Organize Your Kitchen with Purpose :: Your Guide to a Clean & Organized Kitchen :: Step 14

Have you completed the first 13 steps yet? If so, your appliances are sparkling clean! But how does the rest of your kitchen look? Mine is out. of. control!

Today we’re going to transition into organization mode! But we’re going to make a plan before we do the work. We’re going to organize with PURPOSE.

Step 14 :: Organize Your Kitchen with Purpose

When you first moved into your home, did think through the best place to put your kitchen utensils, pots and pans, dishes, glasses, or appliances? Or did you unpack boxes just to get them empty? Did you think to yourself that you would unpack now and organize later? Did someone else unpack for you?

Well, now that you’ve been in your kitchen for a while (maybe it’s been years!), you can remedy all of your organizational irritants.

Ensure proper placement of kitchen contents.

When you’re unloading the dishwasher, do you have to travel all over the kitchen to put up the dishes? Or do the cabinets close to the dishwasher hold the dishware?  Do you have to remove most of the cabinet contents to get to that frequently used heavy appliance? Would it benefit you to have your appliances in the pantry instead of dry goods? Or vice versa? Should you move the plasticware/storage container drawer to a higher location so your baby doesn’t always make a mess of it? Perhaps I’m the only one with that problem!

Ensure kitchen contents are placed according to need and use. You’ll be more likely to enjoy your time spent in the kitchen.

Create stations.

As you plan, think through the lens of stations. A prep station, cooking station, and cleaning station could be your first place to attack.

Store cutting boards, knives, and bowls near the prep area. Keep pots, pans, spatulas and other cooking instruments by the stove. Stock the cleaning area near the sink and dishwasher.

When you get the essential areas set up, add additional stations. Bowls, mixers, beaters, & rubber spatulas could be placed in a baking area. Your coffee, coffee pot, coffee grinder, sugar, spices, etc. could be placed in the coffee station. You could even have special stations for the kid’s snacks or breakfast items.

Group like items.

Similar to the station concept, grouping like items helps keep an organized kitchen. Keep spices together. Keep all of your knives in one place. Store fruits together. Keep canned items in the same area.

When kitchen items are group together, you won’t have to search high and low looking for a particular item.

Is the primary user of the kitchen left or right handed?

Are you left handed? Keep knives to the left of your prep area. Place your spatula container to the left of your stove and pots in the left cabinet.

Are you right handed? Do the opposite!

Take a few minutes to look through your kitchen and determine best placement for your appliances, dishes, pot, pans, serving dishes, spatulas, etc. Organize your kitchen with purpose!

Make sure to check out the rest of the clean and organize kitchen series!