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?
I try to go through the food storage containers to make sure I have all the lids/pieces, group like items together and declutter the counter tops.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you don’t have much counter space for your good cooking knifes in a block, the best thing is to get a magnet bar to attach to the wall for hanging them on. Also works well if you have metal spatulas and spoons that you use a lot. Just remember to place the magnet away from any phones/chargers/etc. and out of reach from little hands!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another handy thing is if you want more seating space at your kitchen table is to build/buy a bench seat. Also if it has space inside it or underneath it’s an awesome place to put the big cooking pots
We live full-time in a 40 ft. motorhome. With limited drawer space in our kitchen we had nowhere to keep our sharp knives, so my husband installed a 12 inch magnetic tool holder on the wall behind the stove top. Works great!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am always looking for easier and better ways to keep my kitchen clean and clutter free. Love these suggestions! I have a closet under my steps and it was mostly wasted space. I added shelves of various heights, to take advantage of the space under the stairs and have created a pantry.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.For lids there are cheap racks that stand them up on the side, works great for all kinds of things. I use a turntable for spices and very small stuff, just a touch and it brings out the stuff in the back. I have no cabinets so everything is always in sight, I keep bulk things in matching plastic containers. Command hooks and cup hooks are great for hanging just about any thing with a handle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep like things together. Everything is labeled. I also use a lazy susans. I store everything in labeled clear containers so everything is at easy to see.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Store those things you only use occasionally in another closet or area – like your ice cream maker or fondue pot or bread machine. In the kitchen it is all about location. My philosophy – things on the counter should be used daily or every other day. Things in the near cupboards should be used weekly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bought a dbl. swivel rack for refrigerator for all those small things and use it on top shelve. Made my second shelf wider for milk, nd taller bottles colder there. It is much neater.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have tried to eliminate clutter by getting rid of anything that can be done by another device. Such as mini choppers, (you can use a knife) for small things. Ice tea machine, (I use a coffee maker). The list is endless. Dish drainer, (I use a cloth), etc….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use baskets in the pantry to corral specifics items: the kids lunch stuff are in one, their snacks in a separate one and we have one for breakfast items too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made custom drawer dividers for my drawers. It was easy– just a little wood glue and some nails. Now my utensils all have a place.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I got some strong magnets at Hobby Lobby to hang kitchen knives. I use two together for each knife and hang them from the inside of the range hood. It was much easier for me than trying to install a magnetic knife bar.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m always switching things up…so I loved these ideas…..recently I added 2 hooks inside the doors of a small pantry cupboard…one for a clip board that holds my grocery list, my bi-weekly menu plan and a calendar…..the other for my apron….I’m just old fashioned enough to still love aprons…..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great ideas! Having a organized kitchen/home makes your life so much easier,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a really strong magnet (my IT husband gets them from inside old computer hard drives when he takes them apart) inside a pretty tin an affix it to the refrigerator to hold pens and letter opener since I open the mail in the kitchen and immediately pitch the junk mail into the recycle bin. I store the recycle bin in our stove top island cabinet next to a trash can. When the recycle bin is full, I empty it into the larger recycle can we take to the curb come trash/recycle pick up day.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great article, I put things in the bottom drawer that I don’t use on a weekly basis
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can we ever have enough kitchen room? Probably not. I often go through mugs and dishes to get rid of excess. Hubby built wooden baskets that attach to the sides of under the sink cabinet to hold little brushes and scrubbies. On the floor of that cabinet he built a pull out shelf to hold cleaning supplies. Spices are on a three tiered shelf. Cookie sheets are in a narrow vertical cabinet. food processor and canning jars are on shelves lining the closet above the basement stairs. Liitle used seasonal items are on shelves in the basement.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Keep like items together. Cereals in one place, cooking things in another, spices in another, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love and only use stackable tupperwares. Makes my husbands weekly meal prepping so easy. I also use small medicine baskets to organize my spices, putting the most used in the front.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I need to apply the let iylt go strategy to my kitchen! Over the years I’ve fallen into the “but what if I need it” trap! Thanks for the gentle reminder that letting go of stuff will make everyone happier!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Rachel, how brilliant! Don’t know why I never thought of alphabetizing my spices and herbs. I have spent a lot of time trying to find the ones I need. I’m going to do it right now!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have 2 medium-sized ceramic crocks I keep on my counter. 1 is for large metal cooking utensils such as spoons, spatulas, whisks; the other is for plastic and wooden utensils and spoons. This reduces drawer clutter. I also have a tiny crock which holds 3 sets of measuring spoons.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.These are some great ideas! I especially like the vertical bakeware organizer, Britta.
Great ideas! My kitchen is also quite small, and you’ve given me some tips I can really use.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve had vertical storage for baking pans in previous homes, but not in my current apartment. I discovered that I could use some of the “tall” space under my kitchen sink for cookie sheets and pizza pans. The sink pipes serve as the “holder” to keep them from falling over, so I didn’t even need to use a rack/holder for them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great ideas! I am going to measure one cabinet with frequently used items so I can look for two bins to use as “drawers” for them. I stand the seals to my Tupperware in shoeboxes, but have to stand on my head to find them when I need them!
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