had a eureka moment. I am single and had a mug tree which took up counter space. Why did I have so many coffee mugs? I immediately threw down my phone and called a.girlfriend to come get all my extra stuff. What she didn’t take will end up at my office. I also got reduced of my glass cups (see of 16) to just 6. I went through my pantry and dumped everything expired (ie. Hamburger Helper) and packed up 2 large paper bags full of canned goods! I a good hoarder. Still loads to go through, however this was a small win. Ha is for the motivation.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Our life is highly unpredictable so meal planning never has been a great fit for us, but I keep a running list of all the potential meals and snacks we have ingredients for hanging on the fridge. That way we don’t have to search through the cupboards/fridge/freezer to figure out what there is to eat. This helps keep me organized in the kitchen!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I stay organized by assigning a shelf to specific groups. For example, rice and pasta’s, or baking goods(flour, sugar, choc. chips etc).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.5. Use heavy bookends to store: plates vertically! Cookie sheets and bakeware! Cutting mats and boards. To vertically store flattened Frozen ziploc items in freezer :-) (note, I do line bottom of cabinetry with non-slip rubber mat things so plates don’t roll out because of the vertical storage!)
6. I tape boxes of plastic bags to the tops and sides of cabinets to free up space as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.1. Use a magnetic knive strip!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2. Use metal s- hooks to hang pots and pans from a baker’s rack.
3. Use racks in cabinets to stack plates in cupboard to double space and have easier access.
4. Use an under sink rack that fits around all that piping. I store all my mixing bowls and such here!
Here’s an idea–attach a piece of sheet metal to the underneath side of your upper cabinets with wood glue and then short screws for reinforcement. Use epoxy to glue round magnets to the top of your spice jars and store them hanging underneath the cabinets. I came up with this idea, but I’m still trying to convince my husband to help me implement it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I clean out my pantry once a quarter and use up items ready to expire.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like having a curtain rod – the spring-loaded kind – under my sink to hang spray bottles of cleaning solutions on so that they don’t take up valuable floor space under my sink.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use lazy susans in my cupboards to keep my spices organized. I also LOVE command hooks! We are in an apartment currently so having the command hooks be removable is a must for me for hanging my aprons and pot holders. I havent tried the vertical bakeware organizer, but I want one sooooo bad! Love this post! Thanks Jillee!!!
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