Tackle Your Kitchen Like a Pro!
No matter the size of our families or the square footage of our kitchens, even professional organizers have found ourselves digging through crowded drawers, reaching into deep corner cabinets, or just trying to find space for this week’s groceries.
We get it—the struggle is real. Our MHS team has tried-and-true methods that we use with our own clients to claim their kitchens back, and you can follow these same steps at home!
Declutter: By zone, or all at once
If you’re racing the clock, consider taking on one small area of your kitchen at a time, or set aside a whole day to tackle it all in one fell swoop. Set the stage: have iced tea or lemonade on hand, add some fun snacks, and have your fave upbeat playlist ready to keep the energy high!
Completely empty out one zone at a time. Keep an eye out for duplicates, broken items, and specialty tools that are rarely (if ever!) used.
Once the area is cleared, give it a deep clean and, if you’re so inspired, replace shelf liners or add a few risers for your taller cabinets.
Categorize
Set aside three bags or bins, and label them Keep, Donate and Toss. (Bonus fourth bin: Move to Its Proper Place…we’re looking at you, Pokemon cards/hairbrushes/dog toys).
Group like items together—for example, make separate piles of spatulas, measuring cups, bakeware, storage containers, dishcloths, etc., so you can get a clear look of how many duplicates you might own. Choose which make sense to keep and those that can be given away.
Do the same with food items: pull out your entire pantry and toss anything expired, then organize the rest into similar groups, like pastas, spices, and canned goods. Then take on the items in your fridge and freezer, and purge like your next meal depends on it!
Move on to small appliances: take a good hard look at your air fryer, rice cooker, toaster, blender, etc. Counter space is prime real estate, so if you don’t use an appliance at least once a day, it’s time to move it into a cabinet or pantry closet. And if it’s been more than six months since an item was last used, it might be time to pass it on to someone else.
Optimize Flow
Maximize your vertical space: look for areas to place hooks, and add shelves above your microwave or other counter appliances.
Add boundaries: place spices in racks in drawers or on risers in your pantry; use turntables in hard-to-reach corner cabinets; purchase clear containers—and label everything!
Create strategic zones: place everyday items within arm’s reach; keep dishes near the dishwasher for easy unloading; set up a coffee station so everything is corralled in one space.
And yes, you CAN have a junk drawer, guilt free! In fact, having a drawer to stash random items can help the rest of your kitchen from becoming cluttered again—just try to keep it to only one or two drawers, and clean them out a few times a year.
Before heading to bed, start the habit of loading the dishwasher, wiping down the counter, and returning everything to its proper place each night. And set reminders on your calendar twice a year for a deeper go-through of each zone.
Bonus Level
Are you ready to up your organizing game? Here are a few more areas that can always use some extra attention:
Under the kitchen sink: place plastic bags in a bag holder that attaches to the inside of a cabinet door, and toss old sponges and expired/almost-empty cleaning products.
Random items that have “sparked joy”, but now might need to find new lives somewhere else: decorative shot glasses, plastic take-out containers, any sets of china (whether just teacups and saucers, or the whole 60-piece dinnerware set!).
And if you want to really make a dent in kitchen clutter, consider purging some of the ubiquitous souvenir mugs and reusable water bottles that overfloweth within our kitchen spaces (though if you find some of these difficult to part with, consider storing them in a labeled box out in the garage or attic).
We use our kitchens every day, so organizing them into a place of calm and order is one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves. And if this is an area where you can use some encouragement and help, reach out to us today—we love turning kitchens into your happy place!
Cheers!
Your MHS Team
