Too much alliteration in the title? Perhaps, but of all the rooms in the typical house, the kitchen probably inspires more creativity than any other. Just thinking about all of the culinary delights that can be fashioned in this room gets the imagination (and the taste buds) going. Besides being a center of creativity in the home, the kitchen is also the part of your house that likely gets used most often. With the constant activity in this room, this is also one of the hardest rooms to keep clean. The constant coming and going of meals and the washing of dishes can quickly lead to clutter if you don’t stay on top of it. Take a look at these 6 random suggestions to help you keep your kitchen organized and ready for cooking so that you can relax and focus on creating the perfect meal.

1. Try out some of these storage solutions:

  • Clear containers to store items – Plastic containers or mason jars work well for storing dried goods and double as decorative elements.
  • A dual garbage bin – The dual bin will help you to separate trash and recycling quickly for disposal.

2. Increase your organization and efficiency by buying or making one of these:

  • A magnetic dry-erase board, chalkboard, or corkboard to keep track of groceries, menus, recipes, shopping lists, and to-do lists.
  • A measurement conversion chart is inside your cabinet door for quick reference.
  • A notepad and pen close to the refrigerator, so that you can jot down what you need as you are working in the kitchen. 

3. Keep the Items you use the most close by:

It is faster and easier to get to the ingredients or kitchen appliances that you use the most, by storing them in convenient locations.

4. Utilize every bit of storage space you have available:

If you have limited space in your kitchen, don’t let any of it go to waste. These storage ideas that will give you the most bang for your buck in a small kitchen:

  • You may be able to use the space underneath your upper cabinets for storage: paper towel dispenser, spice rack, etc.
  • Use hooks inside your cabinet doors to hold kitchen tools
  • Use as much vertical storage as you can, especially in a small kitchen. A pot rack not only frees up drawer space, it makes pots and pans easier to retrieve as you’re cooking. If you don’t have the space for a free-hanging pot rack, you can still use a wall-mounted rack.
  • Make better use of the space under your counters:
  • A pullout shelf under the sink to hold your sponge and dish soap
  • Cabinet pullouts are effective at creating additional space and making things easier to reach. The rollout drawers allow you easier access to the items at the back of the cabinet as well.

5. Get the Most out of Your Appliances:

One of the best ways to cut down on clutter is to minimize the number of appliances in the kitchen. The easiest way to do this is to avoid appliances that only have one use.  A toaster oven can make toast or cook various foods, but a rice maker can only make rice. Choose the appliances that can do double duty. Seasonal items and appliances that you rarely use can be stored outside of the kitchen, in an attic, basement, or a storage unit. Don’t take up precious space in your kitchen to store a deep fryer or smoker, unless, of course, you use those frequently. Specialty items such as fine china, linens, or large serving platters can be stored outside of the kitchen as well, to keep valuable kitchen space open for more frequently used items. These items can be easily retrieved when you need them for a special event.

6. Declutter your kitchen 2-3 times per week:

Planning meals, cooking, and eating will be less stressful with a clean kitchen, and it will be much easier to stay on top of cleaning and organization if you spend a little bit of time working on it a couple of times per week.