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	Organizing Your Kitchen

	by Karin E. Fried, CPC

Today is “organize your kitchen day”. Don’t worry. It won’t hurt too much. Take a deep breathe and jump right in. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is.

Start by having a “donate box” set aside. If you have duplicates (or triplicates) of an item…consider donating it. You’ll get a tax write-off and more space at the same time!

Dishes:

Get rid of all of the broken cups and plates. Keep like items together. Keep all of your plates together, keep your cups together, keep your glasses together…. If you don’t have a complete set consider putting the items in the “donate box” and replacing it.

Plastic Containers:

Go through all of your plastic containers and make sure that you have matching lids (they are probably hiding with the missing socks!). Throw out any containers that don’t have lids.

Drawers:

Go through each drawer and take everything out and put it on the kitchen table. Wipe out the drawer now that you have the chance.

Put like items together so that you can see what you have. Do you really need 3 meat cleavers? Or 4 large slotted spoons? If you don’t….put them into the “donate box”.

Get some type of “utensil divider” for your drawers. This will keep things neat and organized.

Plastic Wrap / Foil / Bags:

Keep all of your plastic wrap, foil, paper lunch bags…. together in one spot in a drawer or pantry.

Kitchen Towels / Pot Holders :

Keep all of your kitchen towels, dish rags, pot holders….. together in one spot in a drawer or pantry.

Pots / Pans and Lids:

There are a number of different ways to store pots and pans. You can hang them if you have a hanging rack. If you have pull out drawers it makes it really easy to get to them when you need them. If you only have regular shelves you will have to stack them (largest on the bottom).

For your lids….some people like to put the lid right on the pot it belongs to. Some people have a drawer just for lids. There are some “dividers” out there that help you keep your lids more organized. It all depends on preference and space constraints.

But if your lids have no matching pot….. get rid of it !

Baking Sheets & Cake Pans:

Keep all of your baking supplies in one spot. There are great “dividers” that let you stand your baking sheets upright so that you can utilize a small narrow space.

Cleaning Items:

Take everything out from under your sink. If you have more than one (1) of each cleaning item, put the extras in your basement or storage closet. Keep only the supplies you need under the sink. Get some sort of caddy or bucket to hold all of your items (dish detergent, cleansers, steel wool pads, hand soap refill…).

Since most people still keep plastic bags …. get some type of plastic bag holder (there are a variety of options) to keep them all in one place so that they don’t look too messy.

Food Pantry:

Keep like items together (see a theme….). Put all of your cereal, pasta, canned items, spices…together. Stack them if you can. There are shelf dividers out there that can double your storage space.

Now you’ve gone through the entire kitchen and organized each space you will be amazed at how much more room you have.

After owning a successful business for seventeen (17) years Karin E. Fried has taken her Organizational skills and used them to help small businesses and residential clients organize their offices, homes and lives. She is a member of NAPO (The National Association of Professional Organizers), a NAPO Quantum Leap Trainer, a NAPO in the Schools Trained Provider, a member of NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization ) and of Faithful Organizers. Karin has a Certificate of Study in Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) and holds a NSGCD CD Specialist - Level II Certificate. She has a certificate of Study in Basic Hoarding Issues With the CD Client

Besides hands on organizing Karin gives seminars on various organizing topics and she has also written numerous articles for various publications. Karin's motto is: "Less Clutter = Less Stress" (sm). You can visit her website at www.organizationalconsultingservices.com or her Blog at http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/

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