So here we go.
I've found that the best way to organize is to:
- Assess the situation
- Don't necessarily look at the ENTIRE picture - pick one section at a time and focus on that
- Group like items with like items
- Put items in places that are logical - for example: pots & pans near the stove, towels near the sink, etc.
- Take breaks if you need to - it may be a larger project than anticipated, and if you're anything like me, you'll need breaks and probably frequent ones. I get overwhelmed by clutter and messes very easily so when I pull everything out - sometimes I just need to go to a different room and take a breather.
- Take as much time as you need - don't start if you're expecting people over soon (I've done this - it's generally not very productive).
First, take a deep breath and decide where you want to start first.
I chose to start with the cabinets & drawers closest to the refrigerator.
I pulled everything out of the cabinets and drawers.
Originally: Top Cabinet: cups, glasses, pitchers, Brita filter replacements and drink accessories - top shelf held the pitchers, replacements and accessories which meant they hardly ever got used because it involved, not a step stool, but a step ladder - and sometimes actually having to stand on the counter top to get to the stuff in the back of the top shelf. Not practical for items we use frequently.
Drawer: junk drawer.
Bottom Drawer: Vases, first aid kit, and random things I just put down there to get off the counters. Again, no order so it wasn't really practical.
Counter: mail collection center - this was a terrible idea.
Now: Group like with like.
Top Cabinet: Cups & Glasses
Drawer: Drink Accessories - juicer, Popsicle maker (I put this here because I usually make them with juice), straws (not pictured)
Bottom Cabinet: Pitchers & Vases, Filter replacements
Counter: Bread-maker & cutting board - these items don't fit in any of our kitchen cabinets & while I would like them to be able to be stowed away somewhere, since it's not really an option, I just placed them in the least used place in the kitchen. Not the prettiest, but it worked.
Originally:
Bottom Cabinet: Food Storage - Tupperware bottom, Ziploc bags, cling wrap, etc.
Drawer: Tupperware tops
Top Cabinet: Some serve ware, cookie cutters, waffle iron...
Counter: bread maker, cutting board, bread, butter, honey, other random appliances.
Now:
Bottom Cabinet: First Aid Kit & Medicines (they're placed closer to the knives than before...which is a good thing because I've sliced my hand enough times that this is important.) Extra Food Storage supplies (duplicates or items we don't use often).
Drawer: Food Storage stuff - Ziploc bags, foil, cling wrap, etc.
Top Cabinet: Tupperware (Much easier to get in and out) and special occasion serve ware, up high because we don't need easy access to it.
Counter: Breakfast bar! I put our bread & honey in a bread basket (it used to just sit on the counter), butter, and toaster - great for a quick breakfast since we usually wait till the last minute to grab breakfast. To the right, you can't really see it, but is our creamer pitcher (not filled), sugar bowl and coffee maker.
Originally:
Cabinets: place settings and towels, our wedding plate, champagne flutes and wine glasses (top shelf)
Drawer: exactly the same.
Now:
I really liked having the tea and coffee filters in a drawer - which is why I moved the coffee pot over and made a breakfast bar. That, and where the coffee maker and mugs were originally placed was a high traffic location so Anthony and I were constantly in each others way.
So - I moved the mugs over and placed them above the coffee maker.
Drawer - I left it alone, it was just fine that way.
Again - the key is grouping like items with like.
Top Left Cabinet: Cook Books & random nick knacks
Bottom Cabinet: Appliances - placed in no particular order at all
Top Right Cabinet: Towels and place settings and random nick knacks.
Now:
Top Left Cabinet: I relocated the wine glasses and champagne flutes to a more accessible location, and since we use the wine glasses frequently enough, I put them on the bottom and the champagne flutes on the top - since we rarely use them. I'm pretty sure the Hubster is going to appreciate this.
Bottom Cabinet: I rearranged the appliances so that the ones we use most frequently are on top and in the front. On the bottom we have more party type appliances and serve ware - things we don't use all the time, but enough that being easily accessible is nice.
Top Right Cabinet: This cabinet is close enough to the sink that it makes sense to put the extra dish towels on the bottom. On the top shelf, I placed our table cloths and place settings.
This is pretty much the same, I just got some new storage solutions for the cleaning supply drawer.
I added a towel to catch any water that might drip when putting the things back & I got a drip pan ($5 at Target) to put sponges and the like on after being used.
Originally:
Prep Area 1: Stand mixer, coffee maker, canisters, utensil crocks
Prep Area 2: Oils, Utensil Crocks, Recipe Box, Menu Board
Serving Dishes & Dinner Ware: Held dinner ware and some serve ware (the others were located on the other side of the kitchen)
Kitchen Gadgets: just thrown in the drawer
Utensils: The same with some kitchen gadgets thrown in
Baking Supplies Drawer: Everything just thrown in
Pots and Pans Cabinet: Everything just thrown in - such a huge pain!
Baking Supplies Cabinet: All Bake ware - some nested, some not - made a mess of their lids. All baking pans, attempted to nest them, but always ended up in a fight when I needed the cookie sheets, big measuring cups, mixing bowls, hand mixer
Baking Supplies & Cookbook Cabinet: Random stuff that didn't have a home.
Now:
Prep Area 1: Stand Mixer, Canisters (Flour, White Sugar and Raw Sugar), Utensil Crocks. Removing the coffee maker opened up SO Much more space here!
Prep Area 2: Oils in pretty oil drizzlers instead of just in their store bought containers, utensil crock, recipe box, menu board.
Serving Dishes and Dinner Ware: Now has our serve ware collected in the same spot!
Kitchen Gadgets: Using Bamboo drawer organizers from Bed Bath and Beyond, the gadgets are separated into beverage gadgets, frequently used gadgets (thermometers, pizza cutter, peelers, etc.) and then the larger gadgets that didn't fit in an organizer.
Utensils: Kitchen gadgets have been removed so it only has utensils in it.
Baking Supplies Drawer: Using Bamboo organizers from BBB, I separated them out into measuring cups & hand mixer attachments, measuring spoons, and then other baking items - pie saver, pastry blender, and icing supplies.
Pots and Pans Cabinet: We went to Target and got a pot lid holder, I believe it was about $10. Now no more mess! I pulled the pots we use regularly and placed them on the top shelf. The bottom shelf has pots and pans we rarely use, larger serving dishes that didn't fir in the top cabinets, and "The Beast" aka the most amazing crock pot ever. :)
Baking Supplies Cabinet: Top shelf - Bakeware separate with their lids - anything without a lid got nested. Mixing bowls (nested), and rolling pins. Again, the more frequently used items placed at the front. Bottom shelf - Hand mixer, larger measuring cups (nested), and the muffin pans (nested - they're a little too large to fit with the other baking pans).
Baking Supplies & Cookbooks: Cooling racks in the back, baking pans (nested), cookie cutters, and then cookbooks. The top shelf has a box of items that have no home in our apartment - but will in a house.
Originally these held random kitchen gadgets - but they were so far separated from the prep areas that I always forgot about them.
Now they are our junk drawers - with plastic organizers.
Drawer 1 has things we might need if we're heading out the door: gum, mints, sun glasses, money envelopes, pepper spray (which should really be in my purse and will be as soon as this gets posted), pocket knives/pocket tools, spare change, chap-stick and our coupons.
Drawer 2 has items we might need around the house - tape, lighters, flashlights, lint roller, pens and scissors.
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