Organizing the kitchen and keeping it neat and tidy can be a headache if you use it regularly, especially if you’re working with limited storage space. Couple that with the wrong approach to organizing your kitchen and you might spend more time looking for stuff and running around needlessly than you would get the step done.
Some simple tricks and approaches will help you make the most out of the space you have, and even help make working in the kitchen efficient for you. For a start, think about your kitchen as a room full of multiple sections instead of one whole. The prep section, one for cooking, and one for cleaning and storage – this isn’t a hard rule, and you can have your own approach to it if that suits you more.
If you want to know more kitchen organization tips, keep reading!
1. Not Everything Goes in the Kitchen
This might be a controversial take, but if you have limited kitchen cabinet storage, then that heavy baking machinery you only bring out once a year during Christmas doesn’t need to be here.
If there are baking instruments and large mixing bowls that you don’t regularly use, keep them all in a separate store room so your kitchen space is taken up by things that are actually useful, and so that things aren’t constantly getting in your way.
2. The Kitchen Work Triangle
This is actually an interior design rule, and it’s often applied in commercial kitchens and by professionals when designing kitchens. It means that the prepping station, storage, and cooking area should make a triangle.
The kitchen needs to be designed (and organized) in such a way that you need to walk as little as possible when working in it. This can be achieved by keeping the stove, sink, and fridge close together.
As long as everything is within arm’s reach, more or less, your kitchen will feel more efficient to work in. Don’t keep the ingredients too far away from where you cook them, and you shouldn’t have to walk to the other end of the kitchen for spices that you need on the stove.
3. Think About Where You’ll Need Things
We just talked about how you need to keep the spices close to the stove, where you’ll need them. Expanding on the same statement, it makes sense that you put the mixing bowls close to the prepping area, and that you keep all your cleaning supplies around the sink and dishwasher, as well as the paper towels.
4. Use Space Efficiently
We’re not asking you to store all your kitchen utensils out on the counters, but there are things that do belong there, like the toaster and the coffee machine if you use both every day. This will also clear up space in the cabinets, and it might give you the opportunity to organize effectively.
Take advantage of vertical storage space with the help of small spice racks in the spice cabinet, and things like dividers for all the small items that keep getting lost (like the baking powder).
5. Cabinet Racks
We mentioned something about making use of vertical space earlier, but it needs to be repeated. The potential is great, and the right cabinet racks can more than double the storage space you already have.
Organizing your kitchen is all about making sure it’s easy to cook in, and if you have a small one it might be a good idea to prioritize functionality over aesthetics.
