As the saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of the home. When you wake up in the morning, when you come home from work, when you sit down to eat with your family, and when you rise in the middle of the night for a glass of water, it’s the kitchen where you will go.
Whilst it’s the central hub for all households, it’s sometimes one of the smallest rooms. Many people struggle with kitchen storage, meaning organisation needs to be a top priority in order to maintain the usability and functionality of the space. This is easier said than done, though. If you’re struggling with organising your kitchen, here are some top tips to keep in mind.
The Rule of Six
The first step to an organised kitchen is to regularly get rid of clutter. If you have a million items and only three cupboards, you will never achieve a tidy and usable kitchen. We know it’s not easy to part way with items, and that’s why the rule of six comes in handy.
Essentially, if you haven’t used an item in the last six months, get rid of it. If you can go half a year without using something, you likely don’t need it, unless it’s seasonal. For example, Christmas cake moulds and ice cream machines will have a certain time period during which they’re at their prime, but if you have a bread maker, blender or pots and pans that haven’t been used in a short while, get rid.
Organise by Section
Kitchens need to make sense. This means in order to get the maximum flow out of your space, you need to think logically about where things go. Pots and pans should be stored close to the oven, and cleaning supplies should be under the sink (it’s best not to store anything else here in case of a leaky pipe).
Rather than scattering your crockery and cutlery out, try and put your crockery in a cupboard close to your cutlery drawer. In a similar manner, store appliances next to plug sockets so you don’t need to move things around.
In terms of food, group items together by type. Fridge and freezer food is self-explanatory, but cupboard foods are slightly different. We’d recommend storing tinned foods on one shelf, sauces, condiments and flavourings on another, and treat foods like crisps and biscuits on their own shelf, too.
Label Food by Date
We all have food and drinks in our kitchen that are probably out of date. Contrary to popular belief, tinned food can go bad and wine does go out of date, but if you’ve got tins and bottles stashed at the back of your cupboards, it can be hard to identify the dates.
To keep on top of things, we would recommend labelling food by date. Sometimes, use by dates rub off or fade over time, and multipacks may not have the date printed on each individual item. To help you quickly identify dates during a monthly food purge, labels come in handy.
Tidy as You go
The quickest way mess is made is by not tidying as you go. It results in clutter on the countertops which can quickly throw organisation into chaos, meaning you need to start from scratch. There will be times where you’re running late or something happens and you can’t tidy immediately, but if you can, do. Put things in the dishwasher, close cupboard doors and wipe the sides every time you prepare food. It will soon become a habit, we promise!
Summary
These are just four organisation tips. Do you have any of your own to share?
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