Organizing Your Kitchen

I will start this blog by saying:

I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER

I emphasize this because I have truly struggled with organization. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed. I see pictures and posts that I envy. I have bought all the bins and baskets displayed. I have worked and worked to accomplish what I want. And what truly got me there? A change in my mind. I had to break it down to what I have, what I use (and don’t use), and how to store it.

The Kitchen

Your kitchen can be the heart of your home…or an absolute dreaded place to enter. Opening drawers and cabinets can feel like an endless black hole. I’m going to help you figure out how to organize your kitchen- and love it.

Starting a new project can seem overwhelming but let’s break it down into manageable pieces. Just a reminder- make it logical, easy to maintain, and if something needs to be put away- DO IT! This has been a huge obstacle for me, and I need to keep reminding myself of this step!

Drawer organizer part 1- Drawers are just a big empty space where items go to get lost. Instead, rule one is YOU NEED DIVIDERS! Yes, some of them seem pricy to start with, but seriously how many times will you be replacing them? I’ve been in my house for 15 years and haven’t needed to replace mine yet. These bamboo dividers are great because they are expandable. Another great option are these bamboo dividers because, although expandable, they can have smaller sections within as well.

Drawer organization part 2-Organizing your drawers should start by taking everything out of your drawer first. Place like items with like items. Take stalk of what you have…do you have 3 veggie peelers? Realistically do you need 3? Then gather similar categories together. My kitchen utensils are grouped in 2 drawers next to each other. My drawers are not huge, so it works for me. I have napkins and take out sauces in another drawer together-yes, I can’t say no to chick-fil-a sauce packets for pretzels! I have another drawer with all of our chargers. You get the idea.

Cabinet organization-I have the traditional upper cabinets in my house. I once again group like items with like items. Asses what you have. Do you use it? If not, then why is it taking up space both in your house and your mind? I recently came to the realization that I don’t need to keep every cup/glass in our house. It wasn’t calming. I felt like I was constantly fenagling where I would store things after emptying my dishwasher.

Plastic storage organization-Okay…my solution will not be loved by everyone but GET RID OF IT! You can’t organize a million little containers that don’t fit together. Yes, this has taken me like 14 years to come to that conclusion. Instead, I love my glass storage containers. Glass containers stack up together and take very little storage.

Food storage-Can you see how much cereal is left in the box? Or how many chips are still in the bag? I know my kids would rather not finish a bag of chips and instead just leave crumbs. Please tell me I’m not the only one in this situation! My solution for this is to keep food in air tight clear storage that can stack together and fit in a cabinet. This is a great option.

Assess the layout of your kitchen. Where do you use these items? I have a drawer of silverware next to my dishwasher. My dishes are in the cabinet above my dishwasher. I love the ease of having everything grouped together.

If you want your kitchen to be calming and work for you, you do need to purge. How many knives do you have? How many do you actually use? Same for serving dishes, casserole dishes, and baking ware. If your nonstick is flaking, get rid of it. Dish towels-are they stained or have holes? Turn them to rags. Do you have tons of countertop cleaners under your sink? What do you actually like to use. No more guilt in donating or getting rid of items you don’t use.

Be harsh on yourself-you are the only one who can make these decisions.

It might take a few times of moving items around to find out what really works for you, but with fewer items, shifting is much easier.

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