When Everything Has a Place, It's Easier to  Put Everything in it's Place
 

The kitchen is the one room of the home that all family members use every day – yet so often it is one of the most inefficient rooms in the house. Who wants to cook when you can’t find what you need? Life in the kitchen is much easier when you can find what you’re looking for and you know what food is in the cupboard or the pantry!

Here are a few tips that may help you create an enjoyable kitchen
 

• Neatly stored items take up less space
• Organize your kitchen so that the every day dishes, silverware and glasses are close to the sink and/or dishwasher
• Coffee mugs…how many do you really need??? Think about those you use most often and how much space the rest consume
• Square and rectangular containers take up less space than round
• Go through cupboards and pantries once per year and toss what has not been used in a year
• Don’t purchase products in bulk unless you have a place to store them
• Small appliances you use often should be accessible – relocate appliances to hard to reach places that you do not use often
• Put canned goods with canned goods and boxes with boxes, etc. Break each down by category, such as fruits, vegetables, soups, beans, pasta, snack foods, etc…
• Install slide-out drawers in cupboards to easily access pots, pans, plastic containers, etc…
• Can’t install slide out drawers? Use clear plastic boxes that can hold similar items, such as pasta, rice, snacks, baking goods – this way you can pull them all of the shelf at one time

With just a few hours of time and some products to help you organize – you’ll be well on your way to a kitchen that you can enjoy spending time in. It’s amazing the number of kitchen organizing products to help you control kitchen clutter – too many to mention all of them here.

Some of my favorite products are listed below

You may even find uses for these products in areas of your home – besides the kitchen!

1. Turntables – Found in a variety of sizes, materials and colors, turntables are one of the best ways to organize bottles, jars, cans, spices – or anything that you do not want to get shoved to the back of the cupboard. Use one 21" in diameter under your kitchen sink to keep all of the cleaning supplies on so you don’t have to crawl under your sink, or put one in that cabinet above the refrigerator to access those hard to reach items – without having to climb on a stool. They also work wonders in upper corner cabinets. Try putting two side by side if necessary and don’t worry about not being able to see the entire turntable – just give it a spin and you’ll see the rest!

Turntables also work well in large medicine cabinets or in laundry rooms for cleaning supplies.

2. Tea Bag Storage – Wouldn't it be great to be able to offer your guest a variety of tea without having to dig for all of the tea boxes? Just place some of each of your favorites into the container and impress your guests.

3. Microwave Plate Cover – Tired of cleaning your microwave after the lunch you are making exploded? Cover your leftovers with a plate cover. To ensure that all family member use it, store it in the microwave so that in order to cook, you must move the cover first!

4. 3-tier Expanding Shelf – Never sure if you have tomato soup on hand when you want a grilled cheese sandwich? Use an expanding, tiered shelf to solve the mystery. It’s like having a set of bleachers for your canned goods and spices.

5. Drawer Doubler – Maximize the space in your drawers with a drawer doubler. It’s adjustable to fit the width of your drawer and has individual compartments. It’s perfect for use in a kitchen junk drawer – who said your junk drawer needed to look junky? It also works well in the drawer that contains all of your kitchen utensils.

6. Grocery Bag Holder – Not only useful in the kitchen, but also a must for the laundry room if you use grocery bags to clean out the litter box! They also are useful in the bathroom under the sink. Mount on insides of doors, pantries or on the wall – or purchase the one that sits on a flat surface.

Tip: Resist the urge to keep every bag – there will always be more!

7. Packet Storage – Excellent for quickly being able to put your hands on sauce, soup or drink mixes! They come in a variety of sizes and can either sit on a shelf, or some can be affixed to the door of a cupboard or wall in the pantry.

8. Cover Holder – Do the plastic lids from your storage containers drive you nuts because you’re never sure what to do with them? Install a door mounted plastic cover holder and never wonder again where the lid is to your container. If this product won’t solve your problem – simply use one of the larger plastic containers to store the lids in.

Last but not least, be sure to take an honest look at what you are currently storing in your kitchen. Ask yourself; ‘when was the last time I used this?’ "Will I ever use it again?" If the answer is "I can’t remember" or "No" then it may be time to let it go and make room for what you use everyday.

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