Easy Steps to an Organized Life in 31 Days: Kitchen Cupboards (Day 5)
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Day 5: Kitchen Cupboards and Drawers
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“Your personal work style will determine where you store and use the items in your kitchen, but the goal is to get that room and its contents to serve your needs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. If you invest the time and energy into decluttering and organizing your kitchen, it is an investment that will pay off in happiness for years to come,” says organizational expert Monica Ricci.
Yesterday, we cleaned, decluttered, and organized kitchen counters and utensil drawers. Today we’ll tackle the remaining cupboards and drawers.
The kitchen area will be split into 5 days. Very doable!
Day 4: Kitchen Counters and Utensils Drawers
Day 5: Cupboards and Drawers (today)
Day 6: Pantry
Day 7: Refrigerator
Day 8: A Junk Drawer
Today will be about strategic space planning and reorganization. We’ll take a look at workflow, at new ways to use vertical space, and declutter. There are some excellent ideas at the bottom of this post.
As you assess what’s in each cupboard and drawer — remember to discard anything that is:
• broken
• never used or likely to be used
• you have multiples of that are similar
Tomorrow we’ll be working with the pantry or food cupboard so skip food-related spaces today.
Checklist
31Daily – Easy Steps to an Organized Life – Kitchen Cupboards (Day 5)
Objective: Clean and declutter nonfood-related cupboards, cabinets, and drawers.
• Empty cabinets.
• Eliminate items that are broken, unused, or not likely to be used. Remember, space is a premium.
• Sort items and group according to use (baking items, cookware, seasonal, special occasion, etc.). Everyday items like glasses, plates, and utensils should be accessible, heavy cookware in bottom cabinets and seasonal or fragile items in harder to access upper cabinets.
• Create storage in clear labeled containers or bins and group small items together.
• Organize cabinets according to use. Locate cookware close to where you do food prep, glasses near the sink, etc.
• For small space areas, get creative with vertical storage. Ideas might include hooks for mugs, Lazy Susans, and vertical storage attachments on the back of cabinet doors.
• Wipe out cupboards inside and out, from top to bottom, and return organized items to appropriate cabinets or drawers.
Tomorrow
Kitchen Pantry
GET THE BOOK:
Easy Steps to an Organized Life in 31 Days or Less (Amazon.com)
Organized Kitchen Cupboard Inspirations
Utilizing Drawer Dividers
Keep items from rattling around inside drawers by adding an insert or drawer divider that maintains order so you quickly spot what you need. Fit small containers between dividers when you have especially tiny objects to corral.
Plastic Food Storage
Prevent an avalanche of food storage containers every time you open your cupboard door. Divide your stash of plastic into stacks of containers and lids. Stack containers into each other like nesting dolls, and store them in a larger tray. Lids can also be corralled by using containers.
Utilizing Unused Spaces and Organization
Everyday items are located on the bottom shelf, and rarely used items on the top. Mug hooks create additional verticle storage.
Label Clear Storage
Save time by clearly labeling clear storage so you can easily find what you’re looking for.
Corral Smaller Items in Bins
This way, you can pull out the whole bin to get what you need, instead of having to rifle through the entire cabinet.
Install Slide-Out Shelving
A shelf system that slides out lets you easily pick up (and store) awkward items like heavy pots and pans.
Under the Sink Organizer
Don’t let kitchen rags and dishwashing gloves clutter the sink area. Instead, hang them from hooks screwed to the inside of a cabinet door, where the items can stay out of sight as they dry. A grommet-setting kit (below: available at hardware stores) lets you make tear-proof holes in cloth, rubber, and other soft materials. Place a tray just inside the cabinet to corral cleaning supplies and catch water that drips from wet gloves.
