How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets
For most households, the kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the whole house. With all of the traffic and multi-users, it can be a difficult space to keep organized. With a good organization system in place, however, it is possible to get and keep your kitchen organized. {If you think that I’ve always had organized cupboards, check out these before photos from when I first started my organization journey. Yikes!}
Here’s my step by step plan to help you organize your kitchen cabinets. Remember that it will take a little time and some trial and error before you have it set up just the way you’d like. Once you have it all organized, however, it should be relatively easy to maintain and will be well worth your effort!
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Come up with your strategy.
There are basically two ways that you can work on organizing the cabinets. The first option is to just jump right in there and do it all at once. This works best if you have a smaller kitchen, plan on doing a lot of cabinet reshuffling {i.e. rearranging items between cabinets}, or really need to do a lot of decluttering. Depending on the current state of your cabinets and how many you have to organize, this could take anywhere from a couple of hours to a full day {or more!}. Be patient with yourself – things WILL get worse before they look better. lol!
The second option is to work on a few cabinets at a time. This works best if you don’t plan on doing a lot of shuffling items around, are just going to swapping items between two cabinets, or tend to get overwhelmed easily with organizing. Since I now have my cupboards set up the way I like them, this is usually the method that I use. if you have a large kitchen but would like to switch up your storage spaces, you could also do a hybrid model of the two, and divide the kitchen up into half. They key is to not make things too overwhelming for yourself.
Declutter, declutter, declutter!
I can’t say this enough, but it’s SO important to declutter any space before organizing it. First of all, a good decluttering lets you know what you actually have deep within those cupboards. Secondly, your cupboards will be so much easer to keep organized and clean when you have less stuff. {It’s kind of ironic, but I also find that I use my items more when I have less.} And lastly, there is no point wasting your time and energy organizing and maintaining items that you don’t really love or need. For help with the decluttering process, check out this post on how to declutter any space and this post with 20 items to declutter from the kitchen.
The first step with decluttering is to always completely empty out the space. Now I know that it can sometimes be hard to get rid of things, but you really do need to be ruthless when you purge. Obviously, anything that is broken or you no longer love or use needs to go. As a rough rule of thumb, donate or sell non-seasonal items that have not been used in the past 6 months or seasonal items that were not used during the past season. For items that you use only once or twice per year, think if you could just borrow a similar one from a friend or family member rather than keep it around your own home.
If you’re not sure if you should keep it or not, set the item aside until the very end and see if there is even space left. For me, seeing how nice my organized cupboards look is enough motivation to part with those so-so items that are left. 😉
Do a thorough cleaning.
Once you have everything emptied out of your cabinets, make sure you do a good cleaning of the space. Be sure to clean all surfaces of the cupboards {including sides and top} and get right into those corners
- vacuum up crumbs and loose particles with a hand held vacuum
- wipe the cupboards down with multi-purpose spray and a microfiber cloth. For extra greasy areas, you can use a bowl of warm water mixed with a few drops of dish soap.
- If you have any concerns with food spills, you can then use some disinfecting spray and then wipe down to remove residue.
- For pots and pan scuff marks, make a paste of baking soda and water to scrub or use another abrasive cleaner.
Line your cupboards and drawers.
This is totally optional, but lining your drawers can provide a few extra benefits. Firstly, if your cupboard or drawer bottoms have seen better days, liners will cover up any stains or chips. I used a simple white liner for our kitchen, but you can also find many colorful or patterned options or make your own from wrapping paper and clear contact paper. Secondly, if you want to protect your surfaces from any damage or spills in the future, the liner provides an extra barrier of protection. I didn’t line all of my cupboards and drawers but did end up doing most of them.
For most projects, I do recommend choosing a non-adhesive liner as it can be removed for washing when needed and won’t be difficult to switch out if you change your mind in the future. If you need to secure the edges you can always use a bit of double sided tape or small Command strips so it doesn’t slide.
Organize by zones.
Organizing by zones means that you try to group all similar items together and closest to the area that you will be using them. If you’re just starting out organizing this way, it may mean moving some of your kitchen storage around from cabinets that you currently use. Depending on your kitchen layout and cupboard storage options, you may have to make a few exceptions, but this is generally the most functional way to organize the space.
The first step to organize kitchen cabinets by zone is to take a few minutes to think about where you want to store your items and how you want your kitchen to function. Here are some ideas for zones that you may want to think about…
- cooking/baking zones
- food prep zone
- food storage zone
- storage container zone {dishes, glasses, silverware, food storage, etc.}
- cleaning product zone {usually around and under the kitchen sink}
- coffee, tea or other beverage bar
Depending on your needs, you can come up with other zones that make your space more functional. For example, we have a little smoothie/health bar in one corner of our kitchen for our blender, kettle, teas, vitamins, smoothie ingredients, etc. It contains everything we would need in that one small area so we can get things done quicker and easier.
Make things accessible.
Kitchen cabinet space is generally at a premium, so you want to make the best use of the space and make items as easy to access as possible. Store frequently used items in easy to reach locations at the front of cabinets or in canisters on the counter. Save the back of the cupboard space or higher shelves for items that you use less frequently. And don’t forget about using the inside of your cupboard doors for extra storage!
If you’re short on kitchen space, infrequently used or seasonal items can even be stored outside of the kitchen in another area that has a little more storage space. Keep kids items at a level that they can access them so you’re not always having to help them out.
To make things easy to grab {and to put away!}, I try to make sure that everything in the cupboard can be removed {and put back!} by removing only one other item {or block of items} at most. If you have to take out 4 or 5 items stacked on top of each other to get what you want, chances are that you’re either not going to use it or that it will not get put back properly. These drop down storage racks work great for storing items on higher shelves. They pull down easily and are perfect for spices, canned goods, breakfast condiments {like peanut butter, jam, and honey}, etc. A double lazy susan also works great for optimizing the vertical storage space.
Use those awkward spaces.
Every kitchen seems to have at least a couple of awkward cupboards or poorly designed storage spaces. Get creative! Think of different items that might work better to store there or find bins or other organizers to make the space more functional. We had a super tall and narrow cupboard that really didn’t fit anything, so we added a few shelves and turned it into our cleaning cupboard.
Declutter your counter.
Kitchen cupboard organization and decluttering your counters goes hand in hand. Keep out your most used items and try to find storage for other less used objects. Find pretty containers, tray, or baskets to corral those items that you keep on the counter. It will make your counters much quicker and easier to clean and provide you with more work space {as well as make your kitchen seem instantly cleaner!} You also want to try to keep your counter storage limited to the back 1/3rd of the counter, so there is still plenty of space for prep work. For more tips on decluttering kitchen counters, check out this post on how to keep your counters clutter-free!
Whew! I hope this gives you lots of kitchen cabinet organization ideas! If it seems like a lot, remember that you can just work on one cabinet at a time. Once you have your system down, it gets a lot quicker and easier.
Happy organizing! Let me know if you have any questions!
More Home Organization Ideas
For more home organization projects and ideas, check out these posts…
Bathroom Cabinet Organizer Ideas
I’m in the process of packing because we’re buying a house… but I’m definitely using the purge rules while doing so.
What a great time to purge! Good luck with your new home! 🙂
I really love this post & the great advice to purge and gain control int he kitchen. Thank you!!
xo, Tanya
Jenn, the organization just makes me so jealous. Will you come do mine next? I’d love to see you link your pretty pics at my Skip The Housework Party!
Oh how I need to do this!! Great post!! And I need to head to Michael’s and get a few more of the cute jars with colorful lids 🙂
Thanks Katie! Aren’t those jars cute? I made two trips as well! 🙂
Where did you get the scale?
I purchased that a while ago but I am pretty sure I got it from either Decor Steals or Antique Farmhouse. I think they are parent companies so the same products often appear on both sites. Hope that helps!
You gave me good ideas. …during my insomnia 😉
I love the way you’ve organized all of your cabinets! I live in a really small apartment and it is very hard to find place for everything in the kitchen. I think I will buy some baskets and boxes. Thanks a lot for the tips!
So glad you found it helpful!
we are moving into a new house in about a month. Will use many of your storage tips. Great post.
Good luck with your move! So exciting!
I love all your ideas. I was wondering where you got the cute labels? they look like they are chalkboard but I wasn’t sure. I need to do that with our meds.
Thanks Dee! The labels are from the Martha Stewart line at Staples and yes they are chalkboard! 🙂
Did I miss where the silverware goes?
I just didn’t show it as it wasn’t particularly interesting. It is in a drawer right beside the dishwasher and below the cabinet with our plates and bowls. I just have one of the standard cutlery organizers in there. 🙂
Thank you dear….. I love your ideas : )
Your cabinets look so neat and tidy! This spring I should definitely declutter and clean my kitchen cabinets because I can’t find anything in them. Thank you for the nice advices in this article!
Thank-you!
Thank you for writing such a great post! My kitchen needs a little TLC and these tips were perfect! I love shelving idea for bigger appliances. Brilliant!
Glad you found it helpful! 🙂
I love how organized your kitchen is! I wish mine could be half as organized, I guess I should pick a cabinet and get it done. Thanks for sharing on Snickerdoodle Sunday!
All of these suggestions are so great! We’re getting ready to move into a new apartment and have a kitchen that is MUCH larger than ours now, so I’m going to be able to do some rearranging and actually have large drawers! So I’m a big fan of the drawer organizers to break up the space and make sure all the odds and ends are in check! Thanks for sharing these tips and your beautiful kitchen!
Good luck with your move! Starting fresh is always fun!
Great idea, I especially love that little fold down thing for the top shelf, I’m going to keep my eyes open for one or two of them. Thanks
Great tips! We moved into our new place last year and purged so many kitchen items we really didn’t need. I know I need to reorganized my drunk drawer and should probably do another purge. We were actually thinking about selling our kitchen aid because we realized we almost never use it! Thanks for sharing, stopping by from SITS.
Good for you for purging! I’m sure the Kitchen Aid would be harder to get rid of but I always try to remember that it is about what I actually use not what I wished I actually used! lol!
I’m a sucker for organizational projects. Thanks for the ideas! I would love to have you post on my new blog hop—the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home (www.myflagstaffhome.com). It begins on Thursday evenings and lasts through the weekend, if you’re interested.
Jennifer
love these tips. I definitely need to address #1 this fall. I do organize in zones and love that. Thank you for sharing with Share It One More Time. Cathy
love these tips. I definitely need to address #1 this fall. I do organize in zones and love that. Thank you for sharing with Share It One More Time. Cathy
The end of the summer at hand, and now I have a little time before holiday season. I really want to reorganise my small home. Thank you for posting. I have so little time to do things. I love the 15 minute clean. I have so much to do, but starting out small then working up to finish is much more realistic for me. Thank you!
What is the fold down black holder that you found at Walmart? It’s listed under #2.
You’ve given me a lot of inspiration to get it done, organize & purge the stuff I don’t really use.
It’s kind of a pull down holder. So for items on the top shelf that I couldn’t normally reach, I can just pull it down so it sits more around the level of the shelf below. Good luck with your decluttering process.
where did you get your cute pink rubber gloves? i love your site!!!
Sorry I haven’t replied! The photo there is actually from Martha Stewart so I am not sure where those are from. I do have a post coming up this week though with very similar pink gloves! 🙂
You have inspired me! Thanks for sharing with us at Over the Moon Link Party.
Loving your ideas! I need to organize my kitchen badly. Thanks for joining the Family Joy Link Party!
Thanks! I appreciate you hosting!
I am working on kitchen organization this month! What a timely post 🙂
I just finished the purge step.
Perfect! The purge is definitely the most important!!
Love these organizing ideas! So much inspiration. I used to have a file folder like that hanging inside my cabinet door for coupons. It’s always nice to have a place hidden away from kitchen paperwork. Thanks for sharing with us on the Family Joy Blog Link Party!
>> Christene
Keys to Inspiration
I love using the inside of cabinet doors for extra storage – great idea for the coupons!
I love all the wire racks, my cabinets need this kind of organization!
Thanks for linking up at #bloggerspotlight!
Loving this! I am always to look for ideas when it comes to organizing. Thank you for sharing! #FuntasticFriday
I have really deep corner cabinets and I’m at an utter loss as to how to arrange things in there..lazy Susan’s didnt really help because they left alot of gap on the sides. Can you please suggest something because I’m at my wits end as to how to organize them.
Yes! Corner cabinets can be tricky! I’m not sure if it’s a blind corner cabinet or if it opens up on both sides, but either way, there are options that you can get at home supply stores or somewhere like Ikea. The downside since they’re not custom is that you may end up with some wasted space as there are only so many sizes available. Is it the large lazy Susan’s that you have used before? (one on the top and one on the bottom)? If you didn’t like this option, you could look at shelving options. I know there are some at Home Depot but you would need to check if they fit your measurements or could be cut down. You could also DIY your own or have someone make them for you – they should be fairly inexpensive to make. Hope that helps!
Hey Jen! Thank you so much for the suggestions. Will look in home depot for the shelving options.
They are blind cabinets and i used the single large lazy Susan’s.
I have a corner cupboard just like your medicine one. Where did you purchase the triangle corner baskets that you used for your medicine in that cabinet?
I got them at Target in the bath section. They’re supposed to be for corners in shower. They work great!
I love all the white dishes and the tips. I need to reorganize my kitchen badly and was going to do a cupboard at a time. Now, I’ll probably tackle the whole kitchen at once. We moved in October and things just got put anywhere. Can’t wait till it’s done
Sometimes it is just easier to dive right in and get it all done at once! I’m sure it will look great!
I just purchased a lot of bins and racks to organize my kitchen. I hate the cabinets that have the slide out trays, they are to small to put anything. I am hoping to take those out and put in lid racks and pan racks instead. Thank you for the awesome tips
Definitely make it work for you! 🙂
Thank you for this great write up! I’ve been spending the past week reorganizing my pantry and going through my kitchen drawers and cabinets. I definitely agree with organizing your kitchen by zones. It changed my life when I set up a “chopping station” in my kitchen. It just made everything flow a lot better.
Yes, the zones make such a big difference! Happy organizing!
Organizing kitchen cabinets can make things very simple for you. Thank you for your post. This is excellent information. It is amazing and wonderful to visit your site.
Glad you enjoyed!
I love how everything works. My problem is I have 5 kids who can’t even hang up their bath towels. Trying to get them to put things back where they belong doesn’t work. Maybe when they move out. BUT using the list to declutter and clean out what I don’t need is a great idea.
I might use this idea for my ‘she shed’ area. I am working on setting up an area in our large building and I think I might use some of your ideas for that area, because it is MINE, all mine!
LOL 🙂
Have fun decorating your own space!! I feel you on the kids not hanging their towels up. lol!
Love the labels. What font is that on labels on the bottles?
Thanks! The font is called Hey Girl. 🙂
Hi Jenn, love this article. Can you tell me where you bought the stackable cutlery tray please? Never seen one like this and can’t see it anywhere online.
Thanks Best Wishes Julie