Small Kitchen Organization

Having an organized and tidy kitchen can be very challenging particularly if you have a small kitchen as we do. So you really need to rethink your small kitchen organization because sometimes kitchens can end up becoming a bit of a dumping ground for household items, children’s artwork, and papers. There is nothing worse than having to work on limited counter space and having a cluttered kitchen just makes life too chaotic. Meal preparation can also become completely unenjoyable or possibly even unsafe.

Having a small kitchen space just means you need to be efficient and creative with how you organize and store your items. Because let’s face it, sometimes even when we do have large spaces with a lot of storage it can still be very tempting to keep unnecessary clutter. Even large spaces will look messy and be disorganized if this is the case. It is important to have good kitchen organization regardless of whether you have a large kitchen or a small one.

General Ideas Small Kitchen Organization

• Keep kitchen counters clear
• Get rid of unnecessary kitchen gadgets and appliances you don’t use.
• Use clear storage containers with labels so you can easily see and find what you are looking for
• Try and store away things inside cabinets and cupboards as much as possible

The idea is to try and get rid of any clutter so that the small space will actually look bigger

1. Be as minimalistic as you can

I think for me the only way I was able to get on top of my small kitchen organization game was to be completely ruthless when it came to deciding what to keep and what to throw away.

Earlier this year we had our kitchen completely renovated and you can read about this here. This gave me the perfect opportunity to get rid of anything I didn’t absolutely positively need.

2. Get Rid Of Those Unused Plastic Containers

I got rid of so many plastic containers and it felt great! In my old kitchen, I had a cupboard full of plastic containers, I could almost swear they were secretly multiplying. There were missing lids and small containers my son who is now 16 had used for preschool. Plus almost every time I opened the cupboard, they fell out and I felt like I was being attacked! WHAT A MESS!! I dislike clutter and I am almost ashamed when I think back to that cupboard (sends chills up my spine).

I kept only the most necessary containers and I am very happy to report that I have never regretted this. It’s funny how well we can function when we use what we need instead of keeping things ‘for just in case.’

3. Get Rid Of Small Appliances You Don’t Use

These days we can almost have a single appliance for anything and everything. There are those pie makers, cake makers, bread makers, etc. I know many families might probably put these items to good use therefore it’s not a good idea for them to get rid of them. But for my family, they were useless.

Bye-Bye Bread Maker

We had this bread maker that took up prime kitchen real estate. It sat there for YEARS! and not a single loaf of bread was made in it. Do you know why we kept it? Because my beloved Uncle who passed away had given it to us. I will admit I felt a pang of sadness when I got rid of it just thinking about my dear Uncle. But I am certain I have many more significant memories of him other than just a bread maker, so out it went. He probably would have told me to get rid of it anyway!

Goodbye Slow Cooker

Up until recently, I had a slow cooker which I had not used in a long time. There was a time when my boys were younger and we had many after-school commitments. So having a meal ready in the slow cooker was a sanity saver. The thought of living without a slow cooker back then was probably equivalent to living with no internet now. Totally inconceivable!!

But I have come to the conclusion that sometimes things serve us a purpose but only for a time. And sadly for me, that time has finished. My oldest son has moved out and the younger one gets himself to his after-school activities. So now there is no longer a real need for a slow cooker. The truth is that I might have kept my old one but it ended up getting a huge crack along the bottom of the ceramic bowl. So after really thinking about it, I just decided to get rid of it and not replace it.

4. Transfer Items Into Containers

An excellent way to keep your kitchen cupboards organized is by transferring all dry goods into clear plastic containers marked with labels. Boxes and bags of things take up so much room inside the cupboards not to mention how untidy everything looks. By transferring these food items into containers it will free up so much space.

Another benefit is that it will reduce food waste. Food items left in plastic bags or boxes sometimes get lost in the cupboard and only found when they are way past their use-by date.

You can see how much of something you have left by using clear containers. Hopefully, this will stop you from buying things unnecessarily and causing further cupboard clutter.

5. Use Shelf Inserts

Shelf Inserts are a fantastic way of adding an extra shelf within your cupboard. I got mine from Ikea and we use ours for our glasses and for separating dinner and side plates.

I have also seen them used in pantries to store things like cans, spices, or containers. They are extremely handy and versatile.

6. Only Keep Pots And Pans You Really Need

We had pots and pans I bought when we were first married and that was just over thirty years ago!! Over time I had bought extra ones but I had never invested in any good quality ones. With the new kitchen, we had an induction cooktop installed and thankfully the poor old battered pots and pans were no longer useful.

I bought a very basic five-piece Scanpan set and one nonstick fry pan. I have discovered that this is all I need. The pieces fit in the kitchen cupboard, they cook beautifully and I just love them!!

7. Nesting Bowls

We have these great stainless steel mixing bowls that nest all together saving a ton of space. I also try and nest things like glass containers and ceramic oven dishes. If I can nest things I will, but only if they won’t cause any damage and it’s functional. I used to nest my pots and pans and then go absolutely bananas trying to extract them from each other so I could use them. Ugh, Not good!!

8.Organise Your Drawers

Having a small kitchen means that drawer space is probably limited. So it is important that they are kept organized and only store essential, well-used, absolutely necessary items.

Drawer dividers are a fantastic way to keep all your cutlery easily stored and accessible. I bought some drawer inserts from Ikea and they fit snugly into the drawer keeping everything neatly in its place.

I was very selective about which utensils I kept so now they fit nicely into the drawer dividers. Upon reflection, I may need to still do further culling. Do I really need this strawberry huller, even if I did buy it from my favorite store William Sonoma?

9. Use Any Space Above The Fridge

If you have any space on top of your fridge you can use it as extra storage space. The best way for keeping it neat and tidy is to use baskets or plastic containers to store things in. The last thing you want is messy clutter on top of your fridge. We ended up with more space than we needed above our fridge (tape measures and I are not friends) so I bought these white containers from Ikea. I use one to store our chargers and one to store paper napkins and plastic cutlery.

10. Cupboards All The Way To The Ceiling

When we were first planning our new kitchen and seriously thinking about kitchen organization. The best thing we did was deciding to have cupboards installed all the way up to the ceiling. After all, this space is only for collecting dust anyway! I know I can’t easily access anything up there so I have made sure to only keep the things I use very occasionally. Things like big platters, my chocolate fountain, and Christmas trays live up there.

Again if you have a small kitchen with no high cupboards you can always store things in baskets or containers. It will look neat, tidy and it’s great extra storage space!

It’s amazing how functional your kitchen will be when you really consider some great tips on small kitchen organization. I like looking on Pinterest for some ideas and suggestions too. Just because you have a small space doesn’t mean it has to be cramped and cluttered. I think it’s all about being creative and not being afraid to get rid of the things that you no longer need.