You may have the cleanest kitchen with closed drawers and well-designed cabinets, but what lies behind your cabinet door? Although out of sight, how you organise the items inside your cupboard makes a big difference in how convenient your food prep and cooking will be. Whether you have ample kitchen cabinet space or limited storage furniture, there are simple ways you can make the most of your available space.
If you're dealing with overstuffed cupboards or lots of misplaced items, it's time to rethink your storage decisions. Here are some tips that can transform the way you store in your kitchen.
Step #1: Take Everything Out of Your Cabinet
The first step to being organised is emptying all of your cabinets. Get through all your items down to the smallest pieces. Once the cupboards are emptied, take out your boxes to sort essentials that need to be kept, items to donate, and those you need to throw away. Make sure to clean your cabinet interior with a damp cloth before stocking your items again.
Step #2: Sort Out Your Kitchen Items
One thing to make sure of when decluttering is to get rid of unneeded items that take up space. Toss out expired food and broken utensils to keep your area safe. To prevent contamination, reserve one section for food and pantry supplies. Use jars or containers with closed lids for small items like spices. Label items with their names and expiration dates.
For easy access, group similar kitchen items together. Food in one place and cookware in another. Once you have these two main categories, you can sub-categorise per zone to help you access items faster. For the food category, you can keep ingredients and canned goods on separate shelves. The utensils and appliances are also placed depending on their zones. The way you group your items depends on how you use your kitchen.
Step #3: Make a Space Plan
Before bringing the essentials back to your cabinets, it's important to rethink how you use your kitchen. It's definitely okay to alter the previous locations of your items, especially if not everything seamlessly works out with your daily cooking routine.
When placing items individually into your cupboards, make sure you position them based on how often you use them. The least-used items will be at the back, and frequently used essentials will be in front. As for the appliances, the heavier units are placed in the lower part of the cabinet, while regularly used appliances are nearer your reach. Other frequently used kitchen gadgets can be placed on top of your counter.
Step #4: Arrange Your Items Based on Your Work Zones
Once you complete your space plan, it's time to arrange your kitchen items based on your work zones: cooking zone, food prep, storage, cleaning, and, for some, baking. These are where the major kitchen appliances like the hob, refrigerator, and oven are located. This is a basic and effective way to make cooking easier. Remember, place your items based on their use and not their type.
Here's a quick way to categorise your zones:
|
Food Preparation Zone |
Cooking Zone |
Baking Zone |
Cleaning Zone |
Storage Zone |
| Different types of knives Cutting board Peeler Grater Colander Squeezer and juicer Mixing bowls Other small to medium food prep appliances |
Pots and pans Spatulas Tongs Hotpot Steamer Rice cooker Microwave oven Trays and racks Other cooking tools |
Oven Bakeware Trays and baking sheets Other baking tools |
Bucket Basin Soap or detergent Sponge and microfibre cloth Brush Dishwasher |
Refrigerator Pantry cabinet/ rack Other storage containers |
Upper Cabinet
Food items: If you don't have a dedicated pantry area, you can utilise the upper part of your cabinet for food. This is because food items are the lightest. Placing them on the upper part of your cabinet makes it easy to access ingredients when cooking.
Storage containers: Another lightweight and frequently used essential are food containers. Always keep these accessible, especially when filling them with freshly cooked food.
Middle Cabinet
Whether it's at the lowest part of your upper cabinet or the highest part of your lower cabinet, it’s good to place cookware and utensils closest to your reach. Cookware shall be located near the hob during kitchen prep, and knives and other food prep essentials shall be near the food prep zone.
Lower Cabinet
Kitchen appliances: Kitchen appliances are heavier than other kitchen essentials. To prevent your cabinet from collapsing due to the appliances' weight, it's advisable to place it at the lower part but still close to your work area. For easy access, consider placing frequently used appliances on your countertop.
Cleaning supplies: Cleaning supplies, especially chemicals, must be stored in the lower cabinet near the cleaning area or the sink to prevent contact with food items. Place a drying rack near your sink or dishwasher for easy cleaning.
Step #5: Evaluate Additional Storage Needs
We recommend buying additional storage, may it be a hutch, a rack, storage furniture or containers, after assessing your current storage and the number of items you have. This is to make sure that your storage fits your needs and you have the right items without adding to the excess.
Now that you have sorted out your items and planned them based on zones, do you see the need for a new kitchen cabinet? Do you need a sideboard or new refrigerator containers? Based on the size of your utensils, what kind of kitchen organisers do you need? When buying storage bins, baskets, trays, and other kitchen containers, consider adding labels to help your household remember where to get and where to put items back.
We understand that a kitchen is a bustling place where everyday cooking and occasional entertaining happen. While it's easy to form clutter again due to the number of items you take in and out of your cabinets, you can also make it easy to maintain an orderly arrangement of items by spending 10-15 minutes a day decluttering. When decluttering and creating a kitchen storage system become habits, enjoying a beautiful and functional kitchen will be easier.