A well-organized kitchen with smart storage solutions can make meal prep and cleanup a breeze. Finding a place for all your kitchen tools, gadgets, dishes, and pantry items may seem daunting. But with some clever organizing hacks and storage solutions, you can maximize every nook and cranny of your kitchen. Here are some fantastic kitchen storage ideas to create a functional and clutter-free cooking space.
Utilize Wall Space for Open Shelving
Installing open shelving on your kitchen walls is a great way to display your pretty cookware and add visual interest. Anchor floating shelves of various lengths to highlight your dishes, mugs, and kitchen accents. Sturdy industrial pipes and black brackets make for urban-chic open shelving. Or go for a lighter look with natural wood shelves and airy metal frames.
Maximize vertical storage with a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit to hold spices, cooking oils, packaged foods, and extra serving ware. Try mounting pot racks, knife blocks, and utensil caddies on the wall to free up drawer and countertop space. Wall-mounted racks with S-hooks are fantastic for hanging pots and pans too.
Optimize Cabinet Storage with Organizers
Kitchen cabinets crammed with a jumbled mess can be frustrating. Luckily there are plenty of cabinet organizers to neatly arrange supplies and make items easy to access.
Keep Pots and Pans Organized
Pots and pans tend to take up a ton of cabinet space. Vertical holders that store them upright or pan dividers that separate them into stacks are great space-saving solutions. Hooks that allow you to hang pots from the cabinet roof also prevent clanging and scratches.
Corral Spices into a Tiered Rack
Pull-out spice racks or corner lazy Susans in base cabinets keep spices neatly in sight. For upper cabinets, mounted racks with roomy tiers let you instantly see all seasoning options.
Store Lids and Food Containers Efficiently
Lids constantly slip down to the bottom of cabinets and are hard to match to containers. Lid organizers that attach inside cabinet doors arrange various lid sizes neatly in rows. Slide-out trays and vertical holders keep plastic food containers visible and prevent them from falling over in a stack.
Create Designated Areas for Appliances and Tools
Give counter appliances like stand mixers, juicers, and toasters their own nook in lower cabinets. Install hooks or dowels across a cabinet to hold ladles, spatulas, wooden spoons, and other kitchen tools upright and accessible.
Get Strategic with Drawer Dividers
Deep drawers with a jumble of mismatched contents are one of the worst kitchen storage problems. Drawer dividers are game-changing for neatly compartmentalizing utensils, cutlery, and other essentials. Here are some drawer divider solutions for various kitchen items:
- Utensil organizer trays: Sliding trays with adjustable dividers keep spatulas, serving spoons, whisks, and other odd-shaped utensils from falling over in a tangled heap. Some have non-slip linings to prevent contents from shifting around.
- Cutlery organizers: Section cutlery into divided trays or slots so forks, knives, and spoons each have their own dedicated space. This prevents dulling of knife blades and makes setting the table quicker.
- Knife blocks: In-drawer wooden blocks with slots keep knives safely sheathed in a compact vertical storage solution. Protect blades and fingers from getting damaged while rummaging.
- Dividers for odds and ends: Use adjustable dividers to create custom compartments for everything from pots lids to plastic bags to aluminum foil. They’ll keep that chaotic drawer from turning into a black hole.
Make the Most of Cabinet Corners
The space wasted in the blind corners of kitchen cabinets is crying out to be better utilized. These storage solutions turn unused angular spaces into functional storage.
- Lazy Susans: Spinning turntables are perfect for deep corner cabinets. They provide easy access to spices, cans, and other items that can be neatly organized into tiered trays.
- Vertical racks: Floor-to-ceiling racks with adjustable shelves that are mounted in corners are great for bulky cookware and appliances that would otherwise be buried.
- Diagonal corner shelves: L-shaped shelves that run diagonally into the corner are ideal for organizing cutting boards, baking pans, and other flat items.
Get Creative with Unused Spaces
Look beyond standard cabinets and drawers when seeking out storage solutions for your kitchen. Underutilized nooks around the kitchen can often provide prime real estate for extra storage.
- Mount a magnetic strip or pegboard inside a cupboard to hold knives and frequently used tools.
- Install racks or shelving above the fridge to display cookbooks, small appliances, or barware.
- Slide baking sheets vertically into narrow gaps between the fridge and cabinets.
- Use cabinet backs, sides of kitchen islands, and the area under sinks for additional mounting of racks.
- Hook pegboard onto the backs of doors for handy storage of aprons, towels, and pot holders.
Optimize Pantry Storage
It’s easy for pantry shelves to become a black hole where food items get lost and expire. Use these tips to make your pantry an organized haven:
- Edit down your pantry items and get rid of duplicates and expired foods.
- Utilize vertical space with tall shelving units and make use of overhead space too.
- Categorize and label shelves or containers for different types of food.
- Use clear plastic bins, canisters, or glass jars so you can easily see contents.
- Store bulk dry goods in airtight containers to keep out moisture and pests.
- Hang a spice rack inside the pantry door for often-used seasonings.
- Use shelf risers or slide-out trays to double storage for items that are the same height.
- Install a tension rod across the pantry for dangling clip-on storage baskets.
Convenient Storage for Everyday Essentials
Having daily kitchen basics easily accessible will make preparing meals less of a chore. These storage hacks keep must-have items right at your fingertips:
- Use wall-mounted paper towel holders and hooks for dish towels within arm’s reach of prep and cleanup areas.
- Stash garbage bags and cleaning supplies in a small caddy that can slide under the sink or counters.
- Mount a knife block or magnetic strip near the prep zone for grab-and-go functionality.
- Place oils and other cooking essentials in pretty countertop caddies for easy drizzling into pans.
- Designate a drawer or cabinet for snack foods, coffee, tea, and other items used daily.
Solutions for Food Storage Containers
Plastic food storage containers are indispensable kitchen tools but can create clutter if not stored properly. Here are some smart storage solutions:
- For lower cabinets, use slide-out stacking drawers that neatly file containers by size.
- Upper cabinets with pull-down shelf racks allow you to view all containers at a glance.
- Rotating lazy Susans keep oddly-shaped containers accessible in corner cabinets.
- Vertical holders mounted inside cabinet doors save space and provide easy access.
- Multi-sized divider trays help organize container lids and prevent them from getting mismatched.
Under Sink Organizing Ideas
The cabinet under the kitchen sink tends to become a congested catch-all space. But with some strategic organizing, it can be neat and functional.
- Make use of vertical space by installing pull-out vertical storage racks for cleaning products.
- Use hanging racks, mesh pouches, or over-the-cabinet door racks to neatly store sponges, brushes, and gloves.
- Caddies with multiple compartments are ideal for keeping cleaning products separate from food items.
- Corner-mounted racks utilize wasted angular space under the sink.
- Containerize small items like scrubs, sponges, and soaps in organizing trays and baskets to prevent scattering.
Maximizing Fridge Organization
Even with ample fridge space, it’s easy for cold foods and leftovers to get buried behind other items. Use these tips to keep your fridge neatly organized:
- Categorize shelves and bins – produce in the bottom drawers, drinks on the top shelf, leftovers in clear containers.
- Use shelf risers, stackable fridge bins, and door racks to double your storage space.
- Label food with dates and contents to prevent mystery items from being forgotten.
- Store produce in ventilated bins and use fridge caddies to corral smaller items.
- Designate shelves for meal components to make grabbing ingredients faster.
Smart Ideas for Small Kitchens
Tiny kitchens can still be highly functional with space-saving storage solutions tailored to the modest footprint.
- Take advantage of underutilized vertical space with tall, narrow shelving units.
- Hide small appliances inside upper cabinets and mount them on shelves or hidden racks.
- Use two-tiered cabinets over the sink or stove to double your storage capacity.
- Opt for closed cabinets with bins and trays to hide clutter instead of open shelving.
- Purchase kitchen carts with storage bins and racks to expand worktop space.
- Multipurpose furniture like a storage ottoman or wheeled island can provide extra storage and seating.
FAQs About Kitchen Storage Solutions
What are some tips for a kitchen pantry makeover?
Some top tips for overhauling your kitchen pantry include purging expired or duplicate items, installing shelving to the ceiling, adding labels so items are visible at a glance, using see-through storage bins, and designating shelves for different food categories. Installing a vertical spice rack, tension rod, or extra shelving adds storage too.
How do I maximize storage in my small kitchen?
Look for ways to add storage within existing cabinetry with organizational inserts like tiered racks, lid holders, and drawer dividers. Shelving over the fridge, multi-tiered cabinets, extra racks in blind corners, and wall-mounted rails can also help maximize storage in a small kitchen. Store appliances inside upper cabinets and opt for closed cabinets over open shelving.
What are the best storage containers for a messy kitchen?
Clear plastic containers in various sizes are great for containing the chaos in messy kitchen cabinets and drawers. They allow you to instantly see contents instead of opaque containers that lead you to forget what’s inside. Canisters, lazy Susans, tiered racks, drawer dividers, and pull-out trays also help keep kitchen items visible and organized.
Where should I put everyday kitchen items for convenient access?
The most convenient storage for items used multiple times daily is within arm’s reach of your main prep zone and cleanup area. Mount paper towel holders, hooks for dish towels, and knife blocks on the wall or countertop close by. Designate a cabinet or drawer for snack foods, cooking oils, and other everyday items to minimize time spent fetching them.
How do I organize plastic food storage containers?
Use cabinet inserts designed especially for plastic container storage such as pull-out racks, multi-height dividers, drawer organizers with separate lid compartments, or lazy Susans for corner cabinets. Labelling each container makes matching lids easier. Store them nested or stacked by size, and utilize vertical space where possible.
Conclusion
A clean and organized kitchen not only looks more appealing but makes cooking less of a chore. By implementing strategic storage solutions that give everything a designated spot, your kitchen can become a highly efficient workspace. Take time to sort through supplies, purge what you don’t use, and find creative ways to stash items in previously unused nooks. With smart storage options tailored to your space and cooking needs, you can eliminate clutter and enjoy the luxury of a tidier kitchen.
