How To Organize Your Kitchen To Maximize Efficiency
The kitchen is often the heart of the home and the space where a lot of people spend most of their time. You brew your coffee, cook your meals, and gather with family & friends. Since the kitchen is a working and living space, it is nice to have an organized and functional layout in place to make life a little easier.
Setting up your kitchen can be a little overwhelming. Start by taking a step back to evaluate the amount of space you will have available for various types of items. It is important to think through how often that item is used, when you use the item, and what type of category that item falls under. If you have more items than available storage space, now is the time to think about weeding through some of those items that you rarely use. For example, appliances that are used to cook specific dishes, such as waffle makers, panini presses, and quesadilla makers are often very bulky and take up valuable space in your kitchen or pantry. Other items to consider ditching are old tupperware containers, especially the ones with missing lids.
How Often Do I Use This Item?
Ask yourself this question first. If the answer is Often - Very Often, that item should be in the cabinets that are most easily accessible or placed towards the front of the cabinet area. If the answer is Not Very Often - Never, that item can be placed in those harder to reach cabinets or possibly it is time to let it go. This question applies very well to a lot of those small kitchen appliances. If you use the appliance pretty often but don’t want to leave it sitting out on your countertop, leave an empty space for the item in a cabinet nearby so that it always has a place to go.
When Do I Use This Item?
Once you’ve gone through your belongings, you’ll want to think about where an item should be placed in proximity to other things in the kitchen. If you always prepare your food in a particular area on the counter, think about placing your knives and cutting boards in the cabinets/drawers nearby. If the item doesn’t get a lot of use, similar to the question above, maybe that item can go into another pantry or closet area near the kitchen.
How Would I Categorize This Item?
Another way to filter through your items is by organizing like-items. When similar objects can be placed together it makes it easier to locate them. For example, all coffee related items; mugs, coffee beans, or filters can be placed together by the coffee maker. Something that can make this task even easier is to utilize small storage bins/baskets. Once items are grouped together, they can be put into their designated bin/basket and then placed in the cabinet. You can also get creative with how you organize your grouped items by adding hooks, additional shelves, or racks depending on the sizes and shapes of the items. Ikea is a great resource for these types of creative products. Check out Kitchen Drawer Organization & Kitchen Wall Organization.
In terms of eliminating clutter and organizing what you already have, answering the questions above should help determine a strategy for how to place those items in your kitchen to maximize efficiency. For more tips on how to declutter your kitchen check out Apartment Therapy’s How to Downsize a Kitchen.