Organize Your Kitchen 30 Minutes at a Time!

Let’s Organize Your Kitchen!

Yes, you read the title of this article correctly – you CAN organize your kitchen 30 minutes at a time.  Every year, about this time, I put this organization strategy into effect and it works like a charm.   Basically, I tackle one project each day. It doesn’t seem as overwhelming and before you know it, your home is in order!  Today we’re going to tackle the three main areas in your kitchen that need some organization love.  Next article will touch on your closet!

PANTRY

I like to start with the kitchen because we spend most of our time there – and it has the largest amount of items that need to be tended to.  I tackle the pantry first.  The first time you do this may take longer than 15 minutes, but if you keep up with this strategy it will go a lot faster each subsequent time.

Going from top shelf to bottom, I scan all of the food items for expiration dates.  Even though I go through my pantry approximately every 3 months, I still find expired items from 2015.  It’s the weirdest thing.  (This happens in my medicine cabinet too…please tell me it isn’t just me!)

I then make sure all like items are shelved together.  Pasta and rice together, canned goods stacked neatly together, chips and bread in their own bin – you get the idea!  My sister taught me to store dried goods in clear, airtight containers, so now’s the time to switch over to this very organized way if you’d like.  These containers keep the food fresh once opened and you can see, at a glance, if you need to add certain items to your shopping list.  I personally like these containers below, but any airtight container will do!

DRAWERS AND CABINETS

I used to have two junk drawers until my sister and niece stayed with me for Spring Break one year.  They mentioned that you could not organize your kitchen without getting rid of at least one of them.

I recommend having a handheld vacuum available for this task.  Scan each cabinet/drawer for items that you haven’t used in at least 6 months.  That spaghetti pot that has holes in the top so you don’t need to use a strainer – donate it.  You have a strainer and another pot that is used for other cooking needs.  Do you need 5 spatulas?  Probably not.

Take everything out of each of the drawers and cabinets, vacuum up any random crumbs that may have lodged themselves in there, and wipe down the cabinet or drawer face.  Replace everything and move on to the next one!

I can’t tell you how many random cleaners I have stored under my kitchen sink.  NOTE: my boys are older and know the safety hazards of messing with cleaning agents, so I feel secure now putting them under the sink.  When they were babies, I would store all cleaning agents in the laundry room on a shelf above the washer and dryer.  You can do that OR install a childproof lock on any cabinet that is reachable to those little guys!

Drawer organizers are heaven-sent.

REFRIDGERATOR

Take everything out.  Everything.  Wipe down each shelf, drawer, and door.  I like to use Clorox wipes but a microfiber cloth with your favorite all-purpose cleaner can do the trick as well.

Check for expiration dates and toss anything you know you’re not going to finish.  Put back all food in an organized manner.  I put all of my dressings together, olives together (I love olives), drinks, etc.

This is also a good time to make a shopping list of what you need/what has expired that you may need!

Stay tuned as the next article in my series on 30 minute organizing tips will be to tackle the bathroom!  Please share below any kitchen organizing tips that you use!