You CAN have clean
and organized kitchen cupboards!
When organizing your kitchen cupboards you want to
do one section at a time, so you don't find yourself out of time and all your kitchen supplies on the floor. Yikes!
First, pull everything out of your cupboards -- remember,
one section at a time. Organizing is always easiest when taken in small steps and it becomes do-able that way :)
Decide what you no longer use and store somewhere for give-away.
Mark a box or bin for Salvation Army or a local charity.
Store items in the garage or basement for just a short time -- you don't want to start a junk area.
Better yet, store items in the trunk of your car right away and the next time you're out; donate them.
Get a receipt and start your file for "Charitable donations."
Recycling in action! :)
Or, have a garage sale with all the items you de-clutter and downsize. It's a great way to make a little extra money and it can be a blessing to someone else. If you can't have a garage sale soon, you may just want to donate the items, so you don't start accumulating in another area of the house :)
Before you return items to the kitchen cupboards, wipe out the shelves. You may want to line them with contact paper for easy clean-up or use the no-slip spongy stuff, which can be cut to size.
I like to use that in my kitchen cupboards with glasses and breakable items.
Now, it's time to put your items back into your spanky-clean
kitchen cupboards!
You will find great organizational products in my store.
Find them under Home & Kitchen Organization.
Julie's keep your home cooking store
1. Store items that are used together in the same place and try not to over-stuff.
For instance:
Baking supplies
Spices
Utensils
Mixing bowls and hand mixer
Plastic storage containers
Pots and pans
Store whatever gets used most often in the front.
**One note on plastic storage containers -- if you don't have the lid or it's melted beyond good sense;
seriously consider throwing it or giving it away.
You will be doing yourself a favor by de-cluttering unusable items.
It's nice to store your lids with their appropriate container -- stack them as you can, but make them accessible. This may be a good time to refresh your "left-over" storage containers.
2. Store plastic cups and bowls for kids in a lower kitchen cupboard for easy access -- that way your kids can learn to dish up their own cereal and get themselves a drink without mommy needing to reach it. This will also help when they unload the dishwasher, and help you in the kitchen. Kudos on the child rearing! :)
Chores for kids
3. Store your knives and sharp objects safely away so your kids can't get into them. Protect your little ones!
4. Store infrequently used platters and specialty dishes on a top shelf or if possible, even out of the kitchen.
You may have storage shelves in the basement or closet, which can become its permanent home. This makes room for the items you use everyday. If possible, purchase a cute hutch for the storage of fancy-type items -- another great way to create space in your kitchen cupboards! :)
5. Store your most often used items (mixing bowls, utensils, pots and pans) close to your work space and together for easy access.
If possible, don't stack these items!
I woke up every morning to my dear mother clanging pots and pans as she was unloading the dishwasher and putting things away. She stacked everything on top of everything else! Trying to help in the kitchen was menacing.
It wasn't that she didn't have enough storage space -- my dad saw to that; she had too much stuff. Even now that she has downsized our family home immeasurably into an apartment; she still has too much stuff. I know downsizing has its challenges and sentimental strings, but...
Stop acquiring! And accumulating! :)
My dear sweet mother, whom I adore, and myself :)
A few useful products for organizing:
With that said, I must plug again the great benefit to you to downsize what you don't use. Think about those items you use all the time:
Keep them. That's all you're really going to use and need anyway, right?
Chances are you will hang on to the items you really need, and can't function without: Discard the rest. Remember, you can recycle your items and bless someone else's life with them. Of course, save some of those items needed for large gatherings, which can be stored out of the way.
6. You may decide to store some of the items you use most on the kitchen counter.
Kitchen bowls and ceramic or glass storage containers are so cute now that storage has become pretty :) If you have enough counter space, consider storing items like flour, sugar, cookies, coffee beans, etc. on the counter in a cute way -- you'll be the judge of that :)
7. Store items near the appliance which will use them.
For instance, store spices by the stove, so you can add them as you cook. Hot pads in a drawer next to the stove and oven. Cups, bowls and plates near the dishwasher for easy unloading.
8. Wipe or dust the fronts of your kitchen cupboards often. Try to do this at least once a week to avoid getting fingerprints all over them. It's easy to add this task to the end of dinner clean-up. Get your kids to do this -- they love to use a spray bottle (Pledge or the like).
Hope this helps in keeping your kitchen cupboards clean and organized!
Julie
You will find great organizational products in my store.
They will be under Home & Kitchen Organization. Enjoy :)
Julie's Keep Your Home Cooking Store
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