No-Cost and Low-Cost Ideas to Get Organized in the Kitchen

Do you have the spring cleaning itch? Here are a few classic symptoms of spring cleaning fever:

•Lying awake at night, mentally re-organizing the junk drawer

•Frowning at your pots and pans as you try to stuff and stack them into your outdated cabinetry

•You would rather go shopping at the store than in your own, disorganized pantry

If any of these things sound familiar, you may be in need of a serious spring cleaning session. Sometimes, nothing feels better than pulling on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of trainers, and just tackling all those little organizational challenges around the house. This week, we are offering up some of our favorite no-cost and low-cost solutions to help you get organized in a room that sees a lot of traffic—the kitchen.

Obviously the most permanent way to upgrade your kitchen organization is to splurge for new cabinetry. That doesn’t exactly fall under the “no-cost, low-cost” heading, but right now Cabinets & Designs is participating in Wood-Mode’s “Pick 2” Premium Savings event, and we think anyone who has been waiting to invest Wood-Mode should consider acting now to enjoy significant savings on top-of-the-line cabinetry.

If new cabinets aren’t possible for you right now, you can work with your existing kitchen design to maximize space and efficiency.

•Use vertical space: Mount hooks inside doors to hang towels and pot holders, and consider floating shelves on walls with open, useable space. Use hanging racks or pegboards for storage of utensils, pots, and pans. Door-mount racks for spices clean up clutter, and provide easy access.

•Clear communication: Dedicate a space in your kitchen for messages, notes, schedules, and appointment reminders. Hang a chalkboard—or use chalkboard paint—where you can post a message, or even the evening’s dinner menu! Corkboard or dry-erase boards are also great options.

•Junk drawer: We’ve all got one—a black hole where everything that doesn’t have a place goes to hide. (Some of us might have more than one!) Start from scratch—pull out and empty the entire drawer, throw out anything that is legitimately “junk” and then begin organizing the contents you wish to keep. Drawer organizers work great here—you can find them at many retail stores, including dollar stores—or you can use small plastic bags to keep like items together (e.g. paper clips, tacks, twist ties).

•Back to school: Buy binders and use them to store all of your kitchen paperwork: one for warranty information, and the instruction manuals, for example; another for take-out menus

•Combat cupboard clutter: Store items you use frequently on lower shelves, and items you use only occasionally on upper shelves. Create areas, or “zones,” for storage, by grouping similar objects together—drinking glasses next to the sink, coffee mugs near the coffee maker, bake wear together in a cupboard near the stove, etc.

Of course, if you can’t wait any longer and you need new cabinets now, stop in to Cabinets and Designs to learn more about our Wood-Mode “Pick 2” Promotion event, going on now through June