Keeping your Kitchen and Pantry Organized

It happens to the best of us, you find yourself searching for something to cook for dinner last minute, and end up digging through a messy disorganized pantry. Or you can’t find that obscure kitchen utensil to help you prepare your soufflé. How do your pantry and kitchen gets so disorganized? We’ve all been there! So what can you do to keep this from happening? Here are some simple tips to keep your kitchen and pantry organized so this doesn’t happen to you again.

5 Kitchen and Pantry Organization Tips

• Don’t overfill your pantry. Items coming into your kitchen or pantry means items must go out, either by consuming or donating them. If you bought new spatulas because your old ones are stained or cracked, don’t keep all of them. Toss or donate the old ones to make room for the new ones.
• Every six months or so, clear it out. This pertains to both the pantry and the kitchen. Toss your half empty food boxes that have been untouched for months. The food inside has probably gone stale anyway. Get rid of unnecessary plastic or glass food containers that you saved from grocery items. Go ahead and check the fridge while you’re at it.
• To help the chaos in your kitchen, put commonly used utensils close to your cooking station. That would be the stove and your sink. Keeping these items within reach makes for easier meal preparation. Tall cabinets should have upper shelves reserved for rarely used items. Store commonly used plates, bowls and cups on the bottom shelves of your cabinets within reach.
• Once you’ve cleared out your cabinets and pantry of unwanted items, separate items into categories of food using storage bins that are easy to see inside. That’s either clear or shallow bins. You can label the bins to help you and the kids. You can even set aside a bin for kids filled with healthy snacks. It’s a great help for hungry kids in a pinch.
• Finally, “clean and clear” should be your kitchen mantra. That means keeping the kitchen countertops and island, if you have one, clear and clutter free. It makes the kitchen look organized and polished all the time even if it’s not behind cabinet and pantry doors. It only takes a few minutes to put dishes in the sink, paper clutter into a pile, and food containers back where they belong.

Keeping your kitchen and pantry organized can be a snap by doing a small amount of daily maintenance and taking the time to check in and clear out items twice a year. Clearing countertops of clutter daily will keep your kitchen looking beautiful and organized.