The kitchen is the heart of a home. It is a place where the family gathers to eat and converse about the day. It is where you taught your daughter how to bake cookies and where your son took his first steps. It is a place filled with so much love. Yet, it can also be a place of chaos filled with: lunch bags, batteries, old menus, and ketchup packets. A place filled with crumbs and piling dishes. NO MORE! These 5 tips will help you keep an organized kitchen.
Everything should have a home. Every item in your kitchen needs to have a place where it lives when it is not in use. Think functionality. Put commonly used items such as cups and plates in easily accessible areas. Lesser used appliances should be on top shelves.
Decanting. Put items such as cereal, crackers, cookies, and rice in clear see through containers. Not only is this visually appealing but it allows you to see how much of an item you have left. Also, you will no longer find empty boxes laying around your cupboard. Bonus: If you shop at Costco pouring big, heavy items into smaller containers will allow ease of use.
Create a snack station. Get your children to be more independent by creating a snack station. It allows kids to choose their own healthy snacks for lunches and after school. No more whining that they didn’t like their lunch or that they are hungry. Find out how to create a snack station in my other blog post.
Your junk drawer should be organized. It is not a catch all of random items. You do not need to keep menus from restaurants, you can view them online. You do not need to keep every chopstick and ketchup package ever given to you. To organize your junk drawer you need to have small containers inside of it. These containers should take up the entire drawer and can be various sizes. Please measure before purchasing. Each container will hold a different item. For example: 1 container for batteries and 1 for candles. You can only keep items that have a designated container.
A fresh start each day. Spend 10 minutes each night putting the dishes in the dishwasher and wiping the counters. You will wake up to a clean kitchen and start your day off on the right track.
Having an organized kitchen will give you peace of mind and extra time to spend with your family.
Melanie McConnell is a Professional Organizer and the owner of Mello Spaces. She helps busy professionals and parents get the organized home of their dreams. Check out her website www.mellospaces.com and follow her on Instagram: @mellospaces
Florena Davies is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Organize by Flo. She uses her experience as a wife and mother of 2 to create real life organizational systems and changes for work and home that allow our 2 worlds to co-exist and 'Flo" together. Check out her website at https://www.organizebyflo.com/ and on instagram @organizebyflo.
Marybeth Welty is a Professional Organizer, Interior Designer, and Mindful Living Coach, and is the owner of Sustainable Lifestyle Solutions. She helps women create a calm, organized, and sustainable home and the life of their dreams by utilizing refined design principles, organizing best practices, mental wellness strategies, and a holistic lifestyle approach to sustainability. You can connect with her at www.sustainablelifestylesolutions.com and on Instagram at @this_sustainable_lifestyle.