How to Effectively Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers?

It's very satisfying when your kitchen storage is functional and organized, but it can be challenging to know where to start, especially if you've been using your kitchen for a while and are accustomed to its quirks. Here is a quick guide on how to group items by type, store them close to where you use them, and get rid of what you don't use in order to organize your kitchen cabinets and drawers.

1. Kitchen cabinets and drawers

You can empty your cabinets one at a time or cabinet by cabinet then arrange the items on a table or countertop.

In order to decide whether to keep, donate, or discard an item, you must physically handle it, according to Karen Duncan, a certified professional organizer based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

2. Pick and choose what to keep and what to discard

Like many storage cabinets throughout the house, the items in your kitchen cabinets are probably filled with things you use frequently, but they're also probably filled with things you use infrequently or never.

Give yourself the go-ahead to discard those unnecessary possessions. If you can, donate or give away what you can; if not, recycle or discard it, including any expired pantry items.

3. Clean the drawers and cabinets

Spend some time thoroughly cleaning your cabinets now that they are empty before stocking them once more. Before restocking, thoroughly clean all surfaces with mild soap and water, and let them dry completely. You can also add new shelf or drawer liners or swap out worn ones for an extra level of polish and to make subsequent cleaning simpler.

4. Sort items by purpose

Consider the following areas of your kitchen as functional ones: washing, chopping, stovetop cooking, and baking, advises Duncan.

For maximum efficiency, group the supplies or tools you need for each of those tasks together. In the pantry, this entails organizing food types by category, such as cooking, baking, snacks, and breakfast, or using whichever method of grouping suits your needs best.

5. Place items close to where they will be used

Plan to store your grouped items in cabinets or drawers close to where they will be used after grouping them. Put the foods in the pantry that you use the most frequently in the areas that are the simplest to access.

Duncan advises affixing temporary labels made of blue painters tape to the cabinet or drawer where each group will go while you're deciding what to put in each drawer or cabinet. This will make it easier for you to make changes as you go and give you an idea of how your storage plan is coming along.