Ahhhh… organization. You either love it or you hate it. Personally, I love it – and I consider myself to be a bit of a pro. So, let me share with you 5 quick tips for how to organize your kitchen. These can be done in any kitchen and I promise you will love the result!
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You may say I’m an organization/clean freak. I have always been this way, even as a child. When my space feels clean and functional, I am clear and productive throughout the day. When my space feels chaotic, I feel anxious!
Today’s post is for people who don’t have enough time to organize but still want an organized space. It’s for the people who don’t know where to start. These tips will help the person who isn’t in the habit of keeping things straight but would like to change that about themselves. We are going to dive into 5 simple tips and strategies to get you started with organizing TODAY! Are you ready? Let’s do it!
This post is all about how to organize kitchen!
Why Should I Get Organized?
I always like to start with “why?” when embarking on any project. Why is this important? How will this make my life better? Because at the end of the day, that’s what we are all trying to do – make our lives better or easier in some way. So, let’s discuss why getting organized is so important:
Save Time
On average, people spend around 2.5 days per year looking for misplaced items in their homes. That’s 60 hours per year (on average) of just searching for lost items. Nothing is more frustrating than knowing you have an item that you need and not being able to find it. Getting organized is more than just picking up or cleaning, organization creates a system in your house where everything has a home. That means, you know exactly where things are at all times (if you follow the system and put items back in their homes) or at least where to start looking (like having a drawer with a category of items to search through rather than the whole house). That means less time and energy searching!
Save Money
Have you ever known that you had something (like a certain specialty lightbulb, for instance), but forgot where you put it? And it doesn’t feel worth it to search through the mountain of stuff in the garage or the pile of stuff in the closet, so you just end up buying more because it’s easier or more convenient. I totally understand the logic. I don’t have time to look for this item right now, it’s not that expensive, so I’ll just order another one. The only problem with that is, you end up with even more junk to add to the pile and you didn’t solve your original problem. Being organized (again) means everything has a home, so you’ll spend less money re-ordering stuff that you already have. AND as a bonus, you’ll use that entire pack of specialty lightbulbs. Meaning you got the maximum use out of the money spent on that item. WIN-WIN!
Save Sanity
As we have already covered, losing stuff or not knowing where it is can be extremely frustrating. Knowing you have an item and not having time to look for it so you spend your hard-earned money on a replacement can also be frustrating. But on top of the frustration, living in a cluttered home has been associated with increased stress levels, reduced positivity, and a general feeling of things being out of control. It may take some time and effort up front, but once you have a system in place you will reap the benefits each and every day!
Tip #1
Prioritize and Start with One Area
My dad and grandpa always say “The hardest part of any job is just getting started”. If you are feeling overwhelmed with starting a project, just repeat this to yourself until you actually start. What I like to do is either make a mental list or a physical list of the places that need some attention, then prioritize the order in which you should attack them. This will look different for everyone, but I suggest starting with your “high-traffic areas” or the drawers/cabinets/areas that are used the most. If you think about it, creating functionality around the areas that are used more often will motivate you to keep going because each time you open that drawer or pantry – you are reminded how nice this is and how you want this “ahhhh” feeling when you open each drawer and cabinet.
I suggest starting with your refrigerator and pantry. Here are some items that can help you get your fridge organized. Buying containers is NOT mandatory, but they can be helpful!
Another approach is to start with the area that annoys you the most. Has that junk drawer been stressing you out? Start there because you’ll feel that weight get lifted and you’ll be motivated to keep going.
Tip #2
Take Everything Out
It’s gotta get worse before it get’s better. Take everything out and place it in one area so you can clearly see everything you have. This step is crutial to being efficient in the process. You may think it’s easier to keep everything in the drawer as you sort through, but I promise it will make it harder in the long run.
Tip #3
Sort
As yourself these questions:
- What do I want this drawer/cabinet/area to have in it? (Silverware, plates, baking supplies, etc)
- Is everything that I took out of this drawer part of the category that I want to go back into this drawer? (For instance, are there a bunch of paper straws and chick-fil-a sauces in with your baking supplies?)
- What do I want to keep and re-home and what can be tossed?
Essentially, once you decide on the drawer/area category, then you can make 3 piles:
- Pile #1: Items returning to empty drawer
- Pile #2: Items that need a different spot (re-home) that don’t fit the drawer category
- Pile #3: Trash or donate
This is also a great time to identify broken/rusty items or duplicates!
Tip #4
Clean It
Before putting everything back, give your drawer/area/cabinet a nice wipe-down. Easy step!
Tip #5
Find A Home
Whether you are using organizing bins or not, put the items back into their established/designated home. If you are breaking the organizing into multiple days, put your items that need to be re-homed in a basket to the side for a new day with a different project. If you decide to keep going, repeat these steps again until each item has been touched and your kitchen suddently feels tranquil and functional!
Happy organizing!
You May Also Like:
- 11 Meal Prep Tips For A Stress-Free Week
- 11 Meal Prep Essentials
- 13 Genious Amazon Fridge Organization Ideas
OR click here for the entire “in the kitchen” category!
This post was all about How To Organize Kitchen.
Did you try these tips? Make sure to tag me @thespicegirlkitchen_ on Instagram or @thespicegirlkitchen on TikTok! I love seeing you CRUSH IT! I will be your ultimate hype woman!
Want to learn more about Kelsey? Click here to read her story!
