Merillat Classic Somerton Hill in Cherry Amaretto with Java Glaze
You may have experienced a paradox in your kitchen: you have lots of cabinets, but when you bring something new home you don’t have anywhere to put it. No one wants to admit what’s staring them in the face whenever they open their kitchen cabinets – clutter. It can slow you down and keep you from finding what you need. Some of us use our cabinets as a hiding place, shoving random items in without thinking about how we’ll find them again or what they may be blocking.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to get back on track. Here are a few simple strategies to help you declutter, reorganize, and reclaim your kitchen.
Decluttering
 Merillat Classic Under Sink Tote |
 Merillat Classic Base Corner Lazy Susan |
 Merillat Classic Base Drawer Partition Kit |
 Merillat Masterpiece Wall Spice Door Rack |
The best way to tackle the problem, especially if you haven’t moved or renovated in a while, is to empty your cabinets and drawers, give them a thorough cleaning, and then restock them logically, based on what you really need and where you’ll use it.
The first step is to simply empty out your cabinets and drawers, spreading the contents out on your counters and table so you can see what you have. For safety, throw out any chipped dishes, rusted utensils, or scratched non-stick pans. Also toss any storage containers or lids without mates.
Separate the items you seldom or never use and put them in a box for donation or storage. Items you use less often, but still have need of should be grouped together. Frequently used items make up the last grouping.
Remove your clutter “hot spots”. Have a junk drawer? It’s time to clear it out and put that drawer to better use. Purge old paper work, expired coupons, that dried up bottle of glue, old batteries, and loose coins. Tools should be returned to their rightful places, and that pile of telephone books can be whittled down to just one or two. Set up a basket by the front door to catch unsorted mail.
As hard as it is, avoid the temptation to over decorate; there are better areas within your home to display trinkets and artwork.
Lastly, go through your canned and boxed foods and tossed any expired items. Put unexpired items that you don’t think you will use into a box for donation to your local food bank.
Reorganizing
Now that you’ve purged all of the extra “stuff” from your kitchen, it’s time to reorganize. As you restock your cabinets, put on your chef’s hat and think about where you’ll use each item, starting with the pile of most frequently used items and then moving on to those less often used. Heavy items should go in lower cabinets in the vicinity of their most frequent use. For example, pots, pans and other cooking/baking equipment should go in lower cabinets near the stove. If you have room for a ceiling mounted pot rack near your cooking area, that’s another great solution that will clear out tons of space for other items in your cabinets.
Store plates, cups and other dinnerware close to your dishwasher for easier unloading. Silverware should be separated into a divider tray and place in a drawer close to your dining area or table. In general, like items should be stored together close to the area of their most frequent use. Also make a point of not overstuffing your drawers and cabinets or you’ll never be able to find anything in them.
Low on space? Mount under-counter racks for stemware or teacups. Paper towel holders, electric can openers, automatic coffee makers and even small televisions can also be mounted under cabinets to keep your countertops clear.
Small appliances that are not used daily should have a home in a pantry, appliance garage or similar location.
Spices used in cooking should be easily accessible from your main food prep area – Merillat offers some great accessories to help you get those spices organized. In fact, Merillat offers a wide array of helpful accessories to help you organize every corner of your kitchen. Many of these accessories – including wire racks, drawer organizer trays, lazy susans, and spice drawer organizers – can be installed without replacing your current cabinets.
Maintaining Your Space
Now that your kitchen is put back together and your work flow is really FLOWING again, you’re going to want to take steps to keep it that way. The most important factor in maintaining order is going to be keeping those countertops clear of accumulation by placing dirty dishes in the dishwasher and loose cooking / household items in their designated spaces. Return small appliances to their storage locations when you’re finished with them. Everything that has been assigned a home – homework, keys, coats, laptops – should STAY there when not in use.
The second factor in maintaining your newly organized kitchen is a no-brainer: simple, daily tidying and cleaning.
- Disinfect food surfaces, wipe down your stove top, and spot sweep the floor nightly.
- Wipe down cabinet and drawer exteriors and wash floors weekly.
- Clean your oven and wipe down tops of cabinets monthly.
And there you have it! Complete these simple steps and you’re on your way to a clutter-free, easy flowing kitchen!
Have you recently reorganized your kitchen? What kind of crazy stuff did you find stashed in your drawers and cabinets?
Tags: appliance garage, drawer organizer tray, kitchen cabinets, kitchen clutter, kitchen organization, kitchen work flow, lazy susan, merillat, merillat cabinets, spice drawer organizer