Almost Spring Organizing- Kitchen

With Spring quickly approaching it's about time again for the big Spring clean.  And with that comes re-organization of those spaces that always seem to get cluttered and even under used.  I've put together some of my favorite ways of organizing my kitchen, as well as other great ideas I've found.

To avoid digging out all your tupperware, pots and pans to get to that one that you want, it's ideal to have big, deep drawers where you can store them.

You don't have to remodel your entire kitchen to do this, you can also purchase and easily install these pull out drawers into your existing cabinets.  Without question, the deep drawers we added to our kitchen recently have been the the one thing I've appreciated the most.

And the lids!  Don't they seem to take over and end up scattered throughout the kitchen?  We chose to buy a couple racks which we set in our cabinet and use to organize not only lids, but also cutting boards and pans.

Another great idea is to add small
tension rods to your cabinets
which will allow efficient use of
those tall cabinets, and open up space
 where your pans were previously
 laying flat.

You can also find these racks that hang
from the back of cabinet doors,
which hold pot lids.

This is another great addition to the panty.
A pretty way to contain all those plastic
grocery bags.  It can easily be made with
a dish towel.

Pantry's can often explode when there is a door to hide the mess.  This over the door hanging organizer allows you to store smaller items off the shelves.  This would be a great place to put those spices and dry goods that you often use but always have to rummage for.

                 

Now, for the items you actually want too display. Glass doors are a great option for the cabinets in your kitchen or even dining area.  Not only can you show off your favorite china or dishes, but it also makes your kitchen appear clean.

Simply remove cabinet doors if you don't want to buy all new glass doors

Open shelving is also an amazing option for displaying.  It makes a small kitchen seem so open. You can also add a long rod under your cabinets or shelves from which you can hang hooks for mugs or cooking utensils, hand towels, paper towel holder, mini shelves for the smaller containers which could hold coffee, tea or your favorite spices or herbs.

Another great under-cabinet item is this recipe holder.  It can quickly and easily be hidden, and it opens up prep space while
you're baking or cooking.

Storage containers are always a fun way to
keep a kitchen organized.  I love these jars-
 and you can add the glass etching on your
own.  Also, I think simple mason jars look
 great. I found the below jars at C&B.

Rather than buying a specially made shelf divider or new shelf.  Why not use an old plastic tray to maximize storage of your glasses and coffee mugs.

To keep my china from scratching, I put old fashioned coffee filters in between each piece when I have them in storage.  Just cut down the edges so they don't show.  You can also use these between pots to avoid scratching.

As someone that spends a lot of time cooking, it's very important that the things I need the most are easily accessible.We found this great piece of pottery at an art show and use it for utensils we need at the stove, but you could also use an old pitcher or a shorter, wide vase.

Drawer organization also helps with finding things quickly.  Having nice dividers in a drawer makes it pretty difficult to clutter.

And of course when the meals finished it's time to clean, and I love having these plastic pockets in our sink to hold our dish scrubbers.

Finally there's all the papers and mail that pile up on the countertops.  Rather than hanging things on the fridge, I covered a corkboard with fabric and added some ribbon for displaying our cards, pictures, bills, coupons and reminders.

Happy Organizing!