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Entries Tagged 'Kitchen Organizing' ↓
My kitchen is small and my preference is to walk in and see clutter-free counters so it doesn’t make my kitchen look even smaller. Plus, just by my nature, I don’t like to see too many things out all at once in any area of my home. I believe the kitchen is a very important room to keep organized and functional so we can prepare meals quickly and easily. The more we have to push past stuff and search for stuff, the harder it is to work efficiently. Since cooking isn’t my favorite task of the day, I’d rather get in and get out!
Here are 5 Strategies to Clear Your Kitchen Counter of Clutter so you can work efficiently whether you love to cook, bake or not so much!
Decluttering Strategy #1: Throw Away Trash
- Grab a trash bag and look for all the trash that can be tossed on the spot: food wrappers, fast food containers and recycle items such as pop cans (OK soda cans East Coast, I hear ya) and beer bottles.
Decluttering Strategy #2: Let Go of the Extras
- Go drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard and let go of items that you have too much of or that you no longer use. Kids no longer using sippy cups? Let them go. Do you have 30 coffee mugs when you can get by with 10, let 20 go. Chipped dishes that you never use? Let them go.
- Letting go of the extras will free up space to put things away and not leave them out on the counter.
Decluttering Strategy #3: Stow Small Appliances
- Have your counter tops turned into small appliance parking lots? Only keep the most frequently used small appliances out within easy reach. For most of us, this will include a toaster and a coffee pot. Use that extra space you created in the cupboards to store less frequently used items such as juicers and waffle irons.
Decluttering Strategy #4: Stretch Your Space
- Use organizing products to your advantage to stretch your space to hang up your paper towels & hand towels.
Paper Towel Holder from Organized A to Z
Towel Bar from Organized A to Z
Decluttering Strategy #5: Keep a Flow Going
- Make sure dishes don’t end up on the counter and in the sink because the dishwasher needs to be cleaned out. Be sure that someone in your home (or you) has dishwasher duty so you can load it up instead of backing it up.
For even more kitchen organizing strategies, you can keep reading more right here cuz that’s how I roll.
PS: These photos are from my kitchen on a bad day-see, I’m not perfect. 
Tags: clutter, clutter-free, Decluttering, decluttering strategy, DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, kitchen counter, Kitchen Organizing, kitchen organizing strategies
Bamboo Drawer Organizer from Crate&Barrel
Do you have little bits of this and little bits of that stashed away in a drawer? Maybe a lotta bits of this and a lotta bits of that… paper clips, tape, rubber bands, super glue, it’s all good. Just make sure your ‘junk’ drawer doesn’t turn into a dumping ground free-for-all. You can have a junk drawer and still be organized; what a win/win!
So, let’s look at the proper anatomy of an effective junk drawer:
Junk Drawer Tip #1: Try to keep it down to just one junk drawer
Junk Drawer Tip #2: Take everything out of the drawer and sort through it. Discard things that are broken, things that don’t work, things that you don’t use or donate extra items if you have multiples.
Junk Drawer Tip #3: Organize what you are keeping. The bamboo drawer divider from Crate&Barrel shown here is a great way to keep the goodies you are keeping from turning into a big mess that slides about. And, bamboo is environmentally friendly to boot! Keeping your small items separated will keep them from getting mixed together and make it easy to find what you need when you need it.
You can go one step further by adding some small containers within the drawer organizer to contain really small items like paper clips and rubber bands.
Junk Drawer Tip #4: Items you may want to stash in your junk drawer:
1) Rubber bands
2) Flashlight
3) Glue
4) Tape Measure
5) Calculator
6) Matches
7) Stamps
Emergency candles
9) Batteries
10) Pens & pencils
11) Screwdrivers
12) Anything else that works for you
So, make sure your drawer isn’t overloaded, keep just what you need and then make it easy to find what you need by separating and storing your stuff in a drawer organizer! Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to show off your ‘junk’ drawer! Oh, yes it would!
Tags: bamboo, Crate&Barrel, DIY organization, drawer organizer, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, junk drawer, organized
Have you ever moved into a new home, put everything in it’s new place and then realized about 3 months down the road that it wasn’t working? Sometimes we put things where we think they should go at the time, only to discover later that’s not efficient.
Here’s an example that happened in my own home. When my girls were little I placed their hairbows under the bathroom sink. Every day I would bend over and retrieved them from under the sink. Finally one day, a lightbulb went off and I thought, “Why am I going all the way under the sink when I have a drawer at the top of the vanity?” So, I bought some containers at the Dollar Tree, lined them up and loaded them in the top drawer. Now, why hadn’t I thought of that sooner? Who knows. Sometimes we just do something a certain way and get used it it, even if it’s not the best way. I’ve done the same thing with lunch sacks too, had them across the kitchen instead of right next to where I was making lunches.
Let’s start with the kitchen for some examples of best places to store stuff:
Kitchen
- Drink cups for the kids down low within their reach
- After school snacks in a bin for kids at their reach (more here on how to create a snack bin)
- Glasses by fridge instead of the sink if you get all your water and drinks from the fridge
- Holiday serving dishes can be stored in cupboards that are up high or low or even stored in with the holiday decor in the garage
- Keep lunch making supplies together in a kit where you make lunches
- Create a baking kit with your most common baking supplies so you can bring it to the counter when you want to get your Betty Crocker on
- Keep spices-dry and away from light, preferably close to your food prep area
Watch for part 2 coming up for awesome storage ideas for other parts of your home!
Tags: DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Kitchen Organizing, storage
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Thank you!
Not everything you have in your home has to be at your fingertips at all times. As a matter of fact, if you have everything out and close to you at all times, chances are your space will look crowded and cluttered and it will be harder to find what you need when you need it.
But we should keep items that we use every day closest to where we use them and at our fingertips. Examples in my own home:
1) I keep lunch sacks in the cupboard closest to where I pack lunches.
2) I keep flossers for my kids in the top drawer in the bathroom close at hand.
3) In my office I keep pens, pencils and paper clips in a drawer organizer right next to where I sit and work on the computer.
Storing these items closest to where I use them improves my efficiency.
But we all have items in our homes that don’t have to be stored right at our fingertips and to improve home organization, they can be stored higher, lower or further away. To do this, you can use wall shelves, wall units, closet shelves, under bed storage or any other area you can think of to stretch your space and tuck things away.
Here are 7 items in your home that you can store a little further ‘up and away’:
1) Holiday dishes: They can go up to the top shelf in a kitchen cupboard or even be stored out in the garage in your holiday bins.
2) Infrequently used serving dishes: They can also go up to a top shelf, a bottom cupboard that forces you go get down on your knees to get to them or in that black hole that some cupboards have that go way back.
3) Infrequently used small kitchen appliances: First, make sure you really are going to use them again. If you haven’t used your juicer in 5 years, you should consider letting it go. But for items you just use once in a while, consider storing them up high or down low in the pantry or in a cupboard that isn’t as easy to access in the kitchen.
4) Food stockpiles: If you’re a couponer or you just like to have a lot of backup items on hand, keep the foods you are currently eating, such as crackers and cereal, down low and easily accessible. The backups can be stored at the top of the pantry or in a garage pantry to restock as you run out. For 6 organizing tips for your couponing stockpile, please read more here.
5) Paper product stockpiles: I have a house full of girls and I feel best when the toilet paper is stocked! Place extra toilet paper and paper towels in a closet or on a shelf in the laundry room. There is often space to move the shelf in the laundry room down and add a higher shelf above it for stockpile items.
6) Extra office supplies: Use a shelf in the closet or add a shelf on the wall in your office to store extra supplies such as pens, pencils, envelopes and computer paper. Make sure you have a good supply right next to where you work and use this backup to restock. You can hide extra supplies in decorative boxes for a touch of pretty.
7) Reference books & magazines: An extra shelf or wall unit in your office is a great tool for keeping these resources out of your immediate workspace but still accessible when you need them.
Look around your own home and see what other items you can store a little further away so you can keep the things that you truly need close by right at your fingertips.
Tags: 6 organizing tips for your couponing stockpile, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, shelf, wall unit
If your home was everything you wanted it to be, what would make you happy there? What makes me happy in my home is when everything is put away, it’s clean, I can think straight, relax and feel comfortable having people come into my home.
What would make you happy? Perhaps:
1) Finding things easily?
2) Not feeling guilty that you should be organizing or cleaning?
3) Saving money by not having to buy things you’ve lost?
4) Beautiful art to look at?
5) Warm or bright paint colors on the walls?
6) Feeling like your home is an oasis instead of a source of stress?
7) Using your home as a gathering place for family and friends?
8) Being able to work on arts/crafts or projects because you have space and can find your supplies?
9) Cooking or baking in a clutter-free kitchen?
10) Processing paper efficiently and getting bills paid on time because you can find them?
What would make you happy in your home? I would love to have you share a comment with me right here on my site!
Tags: clutter-free, DIY organization, happy, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, kitchen
The kitchen is considered the symbolic and traditional “heart of the home.” It tends to be the room people gravitate towards when we have company over and food is often a way that we bond with those we care for. Just think of some of the many activities that may occur in the kitchen:
- Food preparation of course
- Eating
- Visiting
- Sharing a cup of coffee
- Family games at the table
- Homework
- Bill paying at the table
- Family meetings
- Insert your kitchen activities here
- Art/craft projects
There’s a lot of potential for good stuff going on in the kitchen, so it’s important that we make the most of our space by getting & staying organized in this space. Here are 3 tips to get organized in the kitchen:
Kitchen organizing tip #1: Decide what activities you want to have going on in your kitchen. The items that support these activities can stay in the kitchen. Stuff that has somehow accumulated in the kitchen that doesn’t fit in with these activities need to find a home elsewhere.
Kitchen organizing tip #2: Create zones for the activities that will be going on in the kitchen. It’s your room, it’s your home, you can use it however works best for you. It’s OK to have a bill paying zone, an art zone, a baking zone, or a board game zone. Just keep the items of the same type together so supplies aren’t spread all over the kitchen. This way you know right where things are when you need them!
Kitchen organizing tip #3: Make sure you have a kitchen that works well to support your activities. Make sure you have excellent lighting and you have a “working triangle” between the sink, refrigerator and the stove. Keep counters clear enough to have space for food preparation and to keep the kitchen from appearing cluttered.
I’d love to have you keep reading right here for more kitchen organizing tips!
Tags: cluttered, DIY organization, get organized, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Kitchen Organizing, kitchen organizing tips, organizing tip, staying organized
Whether you’ve got to much paper or too much stuff, clutter can get us down in a bad way! When I help people get organized, it is often life-changing, and that is really exciting! Our stuff can actually cause a lot of negative emotions and a lot of negative consequences. Let me present a list of some of the many consequences clutter can bring on:
- Stress
- Feeling overwhelmed and unable to start the organizing process
- Embarrassed to have people in your home
- Running late
- Losing things
- Wasting money purchasing replacements or duplicates
- No space for the activities you love
- Unable to use packed rooms
- Family discord
- Guilt
- Anger
- Physical hazards
- Trouble thinking clearly to work in the space
I’m sure there are so many more possible emotions and consequences when surrounded by clutter, but you get the picture. Letting some things go and just keeping the things that you truly love in your space, truly can lift a huge weight from your shoulders. It really is worth the time, energy and effort to jump in and get organized!
If tackling your home or office is just too overwhelming on your own, get help from a good friend, family member or a professional organizer in your area. That’s what we do, we help people get organized and we love it!
For tips on how to get organized, you can also read more right here on DIY Organization!
Tags: clutter, DIY organization, get organized, home, Home Organization, organizing process, paper, space, stuff, tips on how to get organized
To get organized and stay organized you often have to decrease how much you keep in your space and decrease how much you bring into your space. One awesome way to do this is to borrow items that you don’t have to use on a regular basis. It’s a win/win because you get to use it but you don’t have to find a place to store it! I used to keep an angel food cake pan in my kitchen “just in case,” “someday,” “I might,” make angel food cake. Of course I never did. So, one day I was like, “OK, so how many neighbors could I call to borrow an angel cake food pan?” That was just enough for me to let it go and open up more space in my small kitchen. And you know what? I never missed it! I think it’s pretty common to not miss the items we weren’t even using in the first place.
So, next time you are thinking about buying or bringing something new into your home, stop and think about whether you will need it enough to buy it or could you get away with borrowing it. This could be your secret weapon to stay organized!
Tags: DIY organization, get organized, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Kitchen Organizing, organized, Organizing Products, stay organized
Do you happen to be a coupon junkie, either on a small scale or a large scale? I guess I would have to say I’m a very small scale couponer. I’m watching the weekly sales and when I can, pairing them up with a coupon. I have stocked up on personal care items and now when I buy brownies I buy five boxes instead of one box. I have basically just stocked up my freezer and pantry with multiples within my means and within my space. If you’re stocking up on good deals yourself, it’s important to make sure you are maximizing your space and making sure nothing goes to waste. Follow these 6 organizing tips to keep your stockpile in tip top shape!
Organizing Tip #1: Make sure you don’t buy more than you can store. It’s not a good deal if your stuff causes stress because it’s misplacing other items in your home. Increase your storage space or decrease how much you buy.
Organizing Tip #2: Increase your storage space, look up, down and all around. You may be able to add an extra shelf at the top of your pantry. Just make sure you measure to make sure you have enough clearance with the top of the doorway. You may also find space above the washer and dryer if you move the shelf you already have down. This is where I store my bulk toilet paper and paper towels.
You can also use shelves on the walls which will allow you to start at the bottom of the wall and go as high up on the wall as possible. This stretches space more than racks or wall units.
Organizing Tip #3: Be sure to store the newest items purchased at the back and the oldest at the front so you can use everything before it expires. It’s not a good deal if it ends up in the garbage!
Organizing Tip #4: Can risers are a great way to see what you have because it has elevated steps. Place cans with the same type of food one behind the other and take from the front.
Organizing Tip #5: Don’t buy more than you can truly use. Again, expired food in the garbage isn’t a good deal. If it’s too awesome to pass up, donate to another family or your local food bank so someone else can benefit from your savvy shopping.
Organizing Tip #6: Place “like” items together so you see how much you have: cereal with cereal, snack bars with snack bars, oatmeal with oatmeal, etc. If your storage is random, it’s difficult to know what you need to stock up vs. what you already have enough of.
Keep your stockpile organized and enjoy feeding your family with the awesome deals that you are sure to find! Here are a few coupon organizing tips for you to boot!
Tags: can riser, coupon organizing tips, couponing, couponing stockpile, DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog
