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?
A tip to reduce the amount of bottles in your spice rack is to buy only the amount you need for a specific recipe. In Southern California we have Sprouts which sells spices by the ounce. I hate to buy a bottle of something when trying a new recipe, knowing I might never use it again. So I take my teaspoon with me to the store and only buy the small amount I need. Then it’s easy to just dump that directly into the bowl come cooking/baking time. I also take my cup measure when I buy rice, etc. That way I’m never left with a minuscule amount that isn’t enough for a meal.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another organizational tip for me is storing chocolate chips and baking additions like that in one of those plastic shoebox containers. I stack that one on another that holds birthday candles and Wilton-type baking supplies, like lollipop sticks and cellophane bags.
I do a lot of these things, but I also try to keep the countertops free of appliances like the microwave and blender. They really take up a lot of space!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Like Britta, I have lumped all my ‘like’ items together in spaces near where I would use them. Coffee/Tea together near the coffee maker, baking items near my mixer etc . . .
Please log in or create a free account to comment.To keep all my cooking utensils (spatulas, large spoons, wisks, etc.) at hand I found a large ceramic container that holds them all and I keep it next to my stove. The container wipes easy when it is splattered with food, my drawers are less cluttered and looks nice too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.To help my kids at snack time know what they can eat and how much, I placed all their snacks on designated shelves and on the door I printed and attached a list of what a healthy and appropriate snack is. For us it is a small serving of bread/cracker, a serving of dairy and a serving of fruit.
We recently built a new house. (It was a downsize from the house we lived in before, but we do what we must to live on one teacher’s income so I can stay home with our daughter.) The kitchen has a great layout, but has much less counter and cabinet space than I was used to. I am in the kitchen a lot so in addition to getting rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff, I had the builders put a pocket door in place if the regular door of my laundry room (which opens off of the kitchen/dining area) to save space and my husband built custom shelves all in one side of the laundry room so it can double as a pantry!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My house is not conducive to cooking. It was built by a man, for a man.
*sigh*
With that, I had to take all the extra gadgets, put them in a silverware organizer and put them in a tall cabinet in the laundry room, which backs up to the kitchen. The potato masher, cork screw and birthday candles are among the items stored there, but they DO get used, so I can’t throw them out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was just going through some cupboards and decided I wanted my oatmeal easily accessible, so I pulled all the packets out of their boxes and put them in a bin. Then I put the tea in a basket on the counter so it gets used and not forgotten. I got a storage bench for the dining table and store the larger items like my breadmaker that I use often enough to keep nearby but is too big for the counter or the pantry. I think that’s all I have organized. The rest is a headache. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use mason jars to store dried beans. I use dollar store shoe boxes to hold gravy, taco, chili mixes, etc. I use small dollar store bins to hold packets of oatmeal and granola bars.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love the idea on vertical cookie sheet storage.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Have any good ideas for the cupboards above the refrigerator. So hard to get to. Almost like wasted space.
Thanks!!
I use a two-tiered lazy susan in a cupboard by my stove to keep all my spices. I have them alphabetized so it is easy to find what I am looking for and is convenient for when I am cooking.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Labels! They’re so useful for making sure everything goes back in the correct place. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have found alot of times when I clean out my kitchen or get rid of it, I need it. There are items I only use now and then or just when occasions arise. So I put all of those items in labeled storage bins, easily accessible stored in the garage or under my stairs.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I up cycled an old dish rack into a storage place for pot & pan lids. I also added a dresser in a corner of my dining room as a Tupperware holder & extra counter space.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We have a very small kitchen as well, with very limited drawer space and countertops. I bought a Bygel rod, hooks and cups from IKEA several years and hung it under the counter, next to the stove to hang all the cooking spoons, spatulas, and other utensils. I have another one over the sink with baskets for sponges, scrubbies and dishsoap. I also bought a magnetic knife rack which keeps the knives in view and easy to reach. I love the idea of using Command hooks for cups and measuring spoons and will give that a try.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for all the great tips. Can you please tell me were you got your Copco salad spinner? Mine broke recently after using it for 20 years and I can’t find one anywhere.
Love your blog <3
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I store my cleaning products in a caddy with handle under the sink, so when I need to clean, it goes with me when cleaning. Also, store cookbooks in bookcase outside kitchen.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a kitchen that is 8×10 and I think it is more than enough for everything I have. one wall is a pantry closet, one has the fridge and sink, another the stove and some counter space and the last is a counter/bar opening into the living room. i have only 2 walls for cabinets and shelves. maybe it’s just that i don’t keep anything that i don’t use often enough to justify it’s place here. i go by “one thing in – one thing out”. i have everything i need here including a place for my dehydrater and my vacuum sealer. the floor space in the pantry is for my emergency water storage and cat food. with all of that, it isn’t cramped or crowded at all. of course maybe i feel this way because my apartment is 484 square feet and i moved here from an efficiency apartment that was 330 square feet.
being a neat freak your ideas for the fridge are great. my favorite thing in my kitchen is a magnetic knife rack that also holds other metal utensils.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am downsizing and will be sharing a kitchen, so many things are finding new homes. I found multiples of several items, and have given away a large portion of them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This article came at the PERFECT time! We just moved from a large home with acreage in the country to a small condo in the city and although my kitchen has some storage, the unit itself doesn’t. Everything feels discombobulated and unorganized and it’s been bugging me for weeks!! We DO love to entertain, which is why we’ve kept more dishes and glass wear than only two of us need, but I feel we can go further. Your ideas have given me that boost I’ve needed to tackle this project! God is awesome on His timing (as always) and you guys are amazing! Thank you!! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a slim, 3 tiered plastic rolling cart where I store my produce that is not refrigerated: onions, potatoes, spaghetti squash, lemons, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep chocolate chips, raisins, and other dried fruits on the counter in large decorative glass jars. It makes a decorative statement on my counter, while at the same time creating more space in my cupboards and keeping things easily within reach that I use often in baking.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi,
I already do most of the things you have shown above because I am an organizational nut, and am always on the lookout for new ways to make life easier.
One thing I will say is that it’s important not to buy some cool organizing tool/gadget if you truly don’t need it. It’s so tempting to buy those cutesy, color-coordinated items, but if you don’t have a place or the space, pass ’em by!
One trick of mine is to mount the paper towel rack to the underneath portion of the cupboard closest to the sink so that paper towels are easily accessible and off the counter.
Thanks for all the tips–keep them coming! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree with your comment about putting like items with like in larger containers. I put all of my baking related or smaller tools ((measuring spoons, graters, egg cutters, apple cutters, etc) together in a box in my lazy susan so that they stay contained and all in one place.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had an 8 inch shelf installed above the top of my back splash and then stacked wooden crates from Beverly’s on the ledge to house containers of baking ingredients and a few cookbooks. It is an odd area in my old house and this arrangement makes for a modifiable storage area. It was also less expensive than building in shelves!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a tiered spice rack as well, but I’ve taken it a step further. Even tho the ones behind are up higher, I still can’t see what most of them are, so I took labels and cut them to size, then write the name of the spice on it and stick it across the cap. That way I can see at a glance what the spices are in the back without pulling out all the ones in the front.
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