The 7 Habits That Keep Your Kitchen Organized

Despite our best attempts at home organization, many of us have habits that undo our efforts. Just ask our indoor garage, which holds a growing pile of useless items my husband wants to hold on to recycle or repurpose someday. This is my ongoing battle at home, and sometimes it feels like “it’s me against the world” when it comes to spreading my good habits to the rest of the gang. The clutter hotspots may be different for each household, but there are some common ones, like the kitchen. The root of the problem are the bad habits we picked up along our lives. Long-term bad habits are tough to break, since they form their own life inside of us. The first step to promote the change is to admit we have bad habits that need to be fixed, and then be willing to adapt ourselves to a healthier lifestyle. There are seven habits you can adjust to your routine that can help you create a simple kitchen organization system.

1-Tossing Mail on The Kitchen Counter

It will be easy for paper to pile up if you are in the habit of tossing mail on the counter or entryway to the kitchen. When we get home, the last thing we want to do is go through bills and attend paperwork. So, have a designated cubby or a bin next to the entryway for this purpose. Open the mail as soon as you get it, keep the ones you need, and shred immediately the useless ones. Get a paper shredder, try to go digital instead, and contact the companies to unsubscribe.

2-Throwing Everything Inside Your Cabinets Before Guests Come!

Oh yes, I know this old speed cleaning trick, but I assure you it will backfire you in the long run. This method won’t actually help you stay organized, on the contrary, it will clutter your cabinets. Let’s say the problem begins because you don’t have a utility room, the solution is simple. You can screw floating shelves to the walls, get a rolling cart, or an over-the door shoe rack to store bottles and miscellaneous items that are floating around the house, instead of cluttering your kitchen cabinets with cleaning supplies.

3-Let The Kitchen Sink Drown In A Pile Of Dirty Dishes

Especially if you have kids or a big family, you may be used to finding new dirty dishes added to this pile by the minute. Then, the pile becomes so unmanageable that you opt for waiting until you have more spare time to wash them. I suggest you attack this monster ASAP, and get your family in the habit of washing their own dishes after they’re done using them. In other words, “if you use it, you clean it!” This habit will eventually not only bring a benefit to us, but will also teach our kids to be more considerate and to get involved with the household chores.

4-When We Use Our Kitchen Junk Drawer For Real Junk

The junk drawer in our kitchen is not intended to become a trashcan. If you want to tackle this drawer and walk out of this bad habit for good, then organize it using a system that you can maintain. Start by removing all the items, and categorize and separate likes with likes, toss out broken or useless items, donate what you haven’t used in a year. Then, consider investing in drawer dividers or small bins to neatly contain the items according to its category. You can always repurpose shoe boxes lying around. Remember to clean the area before you start organizing and consider adding a drawer liner.

5-Bringing Home More Items Than You Have Space For

Running out of room in your kitchen? Then, it’s time to follow the golden rule of organizing. Set up a system and adopt the one-in-out rule. If you are adding a new kitchen pot to your collection, donate one you no longer use. If you fell in love with the adorable 12-spoon set you just got at William Sonoma, then donate the spoon set you currently own, and the list goes on. It’s a simple habit that will make sure you never exceed your home’s storage space.

 6-The Kitchen Appliances Taking Over Your Countertop

You may curse every day the home builders for the poor kitchen design, but this is not an excuse to have the ALL the kitchen appliances taking over your precious countertop space. Sometimes our shopping habit is bigger than our storage space, or we get sentimentally attached to those appliances gifted on our wedding day. Then, we get to the point where we own two coffee makers, two blenders, two hand mixers, and so on. The first step to eliminate the clutter from your countertop is to reduce the number of items to the bare minimum. When decluttering, ask yourself: Do I need it? How Often do I use it?, and When was the last time I used it? If the answers are: No, almost never, and a year ago, then it’s time to let go of that item.

7- Having Random Utensils Together In The Same Drawer

One of the fundamental principles of organizing is storing like items together. For instance, the pasta colander doesn’t go in the same drawer with baking utensils, the spatula doesn’t go in the knives drawer, and I would always suggest to keep your silverware collection away from the pots and pans. Most families fall into this bad habit because they feel they lack the storage space they need. However, this is the reality we most commonly face, which is dealing everyday with a cabinet design that’s not ideal to our storage needs. However, “it is what it is!” and we need to do the best we can with what we have. Most importantly, keep in mind these five tips before you start organizing your kitchen drawers: toss out all the broken items, keep ONLY what you absolutely need, donate what you haven’t used in a year but it’s still in good shape, group like items together, and prevent utensils from moving around the drawers using small containers or adjustable drawer dividers.

Even if you’re not big on home cooking, the kitchen is one of the most important places in your home to keep organized, especially if there is other people in the house.It’s inevitably a hub of activity, because our lives at home tend to revolve around eating. You don’t need to get hung up on getting your own space to look just like the ultra-minimalist photos you see on Pinterest, instead focus on what works for you and your family. Consider a fresh approach to organizing, one that enables you to enjoy a long-time residence without the pressures of perfection.

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