Re-organizing your kitchen can be a daunting prospect, where do you start? You have an idea of how you want it to be based on the way you cook and use the kitchen but not sure how to make it all happen. In the past you have given up and just shoved things in where there was an empty space. I get it, me too! But now is the time to get it organized and stay organized.

Like organizing your closets organizing your kitchen cabinets can be very rewarding and satisfying. Keeping them organized can be a breeze because now it makes sense where you are putting things. To help you in the beginning look at your cabinets and think about what you have stored in them, then label them. Be mindful of the cooking area and the things you reach for or use the most, you will want them stored in this area to make the kitchen more functional. Don’t worry you won’t have to live with your cabinets labeled it is just for the organizing part. Here is a small list of items that you will want to purchase to make your life easier and keep your cabinets organized:

• Baskets
• Shelf inserts
• Cabinet racks
• Drawer separators
• Kitchen organizers

Now that you have the cabinets, drawers and pantry shelves are labeled the fun can begin. Start with your kitchen; empty every drawer and cabinet setting everything aside. If you have cabinets that you use for a pantry empty those too, but you can leave these for last. Separate and sort everything, placing things together by group based on the cabinet labels. If you come across items, you don’t use anymore or haven’t used in a while place them aside. These items can either be donated or given away if you never use them or if they are used for special occasions or holidays you can store them in the higher shelves in your kitchen leaving the lower shelves free for everyday use.

Deciding what to give away can be a bit stressful but it will be a good thing in the long run. Once you have everything sorted and have decided what to give away put those giveaway items in a box and label it donates then set it aside and out of the way. It is time to clean the cabinets and get ready to restock. Over the years they will become dirty and sticky so you will need to really give them a good scrub. Make sure they are completely dry before restocking and if you wanted to add contact paper now is the time to do it.

Place your storage and organization items that you purchased in the proper cabinets. Start putting your items back in the drawers and cabinets. Hardware Resources offers several options for drawers’ organizers. You might find at this time you don’t have room for all the items such as pots and pans or utensils, resort these items and prioritize based on what you use the most to least. Put the very least used item on the higher shelves and put the utensils in a storage bin placed on the higher shelves. Once your cabinets are put back together to the same for your pantry. Organize the shelves based on type, vegetables, soups, sauces, etc.

Now comes the hard part, keeping it organized. If your family is like mine, they help out in the kitchen by putting dishes, pots and pans and even the groceries away. To keep things organized and tidy think about keeping the labels on the shelves in the pantry and in your kitchen cabinets at least for a few weeks. Once your family gets into the habit of putting things away the way you have it set up you won’t have to re-organize again.