Organizing Your Home: The Kitchen (Part Four)

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If you have put into practice parts one, two and three of organizing your kitchen, the outer surfaces of your kitchen are now nothing short of sparkling clean.  It's time to get under the surface for some deep-down cleaning.

Ready?  Okay, let’s get to it!

The first place we are going to tackle today is under your sink.  Since most keep everything from their garbage can to cleaning supplies under their sink area, it can result in quite the messy area.

Regardless of what is under there, now is the time to come clean.

If it’s cleaning supplies, look and see what you’ve used and never used and what’s just dried out and old.  Pitch what you don’t use, won’t use, or is old.  Organize your cabinet in the way that’s best suited to you—what you use the most up front, what’s less-frequently used in back.  If you don’t have a dishwasher, remember to leave room for your empty dishpan to collect dirty dishes.

Once that has been completed, turn your attention to your dish cabinets.  Let’s begin by taking inventory as to what you use and what has just been taking up space.  Be brutally honest here:  if you haven’t used it recently, you probably don’t need it.  And I’m certain that if you offered it to someone else who was just starting out, they could use it.

Consider keeping 8 to 12 place settings with your dishes.  In addition, even though serving dishes are necessary, no one needs 7 serving dishes that are the same size.  If you’re cramped for space, consider how much more relaxed you’ll be when you open your cabinets and can actually FIND what you’re looking for!  Organize your shelves in the way that best suits your family needs—it doesn’t have to be perfect, just useful.

With that task accomplished, move on to your spice cabinet.  I recently went through my spice cabinet and was shocked at how many duplicates I had and didn’t use—and I’m a born-organized person!  Pitch what you don’t use or is out of date.  Consolidate in to smaller bottles, if possible.  Installing a lazy-susan can add to your cabinet space.

Now that you have won the war on your spice collection, focus next on your appliance/baking cabinet.  For example, ask yourself  some hard questions, such as: if you don’t bake cheesecakes, why are you keeping the springform pan?  Do you have 12 cookie sheets?  Three or four is as many as one family needs—even if you have two ovens, each only has 2 shelves.  One sheet is on one oven shelf, so 4 would max out your ovens.  Do you have broken appliances?  Pitch ‘em!  Put what you use in front, and things used less-often towards the back, but still within reach.

Okay!  Good for you, your cabinets are officially organized!  By now, your entire kitchen should look as if it’s had a mini-makeover (which it has, right?)!  Congratulations!

Related posts:

1. Organizing Your Home: The Kitchen (Part One)
2. Organizing Your Home: The Kitchen (Part Two)
3. Organizing Your Home: The Kitchen (Part Three)
4. Organizing Your Home: (Part Two) Your Linen Closet
5. Organizing Your Home: (Part Three) The Linen Closet Continues

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