A small kitchen is wonderful…and can be neat!

Keeping a busy kitchen organized can be a challenge in even the most spacious environment, but those with small kitchens have to add an extra dose of creativity to the task. These tips for organization can help you put even the tiniest galley-sized cooking space into ideal shape. 

Getting started in 4 easy steps 

Remove everything from your cupboards. All your specialty pans, serving pieces, or other items that you never or rarely use can be donated to a good cause. Now you have more space to use for storage of things you want and use. 

For items that you do not use often, but want to keep – for example king size pots and pans, look for storage outside your kitchen. 

If you are only using them once or twice a year, you can keep these items in the loft of the house.

Arrange to have your crockery and crystal stored outside the kitchen: maybe in a special cupboard devoted to it.

Now you are ready to streamline your storage. 

Cupboards and cabinets

If you have deep cupboards, one great way to make each shelf more accessible is to install sliding shelves or wire baskets on slides. Sliding shelves pull out to make it easier to see and reach items that are toward the back of each shelf. 

If you have many small, loose items in your cabinets, try to group them and place them in stackable baskets. 

As you place the items back in your cupboards, arrange them so the most commonly-used items are at the front of each shelf and less-used items are near the back. 

Also keep in mind what items you use together and keep them in close proximity to one another. 

Instead of storing baking pans in a large or nested pile, turn them on their sides and slide them into the cupboard like books on a shelf. This efficient method makes it very easy to find the pan you need and to remove it from the cupboard without having to dislodge every other pan. 

Drawers

Invest in some drawer organizers, but make sure they are flexible enough to store everything you need and that they do not use up more space than they create. 

If you have ample drawers but are tight on other storage, think about using drawers in novel ways. For example, devote a drawer to storing spices. Each bottle can be placed label up, making it easy to see all of your herbs and spices at once. 

Drawers are also good for keeping food and beverage items such as tea, seasoning packets, drink mix packets, and pudding and gelatin mixes. 

Portable storage

If you have floor space but not enough built-in storage look for racks with wheels in good steel. These can be used to keep potatoes, onions, or cups or even snack boxes. 

Food storage

Invest in some good plastic storage containers: rectangular ones will allow you to put the most containers in your space. Make sure to use clear containers so you can easily identify the food, but clearly label anything that is ambiguous or has an expiration date you may need to track.