Stuffed kitchen cupboards? Use these 10 quick and easy tips to give them some breathing room
Is your kitchen bursting at the seams?? A tiny kitchen doesn’t have to frustrate you. Consider downsizing some of the items you aren’t using daily, and rearranging everyday essentials.
10 fast organizing tips to free up space in a tiny kitchen
Donate kitchen gadgets you no longer use
I donated specialty tools that were rarely used and ones we never really got the hang of. The mandolin food slicer, corn stripper, vegetable spiral tool, and the immersion mixer (that we never got the hang of) have all been given a new home.
Store special occasion items elsewhere
Once I moved the bulky special occasion items to another location, I noticed a lot more breathing room in the kitchen. I tend to store specialty items like our lobster pot, roaster, snow cone machine and travel cupcake holder with our party supplies in another area of the house. They weren’t getting used daily and were taking up prime real estate in our kitchen. Although they are no longer in the kitchen, they are still easy to access.
Donate duplicates
I regularly donate duplicate items we aren’t using. I have donated the heavy serving platters that never got used (even on special occasions), the giant cheese grater (we use a handheld version more often), and the extra serving spoons that regularly got stuck in our drawer.
Get rid of damaged or missing items
Get rid of any storage containers that are warped, stained, or missing tops. I also let go of water bottles missing parts, leaky lunch containers, and lunch bags with tears or broken zippers.
Donate free branded items you no longer use
You know those flower vases that arrive with a bouquet?? I donate any that do not match our style or ones we no longer love. The same goes for promotional company mugs, and logo water bottles. If you aren’t using them, chances are they can be donated and given a new home elsewhere.
Downsize your cookbook collection
Trust your gut and donate any cookbooks you never read. If a book has 1 or 2 favourite recipes, consider photocopying them to store in a binder before donating the book. Not only does this save space, but it makes meal-planning a breeze.
Store pot lids on their side
Our pot lids were a noisy jumbled mess until we added a pot divider to stack them horizontally. These organizers work really well with pans, cutting boards, lids, baking sheets, and serving platters.
Make the most of your space with a turntable
A turntable can be a life saver. Who wants to remove everything from a shelf to get the extra condiment at the back? I love to use turntables throughout the kitchen including the pantry, deep corner cabinets, under the sink, and to gather items in the refrigerator.
Use the inside of cabinet doors
Keep the kitchen clutter-free by adding hooks inside cabinet doors. We use command hooks to hang dish towels, pot holders and oven mitts. We also added an inexpensive magnetic board to the inside of one of our cabinets to keep business cards and special phone numbers on hand (and out of sight)
Decant bulky packages into reusable containers
I like to decant ingredients into containers. Not only does it keep the items fresh, but it makes it easy to see how much is left so you never run out of flour.
Happy Organizing!
