organizing

[perSue]

ok, so maybe i've forgotten a few things along the way.
i know i'm lacking a lot in the area of motivation lately, but i thought i'd ask you what your best ideas are for organizing a kitchen.

i understand the basics of organizing, such as "like items together" etc. but what "rules" do you follow? what tips do you have for me for the big re-organization? what things have you done in your kitchen/house/other rooms that you can apply to help me?

thanks in advance


step one of change in progress... cleaning/re-org.
and yes, i'm doing it quietly! LOL

[onencgirl]

I need to keep an eye on this thread, I too can learn the basics of organizing and keeping the clutter down.

[dogmatix]

One tiny step at a time. I pick one drawer/cabinet/etc per week. Otherwise it gets overwhelming. Oh and if I haven't used it in a year, I give it away.

[AmyBoz]

Aside from grouping like items together...a good rule of thumb for the kitchen is to make sure you store items near where they will be used. For example, your pots and pans shouldn't be stored in a cabinet across the kitchen from the stove/oven. They should be stored in the cabinet closest to the stove/oven. Dishes should be stored EITHER closest to the dishwasher for easy clean up or near your serving area for easy serving. It depends on how you run your kitchen.

Also, I store things that are kid friendly at a kid friendly level. My kids help set the table. So, plastic plates, etc are stored at a level where they can reach them so that they can be self-directed when they are helping. Same with kid snacks. So that they can be more self-sufficient, if it's okay for them to get alone, I put it where they can get it and they won't be tempted to climb on a chair to get stuff.

[madhen]

I recently did a huge kitchen re-organization, and I just tore everything out and re-assembled it.

The one thing that did help me was to take stuff I used frequently, but not daily, and to reserve a cupboard for it. These were small appliances like my rice cooker, crockpot, etc.

I moved things that I use, but infrequently, OUT of the kitchen, and into another area of the house where I had more room to store them. I still know where they are, but they aren't taking up precious room. This included cooking accessories such as bundt pans, muffin tins, etc. If it isn't something that is used at least weekly, it doesn't belong at my fingertips.

That left me so much room in my kitchen (which is tiny), I was able to devote one whole cupboard area to my stockpile.

If you check out my Messy Home album, I have pics of how I eventually set up the kitchen, which may give you some inspiration (or show you a finished idea, which you may decide won't work for you).

[elphie]

I took all of my small gadgets and cooking utensils and put them in a box on my kitchen island. When I needed something I got it out of the box, used it, and then put it away where it belonged. After a month what I hadn't used I took to the garage sale pile. I did take out a few things that I know I use for holidays and special occasions but the rest went.

I would also suggest using your space creatively. I hated that my knife block was taking up so much space on my counter so I got one of those magnetic strips to hang by my stove that the knives hang on. My spice containers are also magnetic and stuck on the side of the fridge (which is within arms reach of the stove).

We have more storage space here but in our old house we screwed mason jar lids to the underside of the cabinets and used the jars for storage of frequently used things- beans near the stove, office supplies near the phone.

[ladykemma2]

i got this idea from "confessions of an organized homemaker" .

i keep all things for baking in a huge stainless steel bowl. remove bowl, and viola! the electric mixer, spatula, spoon, are already in the bowl. I don't put things back in separate cabinets. what a waste of time.

i clean out adrawer when i notice it is getting messy.

[perSue]

thanks, these ideas are helping.
i want to get it all done in one day (a couple hours). i was thinking i'd dump all cabinets/shelves and start anew, but that felt like the wrong way.
thanks - and madhen, i'll take a look at those pic's too!

[rainbowgc]

Since I have Fibro it is very difficult to keep up but I do give it a good try when I am feeling good.

[Trishagirl]

I saw on Oprah they took all the utensils out of the drawer and only put back the ones they used the others were kept in a box and if they didn't use them in a month they took them and gave them to the Goodwill.