The kitchen is the #1 place in the home that people flock to. Maybe it’s the smells bringing back fond memories of home cooking, or just the fact that it’s where food is and we all love to eat! Whatever the reason, the kitchen is the place to be, but it can get crowded quite quickly. Here are some great ways to keep your storage smart, and your kitchen looking smarter.
1. Turn Your Walls Into Storage
This is at the top of the list as it’s probably the most accessible and impactful addition you can make to your kitchen space. Regardless of the width or height of wall space you have, there are tons of options to turn them into storage havens. Simple shelves can work in a pinch for storing essentials, or you can make it more niche by fastening a spice rack or peg-board to the wall. Combined with some hooks, this can be a great new way to hang and store anything from pots and pans, to large cooking utensils and more.
2. Hang Things on the Inside of a Cabinet Door
For a couple bucks at a dollar store you can get caddies that hang over the lip of the cabinet door for added storage hanging out of sight, but well in reach. This works especially well with your sink cabinet for storing cleaning products you’ll need all the time, but don’t want on display.
3. Use Your Sink as a Prep Area
The sink is something most people save for washing up after dinner’s done, but it’s a great place to prepare it as well! Grab yourself a cutting board that is wide enough to span from one side of the sink to the other and chop away. Rotate it so it goes from the front of the sink to the back and pop a bowl or bag in the sink below it for quick and easy discarding of food trimmings that won’t dirty up your sink and cleans up in a heartbeat.
4. Use the Space Between the Counter And the Cabinets
A couple of cheap hooks from a hardware store can become your new favorite way to not only store, but also show off your favorite coffee mugs or tea cups. These are a great storage solution that also looks great and makes it extra easy to find your favorite mug on Monday morning when your eyes aren’t fully open yet.
5. Store in Bulk
Nothing clutters up cabinets quite as fast as half used bags of baking flour, sugar, and that granola you never got around to eating just yet. Not only is this less efficient, but it’s also opens your ingredients to going stale faster. Buy a couple of air-tight jars or ceramic containers in fun colors and store them on your counter for a pop of color. This is also a money saver because it opens you up to buying in bulk as well which is way cheaper than buying pre-packaged from the store.
6. Reconfigure Your Cabinet Shelving
Most cabinet shelving is adjustable within reason using the pegs on the sides but you still might only have a couple shelves to work with. Using risers is a cheap and easy way to bring more options to your cabinet and really use all the space there is. This works really well when it comes to stacking bowls or plates so you don’t have to keep putting them all in one big pile from biggest to smallest.
7. Use Your Oven
Most ovens have a drawer underneath it that is great for handling baking trays or roasting pans, but the inside of an oven is also a great place to store your favorite clay pot or cast iron pan. Just make sure you remember to take it out before turning the oven on!
8. Get a Bar Cart
Traditionally used to store spirits and liqueurs, the bar cart is the swiss army-knife of the kitchen. Throw a cutting board on top for a prep area, hang pots from the sides, lay a small wine rack on the bottom for some of your favorite bottles, this cart can literally do it all. Plus, the fact they have a couple wheels on them makes them super easy to slide out of the way if you ever need to move it.
