Kitchen Organization Mistakes You’re Making and How to Fix Them

Keeping the home clean and tidy is a task at the top of many to-do lists, but it can quickly become a larger project than necessary. While some people prefer to do a comprehensive deep clean and organization session, a substantial part of organization and keeping a tidy space relies on maintenance. Here are four things you may be doing wrong and how to fix them.

Keeping Knick Knacks

There are tons of nifty kitchen gadgets out there, but you don’t need them all…at least not on a daily basis.

“If you have a melon baller that you haven’t used in two summers or baking-exclusive kitchen tools when you rarely bake, you can get rid of them!” explained Jessica Ruenz, vice president of Kitchen Wise. “This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should throw these items away; you don’t want to end up repurchasing them later on. However, having a designated storage spot for them can be very useful.”

Creating a storage drawer or box elsewhere in the home that is specifically dedicated to less common kitchen tools can keep these items from taking up space in your kitchen. This way, you still have access to rare tools should you need them, but the space within the kitchen is occupied by the most important, most frequently used items.

Leaving Things Out

Are you really putting everything away? It can be very easy, especially after long cooking sessions, to leave small tasks for later. Rather than letting mixers or blenders become countertop decor, put these small appliances into cabinets or pantries to de-clutter your surface tops.

“Having a designated spot for everything is so helpful,” Ruenz said. “Following the guidance of ‘don’t put it down, put it away’ can keep everything in its rightful place and prevent clutter. Even something as small as a cleaning sponge left sitting in the sink can contribute to a kitchen feeling less clean and tidy. A tidy space is a calm space!”

Keeping Expired Items

If it’s expired, throw it out! Things like spices, sauces, oils and pre-packaged ingredients can expire and be overlooked since signs of expiration may be a bit less obvious than fresh produce spoiling. However, this doesn’t mean these items should be kept, and they certainly should not be eaten.

“If it’s old or expired, all it’s doing is taking up pantry space,” Ruenz said. “Go ahead and trash - and even better, recycle - it!”

Clearing out old items can promote food safety, open up additional space and allow members of the household to have a much clearer understanding of what ingredients are and are not available.

Hanging on to Unused Duplicates

Cookware is one of the most common things to be gifted or handed down, especially to young homeowners just starting out on their own. While there may be some sentimental value, you do not need to keep every single utensil that has been gifted to you.

“People tend to collect these items over time. Maybe it’s the first set of pots and pans you got when you left for college or a nicer set you received as a housewarming gift; either way, you don’t have to keep all of these,” Ruenz explained.

Old cooking items, especially bulkier ones like pots and pans, can take up a lot of space. 

“Go through all of your cooking items, donate the usable and get rid of old or faulty pots and pans,” Ruenz said. “From here, consider your routine and cooking cadence to determine how many you truly need to keep.”

Find more information about Kitchen Wise at kitchenwise.com.