Get Started Organizing in the Kitchen

By Erin Alexander / Photos by Erin Treadway

We asked organizing guru, Erin Alexander, to help our readers get excited about Spring Cleaning and give us tips to get started. Whether it is a child’s closet or your kitchen drawers, we could all use a little less clutter in our life, and as a past client of hers puts it, “Erin took a cluttered closet and turned it into a functional space that looks great.” And that’s something we could all appreciate!

Before and After!

The simpler the better
Do not use a difficult system. If there are too many steps you will never keep the area organized.
Organize item(s) in the area of the kitchen that makes the most sense. Example: Coffee cups should be stored close to the coffee pot.
What do you have that can be re-used? Do you have extra baskets or containers somewhere else in the house that you can use in the kitchen?
Try to get items off of the shelf in order to create additional storage. Use stand-alone shelves or C hooks that attach below a shelving system.
Label! Label! Label! Use clear containers when possible. Make sure the label is facing out so that you can clearly see what is in the container.
Make the “presentation” eye catching so that you feel good in the space.
Remember you are the one that lives in the space; therefore, make the system work for you! It does not have to make sense to anyone but to individuals who live in the space.
Roll towels instead of the “traditional” fold. By doing this you save space and the area looks better organized.
Less is often more in kitchen cabinets and drawers. By purging items that you do not use it allows you to take an inventory of what you do need. This will save you time and money in the long run.
Recycle old phone books. Do you really need three phone books?
Group “like” items together. Example: coffee cups, juice glasses, tea/water glasses.
It’s harder to store boxes, so use baggies when possible. As you can see, I used a baggie to store birthday candles!
Use baskets to group larger items. In this kitchen I used a basket to store Koozies.
Make sure can goods are grouped with other “like” cans and that the labels are facing out.
If you have numerous canned goods I would suggest using an insertable wire shelf or a can rack.
How long has it been since you used each item in your kitchen? If you haven’t used the item within the past year you might want to think about selling or donating the item(s).
Don’t store items in the kitchen that you do not use in the kitchen.