Unbelievably Easy Kitchen Organization Ideas That You Need To Try

It can be a constant struggle to keep your kitchen organized. Unfortunately our kitchen countertops and cabinets don’t unclutter themselves. And, while we don’t have magical pixie dust to do the job for us. These quick and easy kitchen organization ideas are pretty close!

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When it comes to kitchen organization you are probably feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. How does so much stuff end up in the kitchen anyway?

And let’s not even get started on the countertops. I mean, what the what? So much stuff collects on the countertops. And, if your house is like mine it is stuff that legit does not even belong in the kitchen.

One day, I walked into my kitchen, and I simply could not take it anymore. I needed my kitchen back! You feel me?

So, I got my decluttering and organization mojo flowing. And, tackled the beast! The best part is that I got all of this done in hours and not days!

Also, through this process I have found the absolute easiest and quickest kitchen organization ideas that actually work, and keep your kitchen organized too! No more putting in a ton of effort, and 3 days later the kitchen is a disaster all over again!

Because, you have better things to do than organize your kitchen for days on end, and have nothing to show for all your hard work in less than a week. Am I right?

How To Organize Your Kitchen

Kitchen organization can appear intimidating. Especially, if you have quite a bit of clutter and unnecessary items hanging out in your cabinets.

But, I am here to tell you that it does not have to be intimidating at all! These kitchen organization ideas are super easy to implement, and I promise nothing intimidating is included. Just manageable and practical organization that can be used every single day.

Another thing that I feel needs to be said, which if you have been hanging around the blog for awhile you will have already heard me say. Done is better than perfect!

There are so many beautiful and picture perfect kitchens on Pinterest. And, while it is crazy fun to do all the daydreaming and want all of the pretty kitchens. It may not be your reality. And, that can have you feel defeated before you even start!

Can we agree to not fall into the comparison trap? Let’s keep our eyes on the prize, and show em what we’re working with. Because, I assure you that no matter what level of design your kitchen is rocking. An organized kitchen is legit one of the best feelings EVER!

So, are you ready to rock these kitchen organization ideas? Yeah you are! Let’s do this!

Declutter

15 to 30 minutes

First things first you will want to declutter your kitchen. Grab yourself a basket or tote. And get the countertops cleared of any paper, junk mail, or anything that simply doesn’t belong in the kitchen.

You will be going through all of these items later, but for now just leave them in the basket. Seeing clear countertops is an incredibly free feeling. Savor that, and take a deep breath. Now that you have reached a clear countertop zen like state let’s keep this kitchen organization process moving.

How To Organize Kitchen Cabinets

30 minutes to 1 hour

Kitchen cabinets can be the bane of your existence when it comes to kitchen organization. Wanna know why? Because there is too much stuff!

Trust me, you are not alone in having way too many cups and mugs and plates. We are ALL guilty of this. However, this is why those cabinets get out of control quick!

Follow these tip for how to get your kitchen cabinets organized once and for all.

• Purge baby purge!

The only way to cut down on clutter is to physically go through it. I know I know. Not exactly the most fun that you can have in a day, but I promise you will feel so much better after doing this.

Do you really need 11 coffee mugs? What about 15 plates? And, can we talk about the Tupperware situation?

Simply go through all of the items in your cabinets, and toss or donate what you don’t need. Get really clear on this! Take the time to truly assess what items you and your family need daily. PS I may or may not have had 7 spatulas. I mean, what was that even about?

I have not forgotten about those of us who like to entertain! Simply grab any platters or trays that you do not use frequently and put them in a tote. This can be stored in the garage for easy access whenever you have guests.

But, how many dishes do I need? 

Okay, this one is a bit tough because it revolves around your personal lifestyle. Our family has 8 plates, 6 bowls, 2 cups per person, and 2 coffee mugs. I do wash dishes daily, but my gosh it is so much less stressful to be organized. I’ll take washing dishes daily over the madness and chaos that were my kitchen cabinets.

• Create zones

Once you have done the great kitchen cabinet purge, you are ready to get organized! The best way to organize your kitchen cabinets is to assess what task you use in a specific space in the kitchen.

If you have younger children this may mean that you want to put their glasses and plates in a lower cabinet. If you have a countertop that is constantly used for the crockpot, or chopping up veggies. Then put the crockpot and cutting boards right below it.

The point of this is for you to be able to work smarter not harder. Having your kitchen essentials in what I like to call zones just makes sense. Also, you want to move the heavy lifting appliances to the cabinets or pantry. Less stuff on the countertops equals kitchen organization bliss.

So, for my kitchen I have the meal prep zone, baking zone, and kids zone.

The meal prep zone is where I keep cutting boards, colanders, and containers. It is located directly below where I do my chopping, and right next to the kitchen sink.

The baking zone is directly beneath the counter that I use my mixer, and right next to the oven. See how easy this is? And super functional too!

The kids zone is just a lower cabinet with their plates and cups. Nothing fancy here, but how awesome is it that the kids can grab their plates on their own? Ummm it’s pretty amazing!

Kitchen Drawer Organization

30 minutes

Next up on our kitchen organization ideas is the kitchen drawers. Kitchen drawers are another spot that can get out of control pretty quickly. Again, wanna know why? 😉

You know what time it is! Let’s get to purging those drawers. Be honest, you knew that was coming.

Again, truly assess what your family needs to survive daily. Remember the 7 spatulas I had? Yeah, no one needs that many spatulas.

Once you get the kitchen drawers cleared out you may be surprised by how much extra space you have. Use that extra drawer space to your advantage! Think of what would make the most sense to go in the newly added space, but do not use this as an excuse to keep stuff you do not need. Remember, holding on to stuff that is not needed is the opposite of kitchen organization.

If you do have some extra space you might like this idea for housing spices in a drawer. Or, you could even store your knives in a drawer too!

Wanna learn how to clean house fast? Check out this post on How To Clean Your House In Under 2 Hours!

Small Kitchen Organization Ideas

When it comes to small kitchen organization you have got to make use of every single square inch of space. And, because your kitchen is small it is super important to get it organized!

You should obviously follow the same rules for your cabinets and drawers, but I have some additional tricks up my sleeve for maximizing your kitchen space.

• Go vertical

Because you probably don’t have a lot of counter space or cabinets. You will need to use vertical space where you can.

Think about hanging coffee mugs from some hooks or a small towel rod. Another great idea is to hang your pots and pans too. You could hang them from a pegboard, above the stove, or even on the side of your cabinets.

If you enjoy baking, another great idea for going vertical is to hang your beaters and measuring cups inside your cabinets with command hooks.

• Baskets

I use this suggestion judiciously. Now, I love me a great basket. I may even be a little embarrassed to tell you how many baskets I currently have in my home. With that said, baskets are amazing at housing and hiding our stuff!

If used correctly, like 1-2 baskets at MAX, they can be very helpful for small kitchen organization.

Place your hand towels in a basket that is near the kitchen sink. You could also use a basket to store frequently used cookbooks. It is totally fine to make use of storage. Just please don’t go crazy with the basket love. Because you are trying to create more space not fill it up with ALL the baskets. 😉

• Utensils

If you have a smaller kitchen then finding places for where to put your kitchen utensils can be tricky. But, I have come up with a solution!

First, go through all of your cooking utensils and only keep what you really need. Yep, I keep saying that a lot. Like A LOT, but it is because it is critical in kitchen organization.

Place the remaining cooking utensils in a canister next to the stove. Simple right?

Keeping it real, I have been doing this for years. However, I have noticed quite a few people put their cooking utensils in drawers. Which honestly intrigues me, and I think it is pretty brilliant.

But, if you are tight on space it would be really tough to have enough room in your kitchen drawers for all of your cooking utensils. Placing them in a canister frees up a ton of space, and they will be right next to the stove when you are ready to cook!

Revisit The Declutter Basket

Now that you have all the countertops, cabinets, and drawers decluttered and organized. It is time to revisit the basket or tote from the first step.

Take a look and see what all made it’s way into the great basket of chaos. If you are like me…one sock, a bunch of papers, and a baseball. (Don’t even ask, because I genuinely don’t understand it myself.)

Keeping it real. Most of the stuff in the basket is going to be things that you don’t really need, but take the time to truly assess what is in there.

Are there common items or themes? This will lead you to figuring out if there is room for a functional space within your kitchen that can be better served for what appears to be nonsensical.

For instance, we had a lot of school items that were strewn about haphazardly in our kitchen. We are talking folders, books, papers, a random eraser.

So, I created a homework space in a little nook in our kitchen. Super basic here. We are talking a small table and chairs.

So, don’t think you have to go crazy and spend a bunch of money to make your space work for you. I also was able to take an inexpensive crate and fill it with a few mason jars. The mason jars house pencils, markers, erasers, and everything Jasper needs to get his homework and projects complete. And, no more random erasers and pencils on the kitchen counters!

When you hone in on what items are magically finding their way into your kitchen that don’t belong there. Then, you can create a more functional space which ultimately leads to true kitchen organization that lasts. And isn’t destroyed and back to where you started within a few days!

Wrapping Up

You are an official kitchen organization rock star! Yay you!

You know how to get those countertops, cabinets, and kitchen drawers organized. And, how to keep the clutter at bay forever. Because, ain’t nobody got time to do all of the kitchen organization ideas and have nothing to show for it a week later!

Now go get your kitchen organized so that you can spend your time where it is needed most. Because we both know that your time is not best spent drowning in clutter! And now you have the tools you need to get organized, and you know exactly how to keep it that way too!

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