Rearranging Your Kitchen Cabinets: Time To Organize!

Your kitchen is a place where one of the most complex parts of your day, that of preparing your meals, takes place. Because the kitchen is a workspace, having efficiency is important. However, in even the most organized kitchen, it can be difficult to keep your kitchen cabinets clutter-free and well organized. A major reorganization of your kitchen cabinets once a year, or even more than once, will result in a more streamlined workspace, more space on your counters, and a more pleasant time in the kitchen. Here's how to get some better organization in your kitchen cabinets:

Getting Started: Out With The Old

The first step in organizing your kitchen cabinets is to get rid of anything old. Even canned goods expire eventually; check the expiration date and trash it if it's expired. Many spices lose their potency after a year or even a few months, so throw out any jars of old spices. Anything that's been sitting in the cupboards without use for months is a good cabinet.

This is a good time to throw out any extra pots and pans, silverware, or kitchen gadgets. Don't have a use for that garlic peeler? Donate it to Goodwill or give it to your neighbor. By cleaning out your kitchen cabinets, you will have more space to work with when you get to the organizing part.

Reloading The Cabinets

Once you've thrown out all the items you don't need, it's time to pull everything else out of your kitchen cabinets as well. Then, it's time to put everything away. Start with the cabinets closest to the stove; these cabinets are where you want to put the items you use most, like your pots and pans, as well as food items you might use a lot, like sugar and salt. Spices can be hung on a rack above your stove.

As you work further out, fill the cabinets with items you need less. Large items that aren't needed much, such as the punch bowl you only haul out for your Christmas party, should go in the least accessible places; you certainly don't want things you need often in those spots.

Storing Appliances

Many people have a number of kitchen appliances that are useful, but take up a lot of counter space. Consider setting aside one of your kitchen cabinets specifically for storing these appliances. It doesn't take much to put the appliances away after each use, and the extra counter space will make preparing meals easier. If you take the time to organize your kitchen cabinets, you should be able to free up enough space to store your appliances, or to simply have a more streamlined setup for preparing your daily meals.