Organizing @ Home Kitchen Supplies

Part One

Today’s Focus:

Organizing Products
-where to buy them
-why you need (some) of them

The kitchen is the hub of the home. It’s not just a place to eat, it’s where we visit at the beginning and the end of the day. I don’t know about you but we pretty much can’t walk far without passing the kitchen. It’s on the way to and from this and that room. It’s where we go when we walk in the door, whether it be for a drink or just to check if anything new and exciting appeared in the fridge while we were gone. It is a vital part of the home. Because the kitchen is used everyday creating and maintaining organization is important. When the kitchen is disorganized it not only makes cooking a challenge, it tends to drive people away. No one wants to be in a cluttered kitchen let alone cook or eat, but because it is the hub we go in there anyway. Face it, a cluttered kitchen is uncomfortable to be in!!

The kitchen has a lot of moving parts that all connect but can be broken down into more manageable chunks: the pantry, lower cabinets, upper cabinets, drawers and counter tops. Today we will discuss the tools I like to use to organize the kitchen. These aren’t the tools I normally use in the rest of the house, which is why I am covering them here in this kitchen segment.

All these products make life much easier in the kitchen because they are simple.

Organizing Products

Did you know there are organizers made just for the kitchen cabinets? There are a lot of them – and they really make life easier. These 6 products are our go-to favorites time and again because they work!

 

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Cabinet Shelf  Available in S, M, L, L w/ an extension, double cabinets shelves, tall cabinet shelves This one I found at the Container Store ($4.99-$9.99). Cabinet shelves are also found at Target, WalMart, and other stores, but not the same quality or variety. 
4 Sort divider  Available in S, M, L and most of the time we use these to store taller items, as shown, but I’ve used them for baking pans too. Found at the Container Store ($3.99-$4.99)
Lazy Susans come in a sizes ranging from 9″-18″ Available at the Container Store and Amazon, both with good quality and prices. ($5.99-$29.99)I love these baby’s!

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3- Tier Spice Shelves come in many varieties but this is the style we use most because it is expandable and adjusts to any cabinet size. Found at the Container Store in two sizes – Original ($9.99) and the deeper version Mega ($14.99). Similar shelves are available at Target, Walmart, Lowes, etc. and are of comparable quality but with it’s vertical sides and no base lip, this one makes the best use of space.
Drawer Organizers –  For drawer organizers, I like the Rubbermaid Interlocking drawer organizers because they work 99% of the time in a multitude of situations. They are 3″ high and are available in 6 sizes. Again, the most verticle sides makes the best use of space, as do the pointed corners. I love these too! Found at the Container Store ($2.49-$4.99) and occassionally I’ve found them at WalMart.
Lid Rack  These hold up to 6 lids and makes for streamlined lid storage. Attach them to the cabinet and you’re good to go. Found at the Container Store ($6.99)

Where to Buy Them

The CONTAINER STORE has the BEST selection of quality organizing products for the kitchen – hands down!
Here’s why we shop there the most:
Quality: for only slightly more or the same price, you are getting a superior product
Consistency: you can almost guarantee to find the same product sold there a few years from now. We can’t say that about any other store. That means if you decide you want to add another “what-cha-ma-thing”, you’ll still be able to find it, and it will match with what you already have.
Variety: you will find the same items in a variety of styles and price points – and it will be there next time you go to find it.

– TARGET  has consistency, but not variety. Quality is ok.
– WALMART  has some variety, but no consistency. Quality is spotty.
– BED BATH & BEYOND  has quality and consistency (most of the time), but not much variety. Sometimes the most expensive choice.
– LOWES has a limited variety, but is consistent and quality for most things is good.
– At Home, Tuesday Morning, Home Goods, Ross  all have limited variety and consistency; quality spotty.
– The Dollar Store has limited variety and consistency, quality is bad and is not worth your money.\
– AMAZON – the links I am providing you are for products I have either used, or would try in the future. I know Amazon has a gazillion products and some are ridiculously priced, I won’t include those. If I wouldn’t buy it, I won’t suggest it.

I don’t work for the Container Store but I love the Container Store. Honestly, at first I was skeptical of the price, but I once I began to factor in my time, I decided it is worth the slight amount they might charge for a handful of the regular things I buy there. The few dollars I might save looking elsewhwere is not enough to compensate for my time.

Why You Need (Some) of Them

Like any space, it’s better when compartmentalized. Compartmentalizing makes it easier to access what you want but more importantly maintains order so that when you are ready to put things away, it’s easy too!

Cabinet shelves make use of vertical space and make accessing dishes easier. In this case, you don’t have to lift the smaller dishes up to get to the larger dishes. It also leaves more room for the bowls (which needed room!) Yes the Corningware can stack, but it sure is easier to pull out the one you want when it’s stored this way, and of course easier to put it away too.
I love the 4 sort divider, they are awesome for holding up flat items like cutting boards and cookie sheets. If your home wasn’t built with one of those skinny cabinets that tall things go in, or a cabinet with the dividers built in, then you need one of these! It’s no fun to have the stack fall over when you need the one in the middle. Whether you use them in an upper cabinet or a lower cabinet, these are a huge help.
Lazy susans make seeing and accessing items easier because if you can’t see it, chances are it will be forgotten, and if you can’t reach it, you might not use it. One spin and you can reach whatever you need, even on a high shelf if you can only reach the front bottle that’s all you need.  I like to use them for oils, vinegars, sauces and spices.

 

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Spice racks allow you to see all your spices, especially if you have a lot to store in a small space. These 3 tiered risers are also good for canned goods in the pantry.
If you want clarity in your drawers, drawer organizers are a must! No matter what size the drawer, compartmentalizing it makes it function so much better.
The lid rack is an inexpensive yet very handy product. Don’t bother mounting it to your cabinet door, it will be too heavy for it. Instead attach it to the in side of the cabinet using the largest lid as your guage for placement. Even with your largest lid it still has a low profile allowing you to store other things behind it.

Some of Them

There are some kitchen organizers that are not worth your money. In general I avoid the “one use” tools. In theory many are cool inventions, but for the everyday person (or at least the ones I encounter in my line of work) they are more trouble than they are worth. This is where learning to think things through is sooo helpful.

You might be wondering what products I think are in this category. Here are a few examples and why.

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This gravity feed dispenser is a good idea in theory, but is limited by what fits. If you have a wide variety of cans, seeing and accessing the can you want isn’t practical.
This stacking bin in theory makes use of vertical space, but reaching in to grab things from the bottom bin is difficult.
A coffee pod dispenser in theory a good idea, but in many of the homes I’ve worked in, this gets kicked to the curb. Not by me, but by the client. It was just more trouble than it was worth, especially if you have a variety of flavors and lead a busy life. If you are a meticulous organized person, this is great for you, but not for the rest of the population. A clear bin in the pantry will serve the same function AND later on down the road a clear bin can serve a new purpose if needed. This product serves only one function in the kitchen (and I’ve tried using it in other ways!). 

 

Before bringing home another “one-use” product, ask yourself:

-Does it make efficient use of space both vertically and horizonatally (if applicable)?
-Does it solve a problem that’s really a problem? Meaning, is it just cool or do you have a tricky situation that this gizmo solves? (if yes, let us know!)
-Is there something that you already own that can do the same thing with the same or better results?
-Does it make life easier? You might have to think about that one a little – thinking through the reality of what it would be like to own and use it.

Sometimes you just won’t know until you buy it and start using it. Over the years I have purchased and tested quite a few products only to take them right back to the store. I was literally doing research to see if the item is worth the time, money and effort of my clients. Even thinking it through I couldn’t determine whether it was worth it or not; I had to try it out.

Do you have a neat kitchen organizer that you use? I want to know about it and why you love it! I love hearing the different perspectives of what others enjoy using. Even if it is one of these “rejects” let me know, all that really matters is that YOU love it! Post it on our Facebook page and tell us why you love it! 

Todays Assignment

– Add items to your Checklist Pull out the checklist you used a few days ago and add any kitchen organizing supplies that might come in handy.
– Schedule the time to shop so you have your supplies ready when it’s time to organize the kitchen. If you think you need it, here’s the Action Plan worksheet. Much time and momentum are lost by having to stop what you are doing to go buy supplies. You can always return what you don’t use later!

Tip: when ordering on Amazon, check the return policy if you think you might return it. I made that mistake ONCE. Now I only buy from Amazon what I know I will use and the rest at local retailers – even if I need to order it online (like from Target)  I can at least return it in the store.

If you have any questions, comments or thoughts, reach out on Facebook or join us on our bi-weekly ZOOM video conference calls! Join the Clutter to Clarity Club here!

Until next time…