7 Ways I’ve Organized My Kitchen

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Kitchens are the heart of every home! And I know first hand that when you don’t take care of it, the accumulating clutter will cause you a lot of stress and overwhelm.

Because, as a mom, I probably spend more time in the kitchen than any other room in my home. But keeping it organized helps me get food on the table faster and makes keeping it clean easier. 

So today, I’ll be sharing with you 7 kitchen organization ideas. These are all the ways I’ve organized my kitchen and you can do it too!

#1 tackling our utensils

I find that kitchens look a lot neater when your flatware and cooking utensils are cohesive.

So I got rid of all my plastic cooking utensils and only use wooden ones because they elevate the look and feel of my kitchen. 

I also only use stainless steel flatware because I love how sleek and minimal it looks. Plus, stainless steel is durable and won’t rust.

I purchased our flatware set on Amazon. And my bamboo drawer organizer from Walmart.

#2 getting rid of mismatch dishes

Before we moved into our home, I realized I still owned dishes I bought 10 years ago. 

The worst part is: it wasn’t even a matching set. So I got rid of plates, plastic cups, took a trip to IKEA, and bought new individual plates, bowls, and glasses. 

Now, you may be asking, how many dishes do you need? 

In general, I’ll say enough plates, bowls, and flatware for everyone in your household to eat twice. 

Because let’s be honest: there are gonna be times when you just don’t feel like doing the dishes. 

For us, being a family of 6 with young kids, we own 12 dinner plates and snack bowls. 10 cereal bowls, 8 serving bowls, 6 small dessert plates, a separate dinner set for 6, and flatware set for 10. 

So I hope that helps you understand my thought process a little better.

My point is not to own too many or too few, but just enough for our family size, taking in consideration our daily use, and realistic needs. 

#3 using airtight containers

Not only has this helped me to keep food fresh, but I can also see the amount we have on hand. 

When I organized our pantry, I made sure to purchase airtight containers for our cereal.

My husband is the only one that eats cereal in our house, but he’ll forget to finish the box if he can’t see how much is left.

Not to mention, cereal goes stale the minute you open the bag. 

I’ve also purchased an airtight bread box that sits right on my countertop.

Not because I want to take the bread slices out of the plastic it comes in and throw it inside the container, but because I wanted to keep all of our bread stored in one single place.

Every time I open the bread box, it smells like a bakery. you can find it here on Amazon.

#4 clearing off my countertops

I have to admit when we first moved in here I went crazy filling up every square inch of these countertops with something decorative or unnecessary simply because I had the extra space. 

And you know what happened? I couldn’t use it — especially my island. 

When I was cooking, I’d find myself running out of space to place ingredients or even make plates and it was stressing me out. 

That’s when I realized countertops aren’t meant to be decorated, they’re meant to be utilized. 

Duh! Now that doesn’t mean you can’t decorate them at all. You just have to be more intentional about placement.

You have to know what’s adding charm and what’s adding clutter — because there is a difference.

Here are some of the changes I’ve made: 

• Clearing everything off my four foot island. Right now, there’s just a white vase on it with fresh lavender tulips as a centerpiece. 
• I’ve also stopped “setting” the island too. Yes, it’s pretty to look at but the dishes were just getting dusty and the seats weren’t even being used. 
• Giving the toaster a new home. We use it every morning, but it’s just bulky and honestly doesn’t need to be out in the open all day long. So after breakfast, I simply put it in a cabinet.

If you have the storage space to hide your slow cooker, toaster, electric can opener, Instapot, air fryer, etc, USE IT! 

It’ll make your kitchen look less tacky and tidier. Trust me! 

#5 protect my produce

Don’t you hate it when your fruit goes moldy before you get around to eating it? That’s what was happening to us every time. 

I purchased these ventilated produce containers I found on Amazon, and man has they kept our produce fresher, longer. 

If you’re leaving fresh fruits and vegetables in their store-bought packaging, they’re gonna go bad sooner. 

Related: The Absolute Best Fridge Organization Ideas

It just is what it is. BUT, there is something you can do about it! 

Shop the produce containers I use on Amazon.

#6 hiding our trash can

This was an absolute game-changer for our kitchen!

Instead of buying a covered trash can and setting it at the end of our kitchen island, we purchased pull-out trash cans, a cabinet system by Rev-A-Shelf!

My husband installed it easily under the island, inside the cabinet.  

I realize everyone may not be able to do this, but if you can, you should!!!

It’s tidy, tucked away, and I hardly EVER smell any odor. 

You can use one bin for recycling or both for garbage. Right now, we use both for garbage because we’re such a big family. I’m trying to slowly transition to recycling more though.

#7 Downsizing our knives

Unless you’re an expert cook, I promise you don’t need all those knives you have right now sitting on your countertop. 

Related: Decluttering for BEGINNERS: Where to Start + How to Get It DONE!

Call me crazy, but I only own four: 2 paring knives, 1 chef’s knife, and 1 santoku knife — that’s it. 

I’ve also learned that having knives out on your countertops is bad for Feng Shui because it cuts the energy of the room. 

Not to mention, if you have kids, it’s better to put knives in a drawer because if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.

I hope this has motivated you to clear your kitchen clutter and gives you some kitchen organization ideas! Let me know in the comments below.

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