Today is a big one for the 10 Days to an Organized Clutter Free Home Challenge! The kitchen is a place where most of us spend a lot of time. I’m not even much of cook, but still use our kitchen on a daily basis. Obviously, because we have to eat. I’ve broken up the kitchen organization into two days. If your kitchen is smaller or already decluttered and organized – BONUS POINTS FOR YOU! (post contains affiliate links, see disclosure)
DAY 5 – ORGANIZING THE KITCHEN
Our kitchen needed a lot of help to get organized, as most kitchens do. Drawers were overfilled with utensils and gadgets and the cabinets were full of mismatched dishes, glasses, and plastic food storage containers. A few months ago, when installing wallpaper in our upper cabinets, I decided to only keep our white dishes to make things simple and easy. But instead of donating the older dishes, I kept them in another cabinet “just in case”. Surprise surprise, we never used them. Not even one. So it was time to get rid of them.
Our utensil drawers weren’t doing much better. Filled to the top and sometimes we couldn’t even get the drawer open. It was time for a big change!
BEFORE + AFTER
I had plans for DIYing some drawer dividers, but after taking some measurements I realized the IKEA dividers would fit just perfectly and at such an affordable price, it was worth it to me to purchase them instead of making my own. I also finally got to use our black flatware that I’ve been saving until I could get organized!
BEFORE + AFTER
When I started cleaning out each drawer, I realized we had multiples of almost everything. I found three can openers. Three! One of the drawers next to the stove was holding manuals and instructions for different household appliances. I knew that a better place for them would be in a binder in my office. So after cleaning that out, I was able to gain another drawer and organize all of my baking utensils.
BEFORE + AFTER
On the other side of the stove are the rest of the cooking utensils and knives. This knife block has helped keep them off of the counter but the plastic and wooden utensils needed some organization. The IKEA drawer organizer saved the day again!
BEFORE + AFTER
Under the sink, we had multiple cleaning supplies. Part of this whole organizing journey for me was to not have multiple things in multiple places. Everything needed to have its own home. So I moved the cleaning supplies into the cleaning closet, which is only a few steps from the kitchen.
For the items we still needed under the sink, like sponges and drain cleaner, I put them into a spinning organizer. It provides easy access to items we need on a daily basis without having to dig into the back of the cabinet. For our dishwasher pods, a container with pop up lid fits perfectly and is easier to access than the regular packaging.
TASKS FOR TODAY:
- Clean out each drawer or cabinet, decide what to keep and what to donate
- Assign each drawer or cabinet their own items – baking utensils, cooking utensils, flatware, serving spoons, etc.
- If desired, purchase or DIY drawer dividers and organizers to maximize storage
Of course, there are way more cabinets and drawers in our kitchen – trust me I tackled them all! But, to keep this post short I only shared the most drastic and embarrassing.
Shop below for any products I’ve mentioned and some of my favorite organizational tools. Once you’ve completed your tasks, let me know! Leave a comment or share with me on Facebook or Instagram – I’d love to see it!
DAY 4: DROP ZONES | DAY 6: THE PANTRY
