5 ways to keep your kitchen organised and work for you
Is your kitchen set up in the best way possible for you? Do you find yourself going to the other end of the kitchen for a mug after starting the kettle? Is everything organised as well as it could be? This blog post is a guide to help you organise your kitchen to fit your needs, potentially reducing the amount of time you spend in the kitchen or simply making it a more enjoyable and functional place to be in.
Getting Started
If you tackle one cupboard at a time, it will be less overwhelming, and you will also be able to break up the task over a number of days if you are short on time.
Take everything out of the cupboard and clean it out; you will notice a significant difference right away, and even if you have to pack the cupboards back up because you are out of time, you will know that it is at least clean for the next time you tackle it.
Sort through your belongings to see what you want to keep, toss, or donate. Remember, if you did not even realise you had it, do you need it? Also, if you have duplicates of an item, think about donating them.
If you have trouble throwing things away because you are afraid you will need them later, put everything in a storage box and store it somewhere else. They are not taking up space in your kitchen, but they are still available if needed. Then, if you have not used it in a year, it's time to get rid of it! In the worst-case scenario, borrow something from a friend or request that visitors bring an extra plate if you don't have one.
Organising
When restocking the cupboard, group similar items together. This is especially important for food items to avoid buying extra food that you don't need and food going bad before you eat it. Remember to keep the items with the shortest expiration date at the front of the cupboard to avoid food going out of date; this also serves as a visual guide to tell you which foods need to be eaten first and may solve the problem of not knowing what to cook.
Items that you can't see should be avoided. To assist with this, purchase a tiered shelf system so that the items in the back are higher than the items in the front, allowing everything to be visible. Leaving nothing out of sight, nothing out of mind prevents food from being forgotten.
When working on high-up cupboards, remember to always use a step ladder/step stool to keep yourself safe. A kitchen chair is not a suitable alternative and can cause severe damage if you fall off or become unbalanced. A slim folding step stool could be the ideal solution for those difficult-to-reach areas. Check out our Climb It lightweight folding slim steps, which are ideal for storing neatly in your kitchen for easy access.
In The Fridge
A great tip for organising your fridge is to put all of your fruit and vegetable items in the door of your fridge or on an eye-level section of your fridge. The idea is that you want to make sure you can see ALL of your fruits and vegetables when opening the fridge because this is what most people end up throwing away because they have gone bad due to being forgotten about. Why not put your jars and sauces in the cooler tray at the bottom of the fridge? You're always going to be looking for your favourite sauces, so this isn't something you'll easily forget about, and these are also items that have a longer lifespan than fruits and vegetables.
Evaluate your space
How much space do you have now that your kitchen cabinets have been organised? What has now become available? Had a cupboard or a shelf been converted into free storage?
It's critical to remember that just because there's an open space doesn't mean you have to fill it. No rule says you have to fill every nook and cranny of your home with stuff. You are permitted to have an empty drawer or cabinet if that is all that is available to you. You may also be able to use an empty drawer to organise a full drawer elsewhere, or you may have an excess of cutlery and utensils. Why not use the two draws to help better organise what you have so you can see what you have and save time and energy searching for the potato masher hidden at the bottom of the draw?
Look Up
Of course, you'll want to use your step ladder or step stool to inspect the high-up areas of your kitchen. Do you have any extra space on top of your refrigerator or kitchen cabinets? Why not make good use of that space? We don't want you to keep everything up there; rather, cereal and other items related to that area of your home should be kept there. Also, once those areas are clean, a great tip for keeping them clean and free of dust is to put a layer of clingfilm/large piece of material or throwaway table cloth, whatever you have that you are happy to part with, over the area and then when you come around to cleaning again, all you have to do is take it off and replace it.
We recommend finding storage boxes or baskets to keep above the kitchen cabinets or fridge to help hide anything you want to keep up there to keep the areas from looking cluttered/messy. Make sure to label any boxes with what's inside so you know where everything is. There are numerous boxes and baskets available to match the style of your kitchen. Any items you decide to keep above your kitchen cabinets or fridge should not be items you want to access on a regular basis because they are in difficult-to-reach areas that should only be accessed with a step ladder or step stool.
Conclusion
Best of luck with your kitchen organisation, and we hope we were able to provide you with some useful tips! If you have any questions about which step ladders or step stools will work best to keep you safe when working at height in your home, please call us at 01204 590 232 or email our customer service team at customerservice@ladderstore.com.