Create a Functional Kitchen through Kitchen Cabinet Organization

Now that you're ready to get your kitchen in order, grab a trash bag for items you'll be throwing away, a box for items that belong in other areas of your home, and another box for items you'll be donating.

You'll organize your kitchen cabinets first then move onto your kitchen drawers. You'll learn how to organize your kitchen drawers further down the page.

Start kitchen cabinet organization by putting items into categories such as storage containers, plastic cups, dishes, glasses, etc.

Take one category at a time and sort through it. Keep only what you need, not what you may need in the future. If you have a hundred plastic cups or sports bottles, designate only one to each family member, not five.

For each category, use your trash bag for items you are tossing, a box for items that belong in other areas of your home, and a box for items you are going to donate.

Move onto the next category of plastic containers and make sure you have matching lids. If a container doesn't have a lid, toss. If the containers are in bad shape, heavily used, and stained, toss.

To store, nest plastic containers inside each other and store the lids on top or on the side, next to the containers.

Both Gladware and Ziploc containers are great for food storage and store beautifully. They nest inside each other and the lids fit together for easy storage. I also like the fact they're disposable, so I don't feel guilty about tossing when they get worn out like I would a Tupperware container. They're a lot cheaper than Tupperware too!

Continue your kitchen cabinet organization going through the rest of the cabinets by category in the same manner. Toss what is beat up, remove what doesn't belong in the kitchen, and donate what you don't need or use on a regular basis.

If you are short on space and have items you need, but don't use very much like big serving platters, cake holders, small appliances, etc., get them out of the kitchen.

I save my cabinet space for frequent use items. I store items that I don't use frequently in a storage room next to my garage. If you have room in your kitchen, store these rarely used items in an out of the way cabinet.

For large items like cookie sheets and cutting boards, install vertical dividers in your cabinets to place them on their sides. You can also utilize the drawer under the oven.

Neatness counts in good kitchen cabinet organization as it saves space. Make sure your cookware is a matched set for easy storage. It's hard to store mismatched items since they are different shapes and sizes and won't nest together from largest to smallest. The same goes for bake ware and mixing bowls.

Mugs…ugh! When I first started my kitchen cabinet organization I was shocked at the amount of mugs I had collected over the years. I downsized quite a bit and got rid of mugs with logos like the one from the local muffler shop.

Look at your family's needs and downsize mugs accordingly. Get rid of chipped mugs too. If you must keep those sentimental mugs, then use them for other purposes such as a pencil holder or makeup brush holder.

Spices. For easy access, alphabetize spices if you use them a lot. Then use whatever method of storage works for you…spice rack, pull out drawer, line up in a cabinet, etc. I prefer to alphabetize and line up in a cabinet. If you use this method, be sure to leave enough space between the lines and between the spices so you can quickly read and grab what you need.

Freshness is very important as far as spices go. Fresh spices mean better tasting food. Good kitchen cabinet organization is paramount to keep those spices fresh. Don't purchase spices in big quantities unless you use a spice a lot. Go through your spices and purge often if they look and smell stale.

Prescription Drugs and Vitamins. The worst place to keep prescription drugs and vitamins is the bathroom due changes in temperature and high humidity, so I keep mine in a small cabinet in the kitchen.

Make sure to go through medicine and vitamins at least once every six months. Toss any items that are out of date or about to expire within the month.

When buying over the counter medicine, it's best to buy in small quantities unless you use a lot of it. I've found these tend to expire quickly and are tossed wasting valuable money.

Drawers

Continue your kitchen organization with the drawers in the same fashion as the cabinets, by category and remembering the purpose of the drawer. Go through the silverware drawer and toss mismatched, bent or garbage disposal eaten utensils. Pull out and toss or keep any non-silverware items from the drawer. Shake and wipe out the silverware tray and replace the silverware.

Move onto the other drawers and organize and sort the drawers by category remembering the purpose of each drawer. Remember to toss anything that is damaged or not usable like burnt potholders and ripped towels.

The Junk Drawer…There are some useful items in this drawer mixed in with the junk. The best way to organize a junk drawer is to start fresh and take everything out. Have your trash bag ready with a box.

Toss anything that you don't recognize, has a lost part, old buttons, safety pins, etc. Remove items that don't belong in the kitchen and create places where they do belong such as tools in the tool box, batteries go into a designated basket, etc. Wipe out the drawer and replace only items that go in the kitchen such as can openers, bottle openers, or whatever else that is kitchen related in that drawer.

Use these tips to get your kitchen cabinets and drawers organized so you can have an efficient kitchen.

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