How to Organize your Kitchen.

Organize Your Kitchen.

The kitchen is the main hub of most homes.  It is where everyone gathers and most people plop all their “stuff” down and unload.  You need to have a space that is comfortable and clean and efficient because a lot has to get done in that room.  You can figure that if you cook breakfast and supper everyday, that’s 2 hours a day, 14 hours a week and 728 hours a year.

I have made a word association with KITCHEN to help you along the way to having the kitchen you always dreamed of.

K= Know what you want to accomplish.

I= Inexpensive ideas for storage.

T= Toss out anything you don’t use.

C= Clean out everything from everywhere.

H= Home, it is the saying “A place for everything and everything in its          place”.

E= Evolve to a new level of organization.

N= The new feeling you will have every time you use you Dream Kitchen.

K= Know what you want to accomplish.  Break down the areas into: cooking, baking, work area, and cleaning.  If you use an item often, put it in front on an accessible shelf and if you don’t use the item often, put it in the back.

I= Inexpensive storage ideas.  There are many sliding shelves you can use to maximize space.  There are containers to hold your Tupperware lids, sliding shelves for your pots and pans, drawer organizer for utensils and office supplies.  I can also stand for Inventory.  Once you have cleaned and organized everything you can take an inventory of what you have and what you need to get for the maximum of organization.  You should have 2-4 weeks of meals available, on hand.  This will keep you from making small trips to the supermarket and will save you money, especially from impulse buying.

T= Toss out anything you don’t use.  An example of this is “How many grapefruit spoons do you really need!”  Get rid of all the gadgets you don’t really use and find a home for everything on the countertops.  Wheedle down how many of one thing you have, (i.e.; trays, coffee mugs, scrapers, spatulas).  Don’t forget the refrigerator and freezer.  Donate unused cookbooks.

C= Clean out everything from everywhere.  Areas to clean out are: cabinets, drawers, pantry, refrigerator, freezer, and desk.  Throw out any items that have expired dates.

H= Make a home for everything, “A place for everything and everything in its place”.  Make stations for “like” items. Have a food preparation area, a cooking area, and a serving and storage area.  Group your food together by category: canned foods, baking supplies, snacks, breads, and so on.  Put your spices in alphabetical order.  You will find the one you need easier.  Have a small basket for all of your packets, (i.e.; taco mix, Kool-aid, gravy and seasoning bags).  They also make under the cabinet holders for paper plates, coffee filters and napkins.

E= Evolve to a new level of organization.  Keep your dishes close to the dishwasher, your spices next to the stove, the canned foods in the pantry, if you don’t have a pantry, put them in the most convenient shelves of your kitchen.  I would invest in some see thru containers for items like flour, sugar, cereal, and pasta.  The food keeps longer and you can easily see when your supply is getting low.  You need to also make items such as knick-knacks work double duty, such as a utensil holder.  Keep your counter tops as clutter free as you possibly can.  The clean, fresh look will work wonders at keeping the organized feeling.

N= The NEW feeling you will have every time you use your new organized kitchen.  For one thing, you will be able to find anything you need quickly.  Secondly, you can prepare meals easier, because every ingredient is at your disposal and easy to find.  Thirdly, you will have the counter space you need to prepare a meal, because there is no clutter on the counter, and lastly, you will be able to clean up faster and easier because everything will have a home to go back to.

I believe that once you have organized your kitchen, you will find that it is very easy to keep it that way.  Remember “a place for everything and everything in its place”.