Tips to Achieve a Well Organized Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most important areas of a home. As we all know, it is where we prepare meals for the entire family. Because of that, the kitchen has so many utensils, equipment, appliances, ingredients, and other items that are used for food preparation.
You will notice that every kitchen has cupboards and plenty of storage areas. This is because of the number of kitchen items that are needed in order to work well.
With that, one needs to make sure that she is able to organize the kitchen well. If not, thing will end up scattered and cluttered.
Organizing a kitchen might be a hard task for some. But if you work on it with a good process, you will be able to organize your kitchen successfully. We will help you do that through the tips we will give you today. Check on the points below.
These tips will no doubt give you a guide on how you can get an organized kitchen. Check this out:
1. Inventory your items and group them.
Before you start organizing your stuff in the kitchen, look at all your items. Have an inventory of your items and determine how you will organize them. Take out all your items from cabinets and cupboards. After that, group them depending on usage and type. Then decide on how you will store them.
2. Give away unused items.
While having an inventory, you will be able to see which items are no longer in use. If you think you already have enough and that it will only add clutter to your kitchen, then give it away. You can give it to friends or relatives. You can also donate it to charity or add it to a friend’s garage sale. You can also have your own garage sale if you have many unused items.
3. Create kitchen zones.
Creating zones for your kitchen will help you to organize it well. Have a food preparation zone where you will chop, mix, and prepare food. The cooking zone is where you will cook your food. The cleanup zone is near your sink and dish washer with a trash bin. The food serving zone is a buffet located near the dining area. The food storage zone includes the refrigerator and the kitchen cabinets. Doing this will make it a lot easier for you to organize your stuff.
4. Place frequently used items within reach.
There are kitchen items that you use every day for cooking. Since you are frequently using it, place it in areas within reach so that you don’t need to look for them when you need to use them. It will help you save time for your cooking. See to it that it will be accessed easily.
5. Organize by type.
Kitchen utensils should be placed on separate storage. Also, pots and pans should be arranged from smallest to largest, placed one inside the other. Place the lids on top of the pans so you won’t have to look for their pairs when you need it. Have an allocated place for bowls, baking pans and other items that you seldom use. Everyday utensils used for eating should be placed on a storage that can be easily accessed. Spices should be placed away from the stove for it will shorten the life span of the spices. But if it is placed near the stove, it has to be sealed or placed in a cabinet.
6. Have smart storage spaces.
There are different ways to create storage spaces in the kitchen. Use hanging cabinets where you can place items that are seldom used. Heavier items must be placed on the lower part while lighter items are placed on the upper part. Make use of the area under the sink. You can place the trash bin under it. Place pots and pans on lower cabinets since they are heavier. Use drawer trays that fit your drawer to make sure things inside it are well arranged. Have containers for spices and other stuff.
7. Arrange with access in mind.
Organize your kitchen based on how activities and traffic flow. This will help you work easier. This will also guide you where you can place kitchen items because you are not supposed to place them just anywhere. So, when you are arranging, think on how you will use them and get into them.
8. Set up everyday appliances.
Some appliances are used every day or if not, these are used frequently. Instead of hiding them, arrange them well near your food preparation zone. Aside from making work easy for you, it will also add appeal to your kitchen. Just see to it that these appliances are well taken care of even if they are placed outside their boxes or outside the cabinet.
9. Label storage.
Well, not all storage needs labels but you would need this for keeping food, spices and others. This is recommended especially if you have lots of spices at home. This can avoid mistakes when you are cooking. Label sugar, milk, tea, and others especially if your storage bins look the same. Placing label is part of organizing your kitchen stuff.
10. Have a trash bin and think recycling.
For your clean up, have a trash bin. You can place that under the sink so it will not add clutter to your kitchen and to avoid bad smell and dirt in your food preparation area. Consider segregation of your rubbish so you can still re-use other items. If you have plastics, think of ways in order to recycle them.
Having an organized kitchen is not just vital to have an easier work while preparing meals but it will also help you achieve a clean home. Remember that the kitchen should be clean all the time since it is where you prepare food. A well designed kitchen is futile if it is not organized and not well maintained. You can also check on Small Kitchen Design Tips for More Visual Space and 10 Design Conventions for an Impeccable and Safe Kitchen.