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 use the bottom drawer of my oven for the large flat pizza pans and baking stone. Don’t have a pantry in the kitchen but mounted cabinets downstairs in the laundry room. Cabinet over refrigerator for popcorn maker, crock pot, and skillet keeps things handy, but out of the way!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have deep lower cupboards so I use clear containers to keep similar items together that I can just pull out to look through. It’s a lot easier than getting on the floor searching through the cupboard for an item and also makes it easier to know what I need to buy in groceries.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the tips! I see a few I could use
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I stay organized in the kitchen by reusing jars, coffee canisters, and such to store food in. I also find it helpful to keep it clutter free and get rid of stuff we no longer use.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use those 3 tier plastic shelves in my pantry so I can see what is sitting behind the rows of stuff. It’s nice that it raises each row up so you can not only see what spice or whatever is behind something, but you can also reach over and get something without knocking everything else over! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you so much for this! I’ve recently become totally obsessed with organizing. My kitchen is a disaster so this REALLY helps!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use small clear plastic bins to organize baking materials. I have one for ‘add ins’ like chocolate chips, coconut flakes, etc. Another for things like sprinkles, cupcake liners, piping tips, etc. And yet another for extracts. This makes it so easy to find them!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I had pull out shelves installed on all my deep cabinets. Now nothing gets lost in the back. I keep my cake decorating supplies in see through plastic boxes in the back(sprinkles, food colorings, cupcake papers, flavored vanillas). Things that aren’t used as often but now they are easier to get to. My kitchen lacks space also, so in my game room, I turned the closet into my kitchen storage for less often used larger items, i.e. entertainment. Various sizes of crock pots, serving dishes, roaster, cake platters, deep fryer, etc. Also my linen table clothes & runners are hung on pant hangers (holds 6 each) & I use a hanging sweater stacker for the napkins, & place mats. Just a few.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep the kitchen organized by using lots of drawer organizers so there is no more cooking utensils getting lost or forgetting about things I have on hand like twist ties and skewers.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great post! My mom and I were just talking about organizing her kitchen yesterday! They just moved and finding a place for everything in the new kitchen has been a challenge for her. I have deep cupboards and put things that I rarely use in the back of them. There are a few suggestions in this post that I think I’ll start doing. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Tip #1: Have someone that IS organized come and help you get organized! Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Tip #2: Organize things from tallest (in back) to shortest (in front) in your fridge. It makes things easier to find!
Tip #3: I no longer use paper towels, but I use the old rack (still on the wall) to hold utensils that have “holes” (ie. potato masher) and can easily be stored on the old rack! Repurpose where you can!
I’m getting better, but still have things to learn! I appreciate these blogs; they are quite helpful!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use lazy susans all over the place — in the refrigerator to store glass jars for easy viewing, in my pantry to store hot sauces and baking items, jars and cans. I have attached the hooks to the inside of my pantry door and have all my measuring spoons there for easy viewing and reach. I also love the clear bins. I use those in my refrigerator. I have large plastic bins in the bottom of my pantry for rice as well. I store all my cookware hanging on a pot rack inside my pantry, so they are out of sight but easily accessible. When people see that, they always comment what a fantastic place for my cookware. We almost done with our 1-year kitchen/dining remodel and are loving it very much since we eat 95% of all our meals at home, almost 100% organic from scratch. My favorite piece in my kitchen is by far my crockpot, second in place would be my steam oven (which replaced a microwave).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep all of my measuring cups in a plastic container and all of my measuring spoons in a clear cup, so that when I’m ready to cook/bake, I can just put the container and cup on the counter and use what I need. Helps a lot to keep them corralled that way! I use a tiered spice rack for spice jars, and I keep the jars arranged in alphabetical order so that I can quickly find the spice I’m looking for each time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am a storage container hoarder. So all my stuff gets great use in the kitchen xD For the most part, this helps keep everything clean and organized. But there’s always a time when we get lazy and toss things around so I try to save a time to reorganizing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a corner pantry in my kitchen. While it is a handy size, the corners were always a black hole for items that never got used because I couldn’t see anything back there. So, after 10 years of complaining, I finally did something about it. Now I have lazy susans installed on all but the topmost shelf. What a difference!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.http://www.pinterest.com/pin/391602130068700935/
Brilliant!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve just organized my kitchen this passed spring using some of these methods and I loved it. All my drawers have drawer dividers now. I also use the spice tiered rack for the spices, the vertical divider for my baking pans. I also love the idea of using the storage bins for small items. To stay organized, I clean out and declutter the kitchen every weekend or so.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a metal magazine holder to hold my boxes of wraps (foil, wax paper, etc.). This idea is not mine originally but I did go a step further and chose a METAL magazine holder so it can hold a recipe for me when I’m cooking!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just what I needed to read on a Sunday, great tips and logic behind them! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you Jill these are all great ideas.I have a small kitchen to and ver little cabinet space!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I cut up plastic corrugated signs to make drawer dividers for my kitchen cabinet drawers. I have 4 drawers that are 8 inches deep. They’re cheap, easy to cut, and easy to clean!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I remodeled my kitchen last fall. The best thing I did was cull all the extras and nonessential items as it made putting things back in easier. I did a little organizing as I went but became overwhelmed as everything in the kitchen had a new space/shelf/cupboard. I can’t wait to try some of these ideas and pare down my belongings just a bit more.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m changing over to glass storage containers with lids to eliminate all of the unorganized plastic ones.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used a drawer divider to create a “spice drawer” next to the stove. It’s easy to find exactly what spice I need and it’s close to where I actually need them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What good ideas! I saw one the other day where she had put a shelf up halfway on the window over the kitchen sink and put the bowls she uses all the time there.
HUGS, and thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love lazy susans to help keep any area organized, especially inside kitchen cabinets. I have found uses and spaces for every available size of those things! I have many more spices than the spice steps display so I use lazy susans in the spice cabinet to sort regular/most used spices on one, specialty spices on another and baking spices/ingredients on a third. I like to have my spices always at-the-ready so when I buy a full bottle to prepare for the one that is getting low, I place it behind the almost empty one so that I never run out in mid recipe. I use the center of the tray for taller items like salt and pepper mills or Worcestershire sauce. I use double decker lazy susans in the back of the pantry. They can hold 2 layers of regular sized canned food. I use a single tray l.s. in the back for tall bottles, including one for bottles of different types of cooking oils/sprays or to store any larger replacement-in-waiting items like ketchup, mayo, soy sauce,etc.. So, with two trays at the back corners, I put a third in the middle of the front of the cabinet so that all 3 lazy susans are reachable. Then any additional cans are lined/stacked along both sides of the inside cabinet walls….multiple items stored, multiple items equally accessible.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A very large lazy susan is in the bottom pantry cabinet with all my pots and pans stacked on it for easy access. There is one on each shelf back in the recesses of those pesky overlapping cabinets. Place a lazy susan back there and all that space is easily used again. Use them in the cabinets or on the shelves in the laundry room. Also use them in cabinets under the bathroom and kitchen sinks.
They stay put well and with the twirl of the tray, multiple items are easily available….no digging through stacks, rearranging everything to get to one item and no pulling out plastic trays or boxes. They even save space when moving because they are flat and can fit into very little box space compared to the irregularly sized spice steps or the plastic boxes.
I think I’ll go buy some stocks in Rubber Maid!
Thank you, Jillee, for all the wonderful information you freely share with us on your enjoyable site! I need all the help I can get(lol!) and yours is a primary go-to site for me! Blessings on you and yours always!!