Five Quick Kitchen Storage Tips

A friend posted something on Pinterest and of course, I had to check it out.  It led me to a website which led me to a mailing list to get weekly emails to help with home organization.

Now, I am not calling this a New Year's Resolution.  And I'm not going to pretend that I will keep up with the suggested daily chores.  But at the time it seemed like a helpful tool as I worked to recover for the holiday chaos.  I use the word chaos with love.  No matter how well I plan and prepare, four gatherings of just over 20 people in a week's time leads to chaos.  I love the people and our time together, therefore I love the chaos.  But once school starts up again and the Christmas decorations get put away, I find it helpful to take a few steps to regain some order. 

The focus last week was on the kitchen.  (You can see what it's all about here:  http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/declutter-calendar.html).  As I was working in my kitchen, straightening up and cleaning things out, I smiled as I realized how many previous attempts at order had worked well and survived the test of time.

Today, I share with you Five Quick Kitchen Organization Tips:

#1 - Office desk drawer organizers work equally well as Kitchen drawer organizers
The compartments are nice sizes for small lids, medicine cups, snack bag clips, mini containers, reusable popsicle molds, straws, etc.  This drawer has space around the outside of the organizer for jar lids.

#2 - After YEARS of fighting with my serving spoons, I realized that they look nicer and it is easier to find the right piece if they are stored on their side.  The small space above contains dessert servers, large spoons, regular serving spoons, slotted spoons, plastic spoons, and meat forks. I save time finding the right piece, not to mention the reduced frustration level!

#3 - After my success with keeping serving spoons on their side, I realized water bottles are also easier to keep on their sides.  We can easily grab the one we want without moving any ones in the front out of the way.  They are all visible.

#4 - Corral small items within bigger boxes.  My kitchen does not have enough drawers for my liking.  So I have had to improvise.  I have a spice rack, but it does not hold all of my spices.  After trying several systems that fell short of ideal, I realized I could put an unused container to use for my spices.  When I need one of those spices, I pull the box down (almost as easy as pulling out a drawer) and use what I need.  I am currently using this method for tuna pouches as well.  In the past this system has worked for taco seasoning packets (before I started making my own), soup packets, etc.

#5 - I saved my personal favorite and most long-standing trick for last.  Does anyone recognize these shelves?   We incorporated two similar styles of shoe storage into our kitchen!  The two horizontal shelves are one unit and they work for cookie sheets, baking stones, muffin tins, etc.  The 12 cubbies are a different style of shoe storage and they contain: loaf pans, aprons, a mini bar pan, the power cord for an electric griddle,  boxes of baggies and wraps, a hand mixer, mini loaf pans, water bottles, and recycled kleenex boxes for storing smaller items.

I hope you will find something helpful in these ideas that will work for you.  Do you have a kitchen tip that has been a success for you?