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Welcome to YourWeb.Info Shopping Mall! | | Kitchen tips that will help you organize your kitchen better. You have come to the right place! YWI has searched the web for kitchen tips that will help everyone out. Now you can find something new or something that you have always wanted to know about your kitchen. YWI is your kitchen tip center. |
| ORGANIZATION TIPS FOR THE KITCHEN |
Steps to Kitchen Organization
When it comes to our kitchens, storage and organization are becoming essential ingredients. No matter what kind of kitchen you have, getting organized can save you time, space and money while adding welcomed simplicity to your life.
Some 85 percent of new-home buyers surveyed say a walk-in pantry is desirable or essential and 60 percent said special use storage areas are priorities, according to the 2003 National Association of Home Builders Consumer Preference Survey.
Did you know that 20% of the total items in your kitchen are used 80% of the time? If we only use 20% of the stuff in our junk drawers and pantry, then why on earth do we think we need MORE storage space?
That is a good question, and below are a few tips to help you reclaim some of that precious cabinet space in your own kitchen. Here is what you need to know and how to get started.
- Take Note Use a magnetic clip for the refrigerator to hold all those lists in place: grocery list, coupons, toiletries list, freezer inventory, etc.
- Stack it Up Use plastic or wicker in-baskets and go vertical to utilize counter space. Don't spread; stack. Purchase wire shelves for pantries and cabinets at your discount store. These double the space for dishes, pots, and pans. Lid organizers and baking tray racks store stackable pots and pans.
- Hang on Use over-the-door hangers or door-mounted holders to display pantry items. Holders for seasoning envelopes, spice boxes, and plastic wraps consolidate these elusive items once and for all. You can even buy under-the-shelf organizers for paper plates, napkins, and coffee filters.
- Take Stock Keep a current inventory of freezer items (especially if you do bulk cooking) on the side of the fridge. Use a pencil so you can erase items as they are used.
- No more junk drawer? No way! Just use any type of plastic basket or cutlery organizer for your junk drawer, and clean it out routinely.
- Pretty is as pretty does Since counter space is at a premium, don't display all your knickknacks on the countertop - hang framed prints rather than resting them on easels. Consolidate fridge photos with a magnetic mat, or adhere a magnetic sheet to each picture creating your own photo magnets. Store tall utensils in pottery or your favorite pitcher. This makes your favorite things do double duty, creating more drawer space and reducing countertop clutter.
By using some of these kitchen-organizing tips, you will reclaim storage space and cut down on the clutter in your kitchen. Keep your eyes open for storage containers and get creative with flea market items - remember, one man's trash is another's clutter buster.
Taking Inventory
Note the current location of each item in your cabinets and drawers, where it is used and how often it is used. Consider what you like and don't like about the present setup, and ask other kitchen users for their input. Ponder your lifestyle and what you like to cook and bake. Even when visiting someone else's kitchen, consider traffic and storage. When you see someone using a drawer or cabinet differently than you do, ask why and determine whether your reasoning is founded on efficiency or old habit.
After you have deciphered what works well, what drives you crazy and why, start dreaming about your ideal kitchen situation. Ask yourself, "What do I want to store here and how do I make it happen?" This may mean you have to measure your shelves, drawers, pots and pans to make sure you can give your stuff the perfect fit.
While you are sorting, ask yourself, "Have I used this in the past two years?" If you have not, then move it out of your way. You do not have to toss it in the trash. Give it to someone or store it in a less accessible area.
Sorting and Purging
Label three boxes: "KEEP", "GIVE AWAY" and "NOT SURE". Then, empty out all cabinets, drawers and shelves. Assign each item to a box, keeping only what you need, love, or think is beautiful. The items you need are those you use often and that contribute to efficiency in the kitchen. The "unsure" box is a way to determine over time whether certain items are valuable to you. Sally Allen, a professional organizer from Golden, colorado, says that if you're having trouble deciding whether to toss certain things, you should "store those items in a box, seal the box, date it and put it in the garage or the basement. If you don't go back to that box within the next four months, then that's your decision."
Parting with items can sometimes be difficult for cost or sentimental reasons. Jan Limpach, a professional organizer in Omaha, says it's much easier to get rid of something if you realize that it will be useful to someone else. Items in your "to give away" box that are still in working condition can be sold in a garage sale or donated to a charity.
Reassigning Space
The inventory you took before you emptied your cabinets will give you a better idea of where to put the belongings that survive the sorting and purging process.
Proper organization keeps the items you need visible, saving space and time and money: Being able to quickly and easily locate items will keep money in your wallet because you won't have to run out to buy a replacement when an item ends up missing. Consider these suggestions for reassigning space:
Measure the length, width and height of your most frequently used pots, pans, bowls, appliances and utensils. Pay close attention to how measurements change when particular items are grouped or stacked for storage. This will help gage what you can store cozily without cramming kitchen cabinets, drawers and shelves.
Designate a specific place for each and every thing. Once you've done so, you'll be more likely to put things back where they belong and less likely to lose or unknowingly duplicate items.
Think logically. Group like items together for easy retrieval.
Save steps. Place items closest to their point of use. Store cups and glasses near the sink or refrigerator. Place pots and pans near the stove, and put spices and oils in proximity to the prep area. For easy retrieval, plates are generally stored in the upper cabinets nearest the sink or dishwasher; but to help youngsters set the table, consider drawer storage.
Assign everything else a space based on frequency of use. Store extra place settings used only for special occasions in the dining room or elsewhere to avoid taking up valuable kitchen space. Put holiday or entertaining items in the back of cabinets, selecting an upper or lower cabinet location based on each item's weight. Keep only kitchen items in the kitchen. Do not let other household items clutter your kitchen space.
Planning for the Future
There is no doubt you will buy new items for your kitchen in the days to come. If you already have plans to purchase a large appliance, prepare for its arrival during the organization, construction or remodeling process. If you will be buying a large mixer, realize that it may not fit in a standard appliance garage.
Ramona Creel, an organizer from Atlanta, recommends keeping 15 percent of the kitchen free so new arrivals can be easily placed. To keep some space free, pitch useless items regularly and keep nonkitchen items out of the kitchen. "Be aware of what you're doing and why you're doing it rather than going around on autopilot, not even thinking about what you're putting where. That's how things get stuck in the kitchen," Creel says. But if you don't have much space to share, follow the rule of "One new thing in, one old thing out."
Staying Clutter-Free
Pretty is as pretty does. Since counter space is at a premium, do not display all your knickknacks on the countertop - hang framed prints rather than resting them on easels. Consolidate fridge photos with a magnetic mat or adhere a magnetic sheet to each picture creating your own photo magnets. Store tall utensils in pottery or your favorite pitcher. This makes your favorite things do double duty, creating more drawer space and reducing counter top clutter.
By using some of these kitchen-organizing tips, you will reclaim storage space and cut down on the clutter in your kitchen. Keep your eyes open for storage containers and get creative with flea market items - remember, one man's trash is another's clutter buster.
Once you have put all your belongings back into the cabinets, you will have to work to keep the new system in place. Monica Silver, a professional organizer from Tuscon, says identifying a good reason for maintaining order is the best way to ensure you'll do it. "An attractive, pleasing surrounding and convenience and ease are good reasons for keeping things in order," she says.
Susan Lund, an organizer from Fairfax, California, recommends committing to a regular maintenance schedule that will help keep the new system in place. Based on the accumulation of clutter in your kitchen, decide whether your cleanup routine needs to be a daily or weekly activity. She also encourages reevaluating the functionality of your organization systems on a regular basis. "If they are no longer suiting your needs," Lund says, "it may be time to implement a change or two."
Make Storage Organization
Your Number One Priority In The Kitchen
Storage and organization are key goals for kitchen remodelers and those simply wanting to make a few simple and cost-efficient changes.
"You don't have to be an organized person to have an organized kitchen," said Kate Schwartz, editor of kitchens.com, a consumer website. "The right cabinet interiors, space planning and kitchen accessories can do most of the work for you."
Lowe's, meanwhile, says the first step involves taking everything out of your cabinets and sorting into groups according to where the items are used.
"While you are sorting, ask yourself, "Have I used this in the past two years?" Lowe's advises website visitors. "If you have not, then move it out of your way. You do not have to toss it in the trash. Give it to someone, store it in a less accessible area.
Bust the decision dam by holding each item in your hand and asking yourself a simple question: "When have I last used this item?" The answers will guide your declutter decisions:
- Never - Out it goes, to the trash or for donation or a yard sale. I don't care if your mother-in-law did give you that complete cake decorating set (despite, or perhaps because of, your new stint at Weight Watchers). If you don't use it, it has no place in a lean, mean kitchen. Donate it to your favorite charity thrift shop and allow some other family the consumer thrill of possessing a genuine advertised-on-TV potato peeler machine.
- Within the last year - Out it goes, with one exception. Holiday cooking tools used only once a year, like cookie presses or springerle molds, may be give house room if, and only if, they are removed from active kitchen storage. You haven't space in a working kitchen for holiday one-timers, so store them with the holiday decorations in a box marked Holiday Cooking Tools. All others? If you've only used it once a year, why do you have it at all? Out!
- Within the last month - Candidate for a keeper. Deciding where the item should live will come during another phase of the kitchen clean-up.
- Yesterday - Watch for these items; they're the backbone of a organized kitchen. Keep. Clean them if necessary and put away where you found them. They will be the star performers of your new improved kitchen environment.
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