How To Organise Your Kitchen – 9 Ways To Make It Work Better

Can you find everything you need when you need it in your kitchen?

Or – do you have specific places for things, and does that place make sense for how you live?

If not, read on to find out some amazing tips that will make your kitchen work better for you – forever!

The Kitchen is the hub of most homes.

It’s where we spend a considerable amount of time each and every day, both eating and socialising – so it’s really important to ensure that it works the best it possibly can for you and your family.

After all – there’s nothing worse than having to make do with a badly organised kitchen. It can sap so much of your time and energy, both of which could be spent doing much more interesting things!

(of course, unless we are redesigning a new kitchen, most of us have to work with what we have. It’s about making the most of the space, whatever layout you have.)

So – here are my tips to make your kitchen work the best for your needs – hope they help!

#1 – Have A Place For Everything

This is such a true statement when it comes to any type of organising – but is never more true than in the kitchen.

Any kitchen has a LOT of stuff to keep tidy and organised.

• Cutlery
• Crockery
• Appliances
• Gadgets
• Entertaining items
• Cooking utensils
• Pots and pans

etc…

For your kitchen to work best, you need to have a place for all these things – and it has to make sense to how you live.

Think about how often you use each item. Less used items can be placed more out of the way – but frequently used items should be within easy reach.

Not only will this save time when you need things, but it will save time putting this away as well (so you are more likely to keep it tidy).

TIP – I have a dishwasher, and as such I like to keep things I use daily right by the dishwasher, because this means I don’t have to move very far when it comes to unloading – perfect! (If you don’t have a dishwasher, then your sink would be best to work around as that’s where your dishes will dry)

#2 – Declutter To Create Space

Of course – decluttering your kitchen will help you see exactly what you have, and what you need to keep (and therefore store properly).

Sort through your stuff and only keep what you actually use. Here are some quick tips that will help: –

• Get rid of anything you don’t use – there are always certain gadgets and appliances lurking in the back of cupboards!
• Look for anything that’s broken – chipped crockery/mugs, cracked glassware etc..
• Be ruthless with things that you don’t need so many of. If you have a massive pile of plates but never get to the bottom of the pile – do you REALLY need them all?
• If you keep things for entertaining (serving dishes etc..) but rarely entertain, then why not only keep one or two instead of a cupboard full?

#3 – Use Other Rooms

Look at what you actually are storing in your kitchen – maybe you need to have some things that don’t need to be stored in the kitchen itself.

This is usually true for things that you only need once or twice each year (entertaining items, Christmas, the best cutlery/plates etc….)

As such – why take up the valuable kitchen space for them – could you put them elsewhere in your home?

A dining room (if you have one) is perfect for this type of thing, or stored in a garage (boxed well).

Think about where you have the space that works better than your kitchen, and move things there.

TIP – don’t move and forget about things though – you only want to move things that you will truly use again – otherwise they should be let go of completely.

#4 – Include Non Kitchen Items

Because you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, there may well be things that would work better being stored in there instead of elsewhere – even though they are not kitchen related.

A few examples –

• Would it make sense for you to store your childrens school stuff here? If your children tend to come in from school and head straight to the kitchen, and leave the house in the morning after having breakfast – then it may be the perfect idea. Bags could be stored so that they are easy to grab (and put away) – and you could have trays for papers/books and a homework area. It keeps everything in one place and you can see what’s going on more easily. You also have less chance of losing things as they won’t be going through the whole house!
• How about having chore charts and schedules on the wall – they are then in the place that everyone goes to each day and are less likely to be overlooked as a result.
• If you tend to spend all your time in the kitchen then why not make your paperwork area an area in this space? Then you can open the post while sitting having a coffee, and distribute paperwork into the right areas straight away – saving lots of walking around! Just don’t let your kitchen table become a paperwork mountain as that’s no good to anyone!
• What if you work at the kitchen table a lot – maybe having a cupboard for your work items will save time and effort overall.

Think about how you live, and how you use the rooms – and then you will find the best solutions for you!

#5 – Add To Your Storage

You may not have enough storage cupboards to house everything and make it workable for you right now – so why not look at some easy additions that could add space without costing a fortune: –

• Shelving
• Plate rack
• Dresser
• Sideboard
• Dining table with added storage

Would all work well and don’t involve having to buy a new kitchen!

{ Related: Great kitchen storage ideas }

#6 – Make Your Food Storage Work For You

Get your food storage cupboards organised – if you can, have a shelf for different items, and keep like items together.

As examples – here is what I do: –

I have a larder cupboard and arrange it as follows…

Treats on top shelf out of the way of little hands!, canned goods and sauces under that at eye level and in lines so that I can see when we are running low as this is the most quickly used up area, dried goods such as pasta and rice under that, cereals and breakfast items under that, and a larger space at the bottom for bottle of juice etc…..

This works well as it’s easy to see what we have, and my daughter can help herself to the things she needs to be able to grab.

I have my spices in a cupboard by the oven so that I can reach for them while cooking – saving me having a rack for them too.

I also love baking so have a separate cupboard for baking items above the oven, and lastly I keep all my tea/coffee/sugar in the same cupboard as my cups – above the kettle – so again its about thinking about where in the kitchen you are going to use the items, and storing them as closeby as you can.

Lastly – for foods like pasta, rice, flour etc… consider transferring to labelled glass jars, as this will help to keep them fresher, and can take up much less room (add best before dates to the label as well for ease).

#7 – Add An Eating Area – However Small

Try and add an eating area somewhere in your space, whether it’s bar stools along some of the work surface area, an island unit, or a dining table in the middle of the room – this will make the room more sociable and easier to help with homework/chat to your partner/friends etc…. when cooking.

An island or a table can also help add in work surface space and storage space underneath – always handy when baking or when you have parties etc….

TIP – If you want flexibility then try a butchers trolley that can be moved around the room as and when you need it.

#8 – Make Life Easier Where You Can

Why struggle?

If you can’t reach some of the higher corners of the room, why not invest in a small step ladder or set of steps to make life much easier…

If you have a bad back and can’t bend easily, then stop storing anything where it’s painful to reach. You can use these spaces for things for other people instead.

If you have kids and want to get them involved but are worried about safety, then find ways to make it safer for them. I love this KITCHEN HELPER as my daughter can be at work surface level, can help with food prep/baking etc… but be pulled far enough away when there are hot things around. Much safer than standing on a chair, for example.

There are so many great things out there that can help with any specific struggles you have – so go and look and be inspired!

#9 – Add Entertainment

A radio or CD player is a great addition to add company and for background music while you do your stuff.

If you have space, then a TV may be a good idea as well.