If you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when it comes to organizing kitchen clutter spots, you’re not alone! And there’s good reason for it too – the kitchen is one of the most frequently used spaces in your home and has the huge responsibility of housing everything you need to prepare, store and eat your meals. Many kitchens also pull double duty, functioning as a home office, mud room and more. Because your kitchen serves so many purposes, storage for all the essentials is often at a premium and can become quickly cluttered in the course of everyday life. To help you control kitchen chaos, we’ve got some tips to help you in organizing kitchen clutter spots.
Drawers
Kitchen drawers are typically the best spot for utensils and other small items, but they can easily become kitchen clutter spots without some structure and organization.
- Start by sorting what you have. Group like items together and eliminate duplicates whenever possible.
- Drawer dividers work wonders to keep your categories defined and visible. But not all drawer dividers are created equal – there are one-piece trays, modular components, and expandable options. When you go shopping for drawer dividers, it’s a good idea to write down the interior dimensions of your drawers, so you know you’re getting something that will fit!
- Watch out for knives and sharp utensils when you’re sorting your drawers and make sure you give these items a safe, contained home.
- And when putting your drawers back together, keep less frequently used items in the back, saving up front space for commonly-used items.
Cabinets
Your cabinets are generally your kitchen storage workhorse. But just like drawers, without some good structure and organization, they can become kitchen clutter spots, a frustrating black hole of dishes, cookware and more. To keep your cabinets under control:
- Group everyday dishes and glassware together. And be sure to think about how much you really need. If your cabinets are full of items you never use, it’s time to weed out.
- Donate what you don’t need or store overflow items that you want to save for entertaining elsewhere. You’ll thank yourself every time you open your cabinets.
- Be sure to place frequently used items on lower shelves, so there’s no need to reach or climb to get what you need every day.
- And don’t stack heavy items – they’ll be difficult and maybe dangerous to get and put back. Instead, try shelf dividers for better use of vertical space.
- Cookware tends to multiply over the years. Do yourself a favor and get rid of the stuff you really don’t use, toss items in bad shape, and ask yourself, do I really need two (or more) of these?
For more tips on organizing kitchen clutter, download our e-Course, Kitchen Mission: Reclaim the Heart of Your Home.
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