How-to Organize Kitchen Cabinets

If your kitchen is anything like mine, the cupboards are always in disarray, and you have about three bottles of cumin and two bottles of opened soy sauce. We all could use a little organization when it comes to our kitchen. Here are a few handy ideas to get your kitchen organized.

Start with a Clean Slate

Take out everything in your cabinets and start fresh. Hear me out. Taking everything out might seem like a pain, but you can also clean each cabinet surface thoroughly before putting it all back in. Doing so will also help you visualize how many things you keep hoarding in your kitchen and allow you to group similar items.

Declutter Kitchen Cabinets

• Trash all items that are expired. You will be surprised by the number of forgotten items that linger in the back of cupboards. Donate all the things still in good condition that will go unused.
• Get rid of items you can’t remember opening or that are broken or damaged. 
• Mugs, this is the item in my cupboards I have too many of, but can’t seem to part with them. Please take my advice and purge your mug collection. Keep your favourites and a couple for the potential company but donate or regift the rest!

Plan the Layout

• Decide what items you use most frequently and store the less used items out of the way. Then choose what things can go in what areas, and put them near the appropriate places, such as spices and oil near the stove, tea and coffee near the pots, and dishes near the sink and dishwasher.
• Small appliances and lesser-used items like platters can be stored on out-of-way shelves.
• Kids and pets will benefit from ideal placements, like kids’ snacks in a lower cupboard so they can easily reach themselves. 

Add Organizers

Once everything is removed from the shelves, begin assessing what sort of containers are needed to store things more efficiently. 

• Turntables are great for bottles and condiments—group them, such as oils, dressings, and sauces.
• Pan & Lid organizers are fantastic. I have just heard of these. They will neatly store all those random lids, containers and pans you have.
• Small, shallow bins can easily store sauce packets, bags and small items.
• Pullout shelves and drawers can give instant access to items towards the back of the cabinets. 
• Expandable spice racks and shelf rises are ideal for canned goods. They will quickly let you see what you have in your cabinets in a tiered system.

Labels

The ultimate organization system is adding labels to items or bins. Doing so will allow everyone to return items exactly where they were—reducing the chance of the cupboards getting disorganized again. Labelling is only for some. Choose this as a step if you think it will work for you.

Keep Ingredients in Packages vs. Transferring to Containers

Transferring products to containers is another tip that might only work for some, but decanting products from their packages will make the kitchen look even more neat and organized. Decanting in clear jars will allow all your products to be seen and the amounts left. If you choose this method, ensure that you add labels with due dates or recipes to the bottom of the jar. 

Keep Kitchen Cabinets Organized

There is no secret to keeping kitchen cabinets organized. No amount of labelling, decanting and cleaning will keep everything organized 100% of the time. Every six months, I suggest going through items and throwing out or donating what isn’t needed. If you have extra time, wipe down the shelves and cupboards while your at it.

Now that you have great ideas for organizing your kitchen, it’s time to put them to good use! My favourite find from creating this blog is the pans and lid organizer—I will purchase one right away! Winter is the ideal time to maintain your home and get organized!

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