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?
My 11X7 foot kitchen has one 11-foot wall with cupboards, my stove, and a window above the sink. The opposite wall has a doorway, a “Hoosier” hutch and my frig. That doesn’t leave a ton of space! One of the 7-foot walls also has a doorway leading to the backyard. Each 7-foot wall has a 30-inch pegboard. I use it for everything from measuring-cups to cutting boards to aprons. It’s a HUGE asset! And having a pegboard at either end of the kitchen lets me divide and conquer what I use, andwhere I use it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I nest bowls and other things as much as possible to make extra space. Yes it means I have to move things but to me that’s better than using a vertical rack that only let’s me get half as much in there. I also save butter dishes and other small plastic bowls/lids and reuse them for left overs. I have a small shoe box in the cabinet for the lids and they are arranged by size to make it easy to grab the one I need. I also don’t use my oven (I have a small countertop convection oven that I use instead) so my big oven gets used for extra storage for the bigger bulkier items.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My kitchen is a good size but has no pantry. I turned the coat closet next to the kitchen into my pantry by adding some stackable plastic shelves I already had. I have reused some plastic and glass containers I already had to store rice, beans, flours, and brown sugar. I just tape the cooking instructions for the rice and beans to the containers so I don’t have to look every time. I keep all my baking spices, soda, powder and extracts together in a basket for easy access. My savory spice cabinet, which is very narrow next to my stove, has 4 shelves. I keep my frequently used ones on the bottom shelf, less used on second shelf and my vinegars and sauces on the third shelf. The first two shelves are alphabetized, not because of OCDness, but so I don’t have to pull out all my spices when looking for a specific one. ;). I also have a beverage cabinet which houses my coffee and tea stuff as well as my ice tea maker and pitchers, and my coffee maker. This is because these are 2 things we use frequently but not often enough to hog precious counter space.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Lots of great ideas here! I snagged the clear lids that go on top of the sheet cakes from Sam’s club and use them in my refrigerator for slide out drawers. I can see what I have tucked way back in the fridge without moving everything out of the way. I just pull it out like a drawer. I use the smaller lids to coral things in a hanging organizer, the ones that are double the size of the shoe organizer, they make great substitute drawers. ~Diane
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love organizational gadgets for any room!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a large stockpot that I need, but not often. It took up a ton of space. Now I store all my cake decorating supplies in it. The supplies are all in one big plastic bag, so when I need to use the stockpot, it’s easy to temporarily take out the bag to free up the pot. This lets me use every square inch the pot takes up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a clear over the door shoe holder to hold all of my cleaners. This keeps them handy to grab but out of children’s reach.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use the over the door shoe bags in my kitchen, laundry area and for my craft items.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.One year ago today, we moved/downsized. I have tripled the storage in my kitchen and still need more room. I have the adjustable spice racks from Meijers. Works great in the linen/cleaning closet so I can see the different products. I use a cardboard box to organize my plastic lids by shape and size. Extra crockpots, large roaster and dehydrator go downstairs on the shelves since with only use them occasionally.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use a over the door shoe organizer to store hair accessories.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I utilize the “Notes” application on my phone to keep track of my kitchen – pantry, freezer, refrigerator, etc. When I use up an item, I enter it on my “To Purchase” list and then delete it when I restock. This also allows me to shop the specials and/or buy in bulk when the price is right.
The other tip I find is essential is to keep my spices in alphabetical order. I buy in smaller quantities so they won’t go out of date but it saves me from searching for what I need at any given moment.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have lots of tools in drawers. It really isn’t a great solution. I’m going to try the idea of putting them in Rubbermaid containers in a cabinet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep a container in my refrigerator with everything to prepare sandwiches….lunchmeat, cheese, mayo, mustard, pickles, everything I would typically use. That way I can take it out and put it back all at once. Makes preparation much quicker. If I’m putting lettuce and tomato on the sandwich I first open the vegetable drawer and grab those, throw them in the sandwich container with everything else and take everything with me to the counter at once.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the over the door organizer idea!! This post has some amazing ideas! Thank you
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have tall glass vases that I got at the Dollar Tree, I use them to hold my wooden spoons next to the stove. I also have one next to the sink for my long-handled dish scrubber.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Slide out wire baskets help keep my deep pantry organized. Also I stick with one type of containers for leftovers, they stack easily and the lids nest so I can store quite a few in a small space.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have found getting rid of the stuff I don’t regularly use is the best way to feel less cluttered
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use rails on my back splash to store utensils and a magnet bar for my knives to free up drawers and counter space for frequent use appliances. Much better looking than plain white and all my utensils are within reach
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best investment I’ve made is a pot hanger. It frees up so much room in my cabinets and it’s so much easier to organize! It was also motivation to invest in some “nice” or “pretty” pots!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Perfect timing! Our family of 5 is intentionally downsizing. Since we move in just a couple of weeks, I’m hot and heavy into planning the most efficient use our new space. Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When cleaning up the kitchen after dinner,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I set up our morning coffee cups with sugar and creamer, and put measured ground coffee and water in the coffee maker. In the morning, all I have to do is turn on the coffee maker to enjoy my coffee! I make sure the coffee pot has been washed out (not just rinsed) to keep the coffee tasting delicious.
I agree, probably the best way is to pare down the sheer amount of stuff! Duplicates aren’t helpful. My second way is to make use of the size/shape of cabinets to fit things appropriately, and keeping like objects together. That along with re-packaging bulk foods into sleeker containers has helped me stay organized in the tiny kitchen of my house built in 1900. Always love hearing more suggestions, thanks for this post! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It seems like a ‘no-brainer,’ but when I suggested putting tableware in the silverware basket by like items, one friend was amazed when she tried this because unloading the silverware basket was her most despised task!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I group items in my pantry by type so I can find them more easily.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like to store all of my baking gadgets together in the large mixing bowl, that way I can pull it out and have everything I need.
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