More kitchen organisation ideas
Kitchen Organisation Ideas
Once you have a decluttered and cleaned your kitchen. It is time to organise this space. Here are three more kitchen organisation ideas—they are simple but super important!
Why is it important to organise a kitchen?
I am providing all these kitchen organisation ideas because it is important—you spend a lot of time here. The kitchen is one of the most frequently used spaces in the house. We go there for breakfast, lunch, dinner, food prep, snacks, and coffee/tea breaks. This could be anywhere from 3 to 7 times a day. If you organise this key space, life becomes easier.
Kitchen organisation ideas - 1: FLOW
So you are convinced you want to organise your kitchen, but how do you do this? And where should you put everything in your kitchen?
FLOW is the simple answer.
The next answer is breaking down the kitchen into areas. Areas like the countertops, shelves, the pantry, fridge, and spice cabinet. All these areas should be tackled separately.
For now, let’s stick with creating a flow in your kitchen. Only you can decide what flows best for you.
Kitchen Organisation Ideas for Flow:
Think through all the tasks you need to complete in the kitchen and really try to break it down.
Where:
Do you need to get the items from (fridge/pantry)
Will you make the meal, cuppa etc.
How is the structure in your kitchen?
How can you help or hinder the flow in your food preparation?
Especially the sequence of [ get food --> food prep --> cleaning] needs to move seamlessly. Sometimes, you are constrained by where the sink and fridge are located. However, you still have a lot of say in where your chopping boards, pans, and plates live.
I have moved houses a fair amount over time. Currently, we have a small kitchen. The flow, however, is so good that it actually works better than in some of the larger kitchens we’ve had.
Kitchen organisation ideas
Exercises to get a flow in your kitchen
One of the exercises I encourage people to do is map their space. Create a birds-eye view of your kitchen and go over the questions above.
One of the key kitchen organisation ideas is asking yourself: How can you make my kitchen “flow” as well as possible?*
Another exercise is to stand in your kitchen and look at the steps, twists, and turns you make to get access to your food, clean, and prepare it. The fewer steps and turns, the better the flow is. When I empty the dishwasher, I only move one step for 90% of the items I put away. For the final items, I stack them on the counter until all others are put away. Then, I close the empty machine, turn the corner, and take three steps to store my baking trays and chopping boards. Deliberately putting the chopping boards further away has improved the meal prep flow.
Kitchen organisation ideas - combine homes and flow in your kitchen
The key takeaway from the above example is that nothing has a “home” by accident. I deliberately thought about where each item would go and how their location provides the most benefit.
This is harder and more time-consuming when you start to implement these kitchen organisation ideas. However, once the system is set up, everything in the kitchen becomes easier and more streamlined. Since the kitchen is a frequently used space, you will see the results of your efforts very quickly.
Kitchen organisation ideas - 2: Use tools you like
I am not big on telling you what to purchase or what the “perfect tool” for your kitchen is. Instead, I can tell you the kitchen organisation ideas and tools that work for me and why:
Scrub Daddy: These are amazing for cleaning without damaging items and can be washed in the top rack of the dishwasher.
Dishwashing Wand: I used to use sponges and constantly add dishwashing liquid. A wand keeps things clean, hygienic, and saves time.
Spray Bottles: I use three—one for cleaning spray (diluted environmentally friendly dishwashing liquid), one for water (to loosen dirt), and one for vinegar (to eliminate smells like eggs).
White Terry Towel Cloths: These are my go-to for quick clean-ups. I talk about them extensively in my books and organising courses.
Dishwasher: My favourite tool in the kitchen.
Indoor Shoes: They protect my feet from dropped utensils and water spills.
Your list might look different, but with any kitchen organisation ideas, see what resonates with you. Ensure you only keep items you enjoy using, making it easier to form habits.
Kitchen organisation ideas - 3: Habits
“You have to use regular habits to keep your kitchen decluttered, clean and organised.”
On the ideas to organise your kitchen on this page. I’ve sprinkled several habits that are key to getting and staying organised in your kitchen.
The key is to develop a regular routine:
Morning Routine: Empty the dishwasher first thing in the morning.
After Meals: Wash up, put items away, and wipe down benches.
Weekly Routine: Wipe down the kitchen, including the stove, microwave, and other frequently touched surfaces.
Maintaining these habits will help keep your kitchen clean and organised. With practice, these actions will become second nature.
The key to kitchen organisation ideas is you need to have a regular routine for your kitchen.
Say in the morning, your dishwasher will be emptied, no questions asked. You wash up after each meal, you put items away as you finish eating, and weekly, you wipe down the kitchen. If you maintain the kitchen, you can quickly wipe spots, clean the stove and the microwave, wipe the benches quickly, and regularly put homeless items away. These are all habits and routines that will really help you keep the kitchen clean and well-organised.
After practicing these routine actions, it will be a no-brainer, and you feel funny not doing it.
If you combined and implemented these kitchen organisation ideas and those on my other page, You should be at a stage to have a fantastically clean, decluttered and organised kitchen (most of the time, note we never aim for perfection), which means all your efforts have become a habit.
Another benefit is that if you maintain your kitchen, you will not have to do a big yearly clean. Although checking for unused items that have developed into clutter, might still be advisable yearly.
My kitchen organisation journey
It all sounds so simple, but the process has taken me a couple of years to get it flowing like this. Is it perfect every day? Nope. However, once these behaviours become almost automatic, you can easily fix things after a busy day or tweak your system as needed. Overall, having an organised kitchen through these kitchen organisation ideas, is magical.
Stay inspired to Organise
This book is my visual book to help you get organised one room at the time.
Ideas to organise your kitchen - summary
This page provided more kitchen organisation ideas and broke them down into three steps: flow, tools, and habits. Moving forward, I’ll look into the countertops, shelves, pantry, spices, fridge, and freezer as separate projects. In the meantime, enjoy your (much more) organised kitchen.
Stay inspired to organise your kitchen and explore new kitchen organisation ideas to make your daily life easier and more enjoyable!
