Organizing Your Kitchen Gear

Tips for Tuesday

As mothers and homeowners, we spend a good amount of time in our kitchens preparing meals and cleaning up afterward.  While it is necessary to eat, it isn't necessary to waste time.  Having an organized kitchen will help you spend more time with your family and less washing dishes.  Here are some ways to keep your kitchen functioning smoothly.

·        Clean out your cabinets!  Be ruthless.  Are you really using every appliance and every gadget in your pantry?  Or are some wedding gifts still unopened?  Get rid of the items you don't use.

·        Remove seldom-used and holiday items from your kitchen cabinets.  Store them elsewhere in your home.

·        Use space outside your cabinets.  There is space under your upper cabinets, on the wall, on your countertops and above your head.  Take advantage of every inch.  For example, install a paper towel holder under a cabinet near your kitchen sink.  Or hang a magnetic strip on the wall above your stove to hold knives.

·         Containerize small items.  Use plastic bowls for spice packs, cake decorations, etc.

·         Use dividers in drawers to keep gadgets separated and easy to find. 

·         Use a letter or file organizer to store pot lids.

·         Insert vertical tension rods in your cabinets to store cookie sheets and trays vertically between the rods.

·         Use box lids as a cheap alternative to slide-out drawers.

·         Discard broken and mismatched items such as pot lids missing handles or lids with no bowl.

Make it easy to find, and your life will be easier!