Even if you’re a person who doesn’t mind a mess, you’ll appreciate these ideas for sprucing up a room in your house where you likely spend a lot of time! What is the current state of your kitchen cabinets? Does the question makes you cringe because they’re cluttered or sticky? Do you have shelf liners that are old, worn and falling apart? Don’t worry! You’re definitely not alone in your struggle! Why not set a day aside to re-organize and tidy things up a bit?
Kitchen cabinets get out of hand over time. Are your cabinets filled with a seemingly unending spillage of plastic lids? Do you have chipped dishes or coffee mugs and water bottles that no longer have tops to fit? Do you keep telling yourself that you want to clean out your cupboards but never actually take the time to do it? Remember that famous Kennedy quote? “If not you, who? If not now, when?” You can continue to procrastinate or you can take action! Think of how happy you’ll be when your cupboard space is clean, neat and organized! Keeping a few tips in mind will help make the job run more smoothly:
Unload all of your kitchen cabinets before you start
It will take time to empty your kitchen cabinets, but it’s the best way to start when your goal is to clean and re-organize them. Don’t just dump everything in a random heap, though. Clean as you go, instead. Create areas for things you’re going to throw away, as well as items you want to donate or give away. You can also have a bin ready to carry things you want to keep but are moving to another part of the house. (More on this, later. )
After you empty all of your kitchen cabinets, scrub them! If you have some extra hands on deck (i.e., kids or spouse) you can make the task less mundane. Blast some tunes and take breaks to have some yummy snacks while you work together as a family. There are many benefits to working alongside each other as a family to complete chores or a household project. When re-organizing kitchen cupboard space is the task at hand, deep-cleaning each cabinet is the best way to start! Yes, you could simply re-organize things without cleaning cabinets first but that doesn’t really help you start afresh with a “clean” slate! (See what we did there? lol)
Organize kitchen cabinets by zone or type of item
Once you de-clutter and decide what to keep, toss or donate, and you’ve cleaned the cabinets, you’re ready to go! You can organize each cabinet according to its zone position in the kitchen. For instance, one section might contain edible products versus another with non-edible products used for cooking. You might also choose to organize items according to type. Glassware in one area, pots and pans, etc., in another. You can create sections to your preference. You might want to organize all breakfast-type items in one cupboard and plastic ware in another. It’s entirely up to you. The point is to design a plan before you start loading things onto the shelves.
You don’t really need 15 spatulas, do you?
Simplicity is a keyword to keep in mind when you’re re-organizing your kitchen cabinets. It’s nice to have extras of a specific item on hand. No one wants to have to keep washing the same mixing spoon or paring knife over and over while making a meal. If you have too many of one type of item, you’ll no doubt wind up with a lot of kitchen clutter, which defeats the purpose of re-organizing your cabinets. Downsize and simply where possible to keep things neat and tidy.
As mentioned earlier, you might find it helpful to relocate some items from your kitchen cabinets to other areas of the house. If you have a stock pot, for instance, that you only use for canning during harvest season in the summer, does it really need to be stored in your kitchen cabinets? It’s better to put such items away in a storage room or closet that you designate for “rarely used items” than clutter your kitchen with stuff you hardly ever need on hand.
Make things pretty with matching bins, baskets and collections
While there’s an expense involved, it’s nice to invest in storage containers and bins that make your kitchen cabinets look nice when you open them. Would you rather see cereals, crackers and snacks in containers neatly lined on the shelf or a bunch of torn boxes and plastic packages that look cluttered? If you have collections, such as a certain brand of cookware or mugs you get when you travel, etc., you can neatly arrange these things together in their own space so they look nice when you open the cupboard.
In time, your kitchen cabinets are bound to get a little messy again. By making “cabinet organizing” a period day chore, either annually or twice a year, you’ll keep things looking nice and clean!
Do you have organizing tips to share with us for kitchen cabinets?
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