Kitchen Chaos?
~ Tips toward a magazine-worthy kitchen ~
Having a magazine-worthy kitchen doesn’t mean having empty counters and expensive appliances. Follow these steps for a clean, organized kitchen.
Step 1: Declutter and Organize
It’s time to address the elephant in the room *er* on the counter - and in the cabinets. That’s right! It’s all the vitamins and spices that take up half the counter space, and the expired food that’s been pushed to the back of the cabinet shelves. When you open the cupboard door and something falls out, it’s time to declutter.
Countertops:
Completely remove everything from your countertops.
Choose which items you’ll return to the countertop, and which ones you’ll toss. Find a permanent home for the items that don’t belong on the counter, but you’d like to keep. A few examples would be: mail, spare change, or charging cables.
Designate a cabinet to keep items that aren’t used daily, such as larger appliances, to save counter space while keeping them easily accessible.
Wipe and sanitize countertops, and Viola! A clean slate to style however you please.
Now it’s time to organize and put the kitchen back together. When working with limited space, consider adding some simple, but SUPER helpful, storage like:
This hanging pots and pans rack
from target: Click HERE!
Floating shelves to keep counters
clear: Click HERE!
A rotating spice rack from Costco to keep staple spices at hand: Click HERE!
A few other ideas:
Drawer-friendly vitamin tray from Room & Board
A decorative crock for spoons and spatulas
A sponge caddy that hides the sponge and helps it dry
Cabinets:
Cabinets are a really easy thing to turn into a catchall. Start by tossing out old, opened, and expired food items. Do this once a month to cabinets, pantries, and the refrigerator to keep everything organized and up-to-date.
Find matching lids for all storage containers, and those that don’t have a match can be thrown away.
Wipe down cabinets and shelves. Maybe consider adding shelf liners, too!
Organize your cabinets from heavy to light with the heaviest items on the lowest shelf. This will help avoid having to dodge that can of tomato sauce that won’t stay.
Gather small miscellaneous items, and place them in a bin to keep them neat and organized.
Here are some helpful items for Cabinet organization:
Cleaning supplies can get messy too. Ironic, right? Try a lazy Susan organizer to limit an unnecessary overflow of cleaners while keeping a healthy balance of variety.
Like this one from Target: Click HERE!
This pan and lid organizer: Click HERE!
Step 2: Establish a cleaning checklist
A cleaning schedule is a great way to keep your new kitchen clean! A great cleaning checklist includes daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning items that are quick and easy to finish in your spare time. Here’s a guideline to follow:
Daily:
Do the dishes to avoid buildup (and smells, ew.)
Wipe off counter and stove tops before bed
Weekly:
Throw out old food items
Clean and disinfect microwave, stove, and toaster oven
Sweep and mop kitchen floors - unless you have carpets, of course
Monthly:
Dust the top of the refrigerator, fan hood, microwave, etc.
Remove items from the refrigerator and wipe down shelves and drawers
Step 3: Admire your beautiful kitchen.
Click on the links below for some kitchen inspiration!!
Simple & Modern Modern & Spacious Rustic Cozy Warm & Rustic
**Check out our blog posts for more tips on how to stage other rooms in your home!**
