Home Hacks: 15 Tips to Organize Your Kitchen

Home Hacks: Part One

The kitchen is most often the hardest working space in the entire house, which is why our Home Hacks Series starts with this special room. As the hub of the household and centerstage to entertaining and meal prep, it is prone to constant activity and perpetual messes. Because the kitchen is used so often, it can also be one of the toughest spots to keep sorted, purged and organized, making meal prep more of a hassle than necessary. To keep your kitchen humming and meal prep a breeze, check out these 15 clever tips to organize your kitchen with creative storage solutions that tame everything from spices and cutting boards to lids and leftover containers.

Tame the Tupperware

1. Storage

Source: The Homes I Have Made

2. Labeling

Source: The Homes I Have Made

Piles of plastic containers and mismatched lids are most often rammed into drawers or cabinets, making packaging up leftovers a complete headache. Instead of storing your plastic containers in sets (that topple easily), consider separating containers and lids into different baskets. Separating out tops from bottoms allows for more compact storage, and baskets ensure nothing gets lost or rammed into the back of dark cabinet. When it’s time to load up your leftover lasagna, grab both baskets and easily find just what you need!

What You Need:

• Large, sturdy baskets that fit inside your kitchen cabinets
• Metal book plates
• Washi tape
• Label maker

What To Do:

1. Go through all of your plastic containers and make sure you have all matching bottoms and lids. Discard any old, damaged, or pair-less pieces.
2. Load the containers into one basket and all the lids into another.
3. Cut strips of washi tape to fit inside the metal book plates. Print out labels with a label maker and place them over the washi tape strips.
4. Secure the book plates to the fronts of the corresponding baskets using provided adhesive.
5. Slide the baskets into your cabinets and rejoice in no more tumbling or troublesome storage containers!

Plastic containers aren’t the only bothersome items in a kitchen. Spices, cutting boards, pots and pans, lids and knives can also clutter up cabinets and drawers, making meal prep cumbersome and time consuming. These 15 savvy storage solutions are sure to save you time and sanity in the kitchen!

Spices

3. Spice Jars

Source: Table For Two

Transfer your spices from their original jars into matching canisters that stack easily. Chalkboard labels on the sides make finding exactly what you need a cinch!

4. Spice Drawer

Source: Live Craft Love

Instead of a spice cabinet, dedicate a drawer for all your seasonings. Mini mason jars with labeled lids is a space-savvy solution with oh-so-pretty results.

5. Magnetized Spices

Source: Keeping Up With the Joneses

Secure magnets to the back of well-sealed, matching containers and store vertically on a refrigerator or other magnetized surface. Pretty labels help identify all the contents, while the vertical system opens up precious drawer or cabinet space.

Pots and Pans

6. Under Cabinet Storage

Source: The Kitchn

Store-bought cabinet shelves and drawers help make the most of under-cabinet space. Use systems designed specifically for pots and pans to keep all your cookware in one tidy spot.

7. Rails

Source: Shoes Off Please

Simple rails with S-hooks are both a functional and decorative way to store your pots and plans, especially in a kitchen that is low on cabinetry. Keep your colors consistent for a more streamlined effect.

8. Pegboard

Source: Design Sponge

Pegboard, painted white and installed as a backsplash, can be an industrial-chic addition to your kitchen. Pair the pegboard with hooks for keeping all your pots and pans at the ready.

Lids

9. Lid Rack

Source: Simple Bites

A lid-specific rack, hung inside a cabinet , keeps lids out of the piles of pans and easy to see.

10. Lids on Doors

Source: Worthing Court

If you have the room (and a bare door) to spare, consider adding shelves with rods to keep all your lids organized in one spot. But even without an entire door, simple towel rods secured to the back of a cabinet door is a clever way to keep lids sorted and handy!

11. Cutting Board Tension Rod

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Cutting boards can easily topple, get stacked up, and get stuck under heavy pots and pans. Remedy messy cutting boards by installing tension rods vertically to act as dividers in a deep cabinet.

12. Cutting Board Basket

Source: Back Porch Musings

If you are short on cabinet space, consider corralling all your cutting boards into a charming basket, which in this case, serves as both storage and decoration in a cottage-themed kitchen.

13. Cutting Board File

Source: Smartaleck Studio

When storing your cooking items, think outside the kitchen! Office storage can often be used to store items, such as this paper file basket mounted inside a cabinet to hold cutting boards!

Knives

14. Magnetic Knife Strip

Source: eHow

If you want super quick and easy access to your knives, consider this beautiful magnetized wood strip hung on your backsplash. This full tutorial walks you through every step to achieve the same handy accessory!

15. Knives Drawer

Source: Lapsus Humanus

If you prefer your knives in your drawer, consider this DIY drawer organizer made with just wood and glue. You won’t believe how simple this one is!

If you want to learn about home hacks for a specific room, or share a great tip of your own, make sure to tag #homehacks and #thegoodstuffhomehacks on Twitter and Pinterest.

You can find more kitchen organization ideas here, as well as tips to organize your linen closet, your coupons, your holiday supplies  and more on The Good Stuff Blog!