Get your kitchen cabinets and countertops decluttered once and for all with these smart and easy kitchen organization ideas. If it feels like you never have enough storage in the kitchen despite tons of drawers and cabinets, it may come down to how you’re storing things. All the storage space in the world won’t help if the items inside of it are totally disorganized.
Discover the best kitchen storage organization ideas that will help you make the most of your storage space and even create more. Try out these genius tricks to corral clutter and store cooking essentials to make your kitchen more functional and less chaotic.
1. Toss and consolidate
First things first: throw out everything that's well past its expiration date, dirty, or stale. Do a deep clean of your refrigerator and cabinets (including the one under the sink).
2. Store utensils in a cutlery tray
You separate your forks, knives, and spoons, so why not your cooking utensils? Store spoons, spatulas, and whisks in separate containers so you never have to dig through a tangle of tools to find the right one.
3. Install hooks to hang mugs
Mugs are essential for morning coffee, but they take up shelf space and don't stack well. A simple solution is to install hooks under a shelf or cabinet and hang mugs by their handles.
4. Get a cutting board that fits over your sink
Counter space is always at a premium, but there's an easy fix: Get a cutting board that fits over the sink to create an extra space for chopping. Many have built-in colanders to help make prep a breeze.
5. Decant bulk items
Get organized with plastic bins or large glass jars. Decant bulk items into containers to keep ingredients neat and visible.
6. Add extra storage space to the side of your fridge
Besides being very, very easy to install (just…stick it there), a magnetic shelf is also, of course, removable: perfect for renters.
7. Install a pot rack
Take advantage of vertical space by adding a pot rack to help store all those pans sitting on the stove or taking up space in your cabinets. If you have low ceilings, consider installing it over the kitchen sink.
8. Add dividers for lids, baking sheets, and pans
If there's always a loud clattering or an avalanche of lids whenever you open the cabinet door, it's time to organize those pots and pans. Install a few pan dividers and stack pots and lids within the cabinet. You can also organize baking sheets and pans by placing the dividers perpendicular to the shelf.
9. Use risers to get more storage in each shelf
Take advantage of that empty vertical space by placing risers in cabinets. This will help keep items separated so you don’t have to try to pick something out of the middle of a huge stack.
10. Get a drawer spice rack
All you need is a super-shallow drawer—and ridged spice storage inserts from IKEA—and poof! You'll never lose sight of your spices again. As a bonus, it fits those standard-size spice jars from the grocery, so no need to put them all in new containers.
Image: Pexels
This bartender's solution keeps your stemware stored in style. You can hang it underneath a cabinet and showcase your wine glasses, or you can tuck it away inside for hidden storage.
12. Mount your dish rack
Spare what little prep area you have on the counter by adding a shelf above the sink for air-drying—even better if it's actually a designated dish rack that props them upright.
13. Add a magnetic knife bar
This is a great alternative to a knife block, and another solution that saves counter space.
14. Bring in baskets and bins
If you can’t keep things out of sight, at least keep them organized. Invest in some pretty baskets and containers to keep items on the counter uncluttered.
15. Make use of cabinet doors
The inside of your cabinet doors is filled with storage possibilities. Install hooks to store pans, lids, or serving and measuring spoons, or add a slim rack to stash pot lids or boxes of foil and plastic wrap. Sure, you might have to inch back the contents of your cabinets just slightly, but you'll be happy to do it when you open the door and see this supremely organized situation.
16. Add rolling shelves
The downside of deep cabinets is having to practically climb in to get what you need from the back. Install rolling shelves with low sides to keep items organized and easily accessible.
17. Put a miniature lazy Susan inside a kitchen cabinet
Add a small-scale lazy Susan to the inside your kitchen cabinets. You can use it to corral spices and oils, or add it below the sink to store cleaning products.
18. Upgrade your fruit basket
This three-tiered fruit basket hangs from your ceiling—leaving you valuable counter space below. Plus, when the fruit is suspended, it gets more air circulation to help it ripe.
19. Line your shelves
Kitchen organization ideas aren't just about creating more storage space—you also have to consider how to make the space fuss-free and easy to keep clean. Enter shelf liners. In addition to protecting your cabinet shelves, they can also brighten up the space. Shelf liners come in just about every color and pattern you can imagine, and are available in adhesive and non-adhesive styles.
20. Designate a place for everything, including your empty bags
Bags have a way of accumulating in various drawers and cupboards. Designate a bin or container just for those errant bags. You can even repurpose an old coffee canister. Cut a slit in the lid and you easily pull out the bags one at a time (and you can take the rest of your adhesive contact paper and cover the can to give it a refresh.
This article was originally published on AD CLEVER
Feature Image: Pexels
