Kitchen Organization That Just Makes Sense!

It’s the Great Purge at my house all over again. The time of year when I want to throw everything in my home away…or just burn the whole thing to the ground and start new. Ha! I think it’s the amount of Christmas decor teamed up with the presents that still haven’t found their homes in our house just yet teamed up with NYE and all the resolutions to be a better you. Nothing about living in abundance within your home or having disorganization makes me feel like a better me. I feel much the opposite right now!

So daily, I’ve been choosing select places around our home to purge. I mean, really get into them and make hard choices on what needs to find a better home with someone else. And the first place that I chose to tackle was my kitchen. Between holiday baking and a huge Christmas Eve feast, our kitchen had seen better days. And this year, I didn’t want to just purge and reorganize. I wanted to really evaluate the functionality of our kitchen and what systems we needed to improve upon.

And today, I’m going to share with you the organization in our kitchen that truly just makes sense. Systems that have worked for years now to ones that were so necessary this year and have made remarkable changes within our space. Six ideas that you can steal for your own home and start implementing this week to help with some of your more stressful spaces within your kitchen,

Invest in a Drawer Knife Block

Okay, I should use the term “invest” loosely with this one because you can find ones with excellent reviews for $20 on Amazon, but it is still $20 and a knife block isn’t the most glamourous thing to purchase for yourself. HOWEVER, I was coming from a space of loose knives floating around my silverware drawer prior to this purchase. A wildly dangerous system that I held onto for years.

I purchased an In-Drawer Bamboo Knife Block to put inside my silverware drawer. To be able to slip 16 knives, large and small, into this knife block has kept my drawer safer, more accessible to find the knife you’re looking for, and I know for a fact is going to keep them sharper for longer. There are 8 slots for smaller knives like paring and steak knives and 8 slots for your larger knives like a serrated bread knife or large chopping knives.

And a little trick that I’m thinking of implementing for the members of my house is to write out the knife name in Sharpie along each of the slots. It will make it even easier to find just what I’m looking for.

Lazy Susan for Your Spices and Bottles

I love being able to spin my spices around and see every single option easily. No fancy bottles required (although they are beautiful!) and no messing with taking up an entire drawer to lay them out (although, again…it looks beautiful!). I simply store my large spices, seasonings, or bottles in the middle of the lazy susan and my smaller and more frequently used ones on the edges. A spin around and I can locate everything I need quickly.

I purchased the Copco 9″ non-slip lazy susans years ago and they have made such a convenient system in my home. Easy to clean with soap and water and hold to my cabinets strongly instead of sliding around. They also come in a 12″ style and an 18″ option in several different colors. And right now, they’re marked down 20% off to only $7.99 for the 12 inch version! *Amazon prices are subject to change at any time*

Acrylic Holder for Dishwasher Tabs

I had a very large issue with my dishwasher tabs for a very long time. Leaving them in their bags or plastic containers was always an unneeded process of opening and closing and I never felt like I would know when I was running low until it was too late.

I purchased this Adhesive Acrylic Bin to stick to the side of my under the sink cabinet. It measures 11″ wide x 6.5″ tall so it holds a massive amount of dishwasher tabs at one time. I can now reach in easily to get each tab and I can see when it’s getting low and I need to repurchase. The adhesive is extremely strong and has held up with zero issues for two years now!

*With little ones, I did use the Safety 1st Magnetic Lock system on these cabinets. We keep all of our cleaning supplies in this cabinet and it always scared me that it was right at the height of my babies.*

Adhesive Magnets for Measuring Cups and Spoons

This was a new system I put in my place this year and I cannot believe it has taken me so long to do something about those annoying measuring cups and spoons! No matter where I seemed to store them, they’d always catch on my drawer and make it near impossible to open and close. Separating them out made for ease in opening my drawer, but the sheer amount of space they took up?! Too much.

It was due time to make a change and I found a perfect space that would be out of the way, yet completely convenient…the inside of my cabinet! You know that cabinet that holds all of my spices on the lazy susans I mentioned above? It’s to the right of my stove and the perfect access point for me as I cook.

I purchased these 12 adhesive magnets from Amazon and attached them to the inside of the cabinet door. To allow for your door to close easily, be sure you are avoiding placing the magnets where the shelves meet the door. Everywhere else, you should have ample room to store!

My measuring cups and spoons are all metal so this system works great. If you’re in need of some new ones, I love my metal measuring cups and metal measuring spoons! Clean easily and easy to use.

This may be the largest game-changer in my kitchen!

Clear Bins for SEEING What’s In Your Pantry

Our pantry may be the most used space in my home. I cook 3 meals a day for my family regularly, with only going out to eat a couple times a month, and my kids would probably say their favorite foods are “snacks.” Our pantry is well-loved.

I was tired of coming home from the grocery store and realizing I didn’t have enough bread crumbs or I had already purchased a jumbo bag of tortilla chips that were hidden in the back. I felt like I was making more grocery trips and wasting money. So in 2021, I purchased a slew of Better Homes and Gardens acrylic bins from Walmart and took to making our pantry FUNCTIONAL. Every ingredient has a place. Every box gets dumped into a container. Everything can be seen from standing in the doorway to our pantry. No more not knowing if something is in stock. I can stand and SEE.

My favorite containers that I purchased were:

• 6.5 Cup Flip-Tite Food Storage Container for snacks, bread crumbs, panko, and chocolate mixes
• 11.5 Cup Flip-Tite Rectangular Food Storage Container for cereals and rice
• 19.4 Cup Flip-Tite Food Storage Container for pasta, crackers, and marshmallows

I also really like the 4 Piece Airtight Acrylic Canister Set to hold my flour, sugar, powdered sugar, and brown sugar. They stay fresh and easy to grab up and down. Plus, it’s marvelous to actually be able to see when these are running low!

To make the system work for everyone in my home, I purchased the 157 Pantry Labels from Amazon that stick directly on to your containers. They have everything you could dream of labeling already created and ready to peel off. They adhere so beautifully to the front of your containers and I’ve moved from one to another over the years and they still stick to the new one perfectly.

IKEA Besta Bench Seat Hack for Small Appliances

So this one probably isn’t one you could do over the next week, but one you may consider in your future. In 2022, I created a wonderful IKEA hack with the BESTA shelf units. You can read the whole process HERE, but long story short, I took 4 BESTA units, screwed in wooden legs, screwed them together, and added a cushioned bench seat to make a reading nook/breakfast table/extra seating/puzzle table/homework space/EXTRA STORAGE!

This was one of my favorite projects to date and most certainly my most well-loved one on Pinterest. I think we all see how much of a benefit these storage bench seats really are. And one of those units holds ALL of my extra small appliances that were taking up precious room in my kitchen. My juicer, blender, hand mixer, and food processor all fit inside the unit.

Having an extra space, whether it be a credenza, buffet, cabinet, or just a simple tub in your garage to store those items that you just don’t use frequently enough to keep in your kitchen cabinets can be a freeing organization hack. You don’t need to purge these items because you will use them, but you may just need to find a better location.

Here’s to all of us taking part in the Great Purge. Making our homes more purposeful and functional for our ever-growing, ever-changing lifestyles. I hope you found use in this post and can take some of my kitchen organization ideas to use them in your beautiful homes. Happy Cleaning!

Are we friends on Instagram (@growingupkemper) or Pinterest (@growingupkemper) yet? Follow along for all the attainable DIY projects, tips, tricks, and inspiration!

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