Step-by-Step Declutter
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How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets


Once every nook and cranny of your cupboards has been emptied and the contents sorted and purged, it's time to organize your kitchen cabinets. If you followed the advice on my Declutter Your Kitchen Cabinets page and sorted like items together based on your plan for kitchen work zones, then you’re half way there!  If you haven’t already done so, decide which cabinets will be dedicated to housing the equipment and/or food for each work zone. 

Tip: Label It!


When setting up kitchen cabinets, I recommend using sticky notes to label each cabinet's contents.  Things are likely to be arranged a little (or a lot) differently than they were before you emptied your cupboards.  This will help you and your family to get used to the new layout. 

In my home this step is crucial because my husband is an imprinter.  If I change my mind and relocate something one week after we have moved into a new home, he will spend the next two years looking for it in the wrong place – because that’s where it was to begin with.  Labels help to solidify the new location in his (and everyone’s) mind, and they’re easy to peel off once everyone has gotten used to the new arrangement. 

Focus on Function


In order to truly organize your kitchen cabinets, you will need to put some thought into how you arrange the items within each cupboard.  Your goal should be to make things as easy to access as possible, particularly those items you use most frequently.  
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Keep these factors in mind when deciding which items will go where as you organize kitchen cabinets:
  • In general, heavier items should be located in lower cabinets and lighter items in upper cabinets.
  • Within each cabinet, place the most frequently used items at the front and the items used less frequently at the back.
  • Items which are used daily should be placed on the bottom shelves of upper cabinets where they are most easy to access.
  • Some daily use items can be placed on the counter top for easy access, but these should be limited to prevent clutter and preserve work space.  Likely candidates for counter top privileges include regularly used cooking utensils stored in a decorative crock, the toaster, the coffee maker, or some other small appliance which receives daily use.
  • Items which are used one or more times a week should be placed at the front of lower cabinets where they are relatively easy to reach.
  • Items which are used infrequently go on either the bottom shelf of the lower cabinets or the top shelf of the upper cabinets.  
  • Items which are used only for special occasions, such as roasting pans or holiday platters, should be relegated to the most difficult to access locations within your kitchen such as the cupboard above the refrigerator.  Another option is to keep these items in a storage area outside the kitchen such as the basement.  

Since that is all a little confusing, here is a diagram to demonstrate how to organize kitchen cabinets.
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Kitchen Cabinet Space Saving Tips


Utilize these basic space saving tips to better organize your kitchen cabinets.
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  • Stack like items together.  Line up all the cups of the same kind.  If possible, stack them on top of each other.  The more uniform you keep things, the better they will fit within the space.
  • Turn mugs over and stack them pyramid style or hang them from cup hooks either within or beneath the cabinet.
  • Store smaller items inside larger items.  Nest mixing bowls, pots and pans, and food storage containers according to size.
  • When possible, store lids separately.  I keep the lids for my pots and pans in the drawer beneath my oven, but not all ovens have a drawer at the bottom.  If yours doesn't, you could use a bake ware rack or specially designed lid sorter inserted into the cupboard.  Another option is to set the lids on the pots upside down thus creating a flat surface so that you can stack pots and pans on top of each other.  
  • When it comes to food storage containers, store the lids in a plastic bin or basket next to the containers, or if you've got the drawer space, store lids in one drawer and containers in another. ​

Organized...Enough


Some of us think that everything has to be absolutely organized all the time.  I'm here to tell you that it's OK to settle for less than perfect sometimes.  An example of this is the lid drawer in my kitchen.  It's organized...enough.  All the lids are in one place - that's order.  But the lids are not arranged in neat stacks.  They are just tossed in loosely.  It's good enough for me, and it's easy for everyone else to maintain.  It's liberating, really.  
​
From the time my oldest child was a crawler until my youngest child was about three I always made sure that the lid drawer was the lowest drawer in the kitchen.  I also made sure the baby knew where it was, and I invited him (or her) to disassemble it at his (or her) pleasure.  It was a great way to keep my little one entertained while I was cooking or cleaning in the kitchen, and it was easy to pick up when we were both done - I just tossed everything back in the drawer.  It was organized...enough.

Tips for Storing Food


Don't overlook the organization of food as you organize kitchen cabinets.  You should put as much thought into the arrangement of food within your cupboards as you do the arrangement of the tools used to prepare the food.  A well-organized food cupboard can save you time, frustration, and money.  By arranging items in a way that makes them easy to identify and locate you can quickly find what you are looking for and avoid purchasing items you already have (but can’t find).  
Utilize the following strategies for storing food efficiently as you organize kitchen cabinets.
  • Store cans with labels facing forward so that everything is easy to identify at a glance. 
  • Stack cans of the same product on top of each other in order to better utilize space.
  • Create rows of similar items, such as beans or soups, three or four deep within the cabinet.  Try to avoid putting unrelated items in the same row – i.e. don’t stack the soup behind the beans if you can avoid it. 
  • Oldest items should be stored at the front of the cabinet and newer items at the back.  This will ensure that everything gets used before it expires and nothing goes to waste. 
  • Store bagged items (pasta, popcorn, rice) in baskets or bins to better contain them.  Another option is to remove these items from their original packaging and store them in airtight containers.  This is an excellent method if you know you’re the kind of person who will diligently transfer the product from its bag to the container when you buy more.  If not, you will just end up with a lot of mostly empty containers taking up valuable space in your cupboards. 

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Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labors


Daunting as the task may seem, you won't regret the time you take to organize kitchen cabinets.  There is something really satisfying about opening a cupboard door and finding shelves lined with tidy rows of logically sorted cans or neat stacks of dishes arranged according to size.  Better still than the emotional fulfillment this feat will bring is the time and money, not to mention the frustration, that you will save by having an organized kitchen. 
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  • Home
  • About Sheri
    • Contact
    • Services >
      • FAQ
      • The Organization Process
      • Packages & Plans
      • Presentations
      • Results
      • Why Hire an Organizer?
  • Organization Basics
    • Declutter Your Home >
      • Basics of Home Organization
      • Household Cleaning Schedule
      • Tips for a Quick Declutter
    • Basics of Decluttering >
      • 4 T's of Decluttering
      • Clutter vs Decor
      • Coming to Terms with Your Clutter Personality
      • Conquer Clutter
      • Principles of Organization
      • The Proven Process for Organizing Everything
      • Purge Like a Pro
      • Rules for Decluttering
      • Steps to Declutter
      • Systems for Decluttering
    • Organizing by Room >
      • Bathroom >
        • Bathroom Storage Solutions
        • DIY Bathroom Wall Storage
        • Declutter Hair Accessories
        • Declutter Your Makeup
        • Declutter Your Medicine Cabinet
      • Bedroom >
        • Bedroom Storage Solutions
        • How to Declutter Clothing
        • How to Organize Your Closet
      • Entry
      • Home Office >
        • Declutter Your Files
      • Kids' Rooms >
        • Toy Storage Tips
        • Toy Storage Options
        • Maintaining Kids' Rooms
      • Kitchen >
        • Primary Kitchen Work Zones
        • Secondary Kitchen Work Zones
        • Movable Kitchen Storage
        • How to Declutter Kitchen Cabinets
        • How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets
        • Kitchen Cabinet Space Savers
        • How to Declutter a Refrigerator
        • Tips for Organizing a Refrigerator
        • Meal Planning
        • How to Organize Recipes
      • Pantry >
        • Pantry Inspiration
    • Storage Solutions >
      • Assessing Your Storage Needs
      • How to Create a Whole House Storage Plan
      • Storage Kits
      • Storage Unit Dos and Don'ts: An Organizer's Perspective
    • Information Management >
      • How to Establish an Information Management System
      • How to Organize with Lists
      • Declutter Papers
      • Deciding What Paperwork to Keep
    • Family >
      • How to Raise an Organized Child
      • Teaching Kids to Work
    • Productivity >
      • Stop Procrastinating and Declutter
      • The Myths of Multitasking
      • 7 Strategies for Single Tasking
    • Lifestyle >
      • College Prep >
        • College Packing List
        • Dorm Room Essentials
        • What Not to Take to College
      • Holiday Planning >
        • Declutter Your Holidays
        • Clutter-free Gift Giving
        • Give the Best Gifts
        • Organize Your Gift Giving
      • Preparing for Transition >
        • Aging with Grace and Purpose >
          • Estate Planning
          • Organizing for Alzheimer's Disease
        • Adult Children
      • Travel Planning >
        • Air Travel with Kids
        • Sightseeing with Kids
        • Tips for Care-free Travel
        • Traveling with Kids
    • Moving >
      • Creating a Household Inventory
      • Organize Your Move
      • Planning for a Move
      • Moving Options
      • Prepare for Movers
      • Working with Movers
      • Tips for Packing
      • Tips for Unpacking
  • Resources
    • Books >
      • Moving Made Easy
    • Challenges >
      • Get Rid of 100 Things in 100 Days
    • Newsletter
    • Product Recommendations >
      • Organization Gems Every Girl Needs
      • 12 Amazing Organization Products for Men
      • Fabulous Farmhouse Storage Solutions
      • Crazy Cool Products That Will Make You Want to Clean
      • Best Board Games for Beating Boredom
    • Donate Your Stuff >
      • Donate Books
      • Donate Clothes
      • Donate Craft Supplies
      • Donate DVDs & More
      • Donate or Recycle Electronics
      • Donate Furniture
      • Donate Musical Instruments
      • Donate School Supplies
      • Donate Sports Equipment
      • Donate Used Toys
    • Recycling Resources
    • Sell Your Stuff >
      • Garage Sale Organization
    • Swap Your Stuff
    • Setting Goals
    • Tools for Organizing >
      • Furniture >
        • Organize with Dressers
      • Wall Storage >
        • Organize with Pegboards
        • Personalized Pegboards
  • Blog