HOW TO ORGANIZE THE KITCHEN – A SHORT GUIDE
Kitchen organization is a serious project, but it doesn’t have to be complicated at all. In fact, simplicity is one of the most important principles of good organization of any space, including the kitchen. That’s why in this blog I bring you a short guide on how to organize the kitchen in a simple and sustainable way and thus get the most out of your kitchen space.
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN – SHORT GUIDE
The kitchen is the heart of every home. Even if you don’t like to cook or aren’t very good at it, you start your day in the kitchen every morning with breakfast or at least a drink. This single activity alone requires some spatial prerequisites, and in the case of an unorganized or congested kitchen, instead of a good start to the day, it can bring you exactly the opposite. If you regularly cook for yourself and your family, the kitchen is the place from which you turn your living space into something much more than walls and furniture – into a home with smells and tastes. Many beautiful family moments are often related to gathering around shared meals, but unfortunately for many women I meet in my work, the activity of everyday cooking or holiday preparations is made difficult precisely because of an unorganized kitchen.
That’s why I highlight four basic tips on how to organize the kitchen, preferably in this order:
- Clear the kitchen of all unnecessary things
- Introduce the so-called kitchen zones
- Make the most important things the most accessible
- Replace messy packaging
Read below what each of the mentioned tips exactly means, how you will apply it and why.
CLEAR THE KITCHEN OF ALL EXTRA THINGS
There are two groups of superfluous things that you will find in your kitchen when you start clearing out:
- All the things that by definition belong in the kitchen, but you don’t use them. For example: a broken toaster that you planned to take in for repair, but you bought a new one anyway. Then let’s say you bought a never-used pitting machine just because it was on sale. The fondue kit you prepared once because no one in the house liked it. Second or third service of dishes or spoons, forks and knives and the like. It is therefore about things that are defective, wrongly bought or are simply unnecessary duplicates.
- All things that have no place in the kitchen at all. These are most often papers such as advertising mail and invoices, untidy household documents, but also things such as various packaging, bags, electronics and even clothes.
Before any organizational changes, it is necessary to free your kitchen from the above items. The main reason is that you need to get a clear overview of the actual quantity and volume needed so that you can design smart permanent locations and disposal methods.
INTRODUCE THE SO-CALLED KITCHEN ZONES
Kitchen zones are a common term in kitchen organization. If that term is new to you, here is what it is actually about. Zones in the organization of space are nothing but parts of the space that follow the rule “like with like”. Using the example of kitchen organization, this means that each zone is intended for a specific kitchen activity, as well as the accessories needed for that activity. This is how we distinguish these kitchen zones:
- Zone for cutting and preparing food
- Cooking zone
- Washing and cleaning area
- Food storage area
- Zone for storing dishes and utensils
It is easiest and best to determine the kitchen zones at the time of the first furnishing of the kitchen, i.e. when buying an apartment or moving. A new and/or empty space is like a blank piece of paper and an ideal opportunity to establish a good system. In an existing kitchen, it can be somewhat more difficult, most often due to the complications of moving some elements.
Image shows the mentioned zones and compare it with the arrangement of spaces and things in your kitchen. Remember your usual way of preparing a meal. Is it easy and quick for you to take food from the refrigerator, wash it, transfer it to the surface/preparation zone, then reach for a knife and the necessary bowl or pan? Is there a trash can in the immediate vicinity of the area where you clean the food? Are the zones for washing, preparation and cooking in a logical sequence or are they illogically far from each other? Do you walk around the kitchen a lot because important things are not within your reach? It all has to do with zones.
The answers to these questions will show you which parts of the space should be reorganized.
MAKE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS MOST AVAILABLE
Just like in your wardrobe, you have things in your kitchen that you use every day or very often. Such things should be the most easily accessible, and some of them even outside the kitchen elements, i.e. on the surface in a visible place.
These are usually small household appliances such as juicers, coffee machines and kettles. But it can also be containers with coffee or tea and vitamins that you definitely don’t want to forget to take regularly. So, important things don’t necessarily have to be your first choice, but if you make them visible, it will be easier to discipline yourself in regular use. My blender sits outside to remind me not to skip my smoothey.
As for frequently used dishes and utensils, of course you won’t take everything out of the elements to make it visible, but you will place it in the range from waist height to head height. It is the range of the best visibility and the easiest to pick things up and put them back in place. Accordingly, place everything that you know you use infrequently or very rarely on the lowest or highest shelves or deeper.
REPLACE MESSY PACKAGING
This is actually about additional visibility. For example, a deep drawer or pull-out shelves (like in a pharmacy) for dry food may seem practical, but the crumpled bags of pasta or opaque boxes of rice you place there will be neither practical nor clear.
Therefore, choose the same or very similar containers that are transparent and, if necessary, write on each one exactly what is inside. In addition to better storage, this is also important for easier tracking of food quantities and procurement planning.
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE
Having an organized kitchen means having a place where space and things help you to start the day calmly and to perform all kitchen activities with ease. Knowing how to organize a kitchen actually means knowing how to make it functional. This short guide is a great start, but you may want to learn more specific tips and tricks. In that case, be sure to join my Facebook community HERE , my Instagram profile HERE or subscribe to my newsletter HERE .
This post is also available in:
