You’ll be sure to cook more often if you keep your kitchen tidy and well organized. Many people love to cook, but feel less than, how should I say this, motivated because their kitchen is dare I say it, messy.

Here are some helpful tips to keep the heart of your home clean and inviting!

1. Okay I’ll admit it, as a homeschool mom, there has been a time or two when we’ve not cleaned out the refrigerator and I have been able to do our own science experiments with leftover moldy food. Clean out your refrigerator once a week, preferably before grocery shopping.

2. Keep your spices in one place. Don’t laugh, but I alphabetize mine. It makes it so much easier to locate what I need quickly. You can find the perfect size plastic jars or tins with lids and mark each jar so that your spices are all the same and will fit nicely in your drawer.

3. If you find that you are not using your spices quickly enough, mark the date of purchase on them when you bring a new spice home. We all have two or three of the same herb. Which one is new and which is old?

4. Clean your pantry out a couple times a month. I can’t tell you just as soon as I’ve cleaned and organized my pantry, I come home with a load of groceries and everything gets put back in different places. Try to keep it organized and make room for new items. Keeping your pantry organized and clean will not only help you find what you’re looking for, but will help you know what you’re running out of as well.

5. Place new items in the back of your pantry and older items at the front.

6. Be sure to only keep things you use often. Get rid of items in your cabinets, pantry and refrigerator that haven’t been used in some time. You probably won’t ever use them. They’re taking up precious space and some foods are probably past time. Give unwanted dishes, cups, etc away to a shelter or someone in need.

7. I clean my cabinets inside and out a few times a year. As I clean them out, I look for chipped plates and cups that might be dangerous to one’s mouth and not something I’d put out on the table. Why keep them in there taking up space right? So I get rid of any questionable pieces.

8. My cabinets are organized so that the dishes, glasses and flatware are stored in the cabinets closest to my dishwasher. My coffee mugs and tea cups are located near the corner of my kitchen where my coffee maker and stove is. Storing things where they are used and with the other items they are used along with, helps to simplify things.

9. Store your everyday dishes closest to you and keep your china up higher. Do the same with your everyday cups and glasses.

10. My pots and pans are located near the stove and the bake ware near the wall oven and warming drawer.

11. My island holds all of my measuring cups, spoons, cooking utensils and mixing bowls.

12. My beloved cookbooks are arranged not by height, but by the most frequently used. Because I have so many cookbooks, I generally take a day each year to assess which cookbooks I haven’t used and then pass them along to someone else who might appreciate them.

13. I always keep the counters clean. The only thing I leave out is my coffee maker which I use each morning. Although I use my electric Kitchen Aid mixer often and my food processor I always store them away, but in a place that is easily accessible.

14. Make sure you clean your kitchen counters and sink before you go to bed. No one likes to wake up to a messy kitchen. Your kitchen is the heart of your home and a clean kitchen is inviting!

15. I make sure to clean my appliances after each use before putting them back in their special place.

16. Your pantry or cabinets should store groupings of items. Place cereals and breakfast items together. Coffee, tea, beverage packets, etc should be in one spot. All of my baking items are together. My pastas and rice containers are grouped. Oils and vinegars are grouped together. You can also buy containers to store items like cereal and oats which will stay fresh for a longer period of time when stored in plastic or glass containers.

17. Utilize space in your freezer and keep items like flour and grains fresh.

18. To avoid a mess, all of my storage containers are located in a large deep drawer. They are nestled together from large to small. The lids are kept separately but in a long container. When possible, my pots and pans are organized the same way. This means that there is no searching for the right pan and lid.

19. Another drawer holds my collection of oven mitts and beloved dish cloths and dish towels. I love my dish towel collection! It just makes me happy. Oh, come on now, I’m not the only one! In order to keep them organized, I simply fold them in thirds (the long way) and then in half. This makes a nice small square and they all fit nicely in my drawer. Every once and a while, I get rid of a towel or two that has served me well. It’s just another reason to buy another!

20. A couple of years ago, I purchased inexpensive plastic containers to hold first aid products, vitamins, skin care items, sunscreen, allergy medicines, etc. Each container is labeled and now all of the items can be found easily.

21. I have a large calendar located in my pantry which is near my phone and I am able to get to it quickly when needed. Because I often find myself in the pantry each morning I can always see what appointments are coming up and errands need to be run. You should never put your calendar in a place that it won’t be seen regularly. Having it near the phone is also convenient for setting appointments and dates.
22. Everyone has a junk drawer, but if you’re like me, it has to be cleaned out regularly. Good grief, they don’t call it a junk drawer for nothing! The key is throwing out the junk as soon as it is no longer needed. Use dividers to keep pens and pencils, scissors, tape, paper clips and glue. Wrap pens and pencils with rubber bands. If you collect coupons there are several systems that will work for you. Some are very inexpensive like a photo album or an elaborate coupon book. Either way, this will help keep your coupons stay in one place. Check the dates regular and get rid of any that have expired.
If you are like me, you have cabinets that you can hardly reach without a ladder or step stool! Hey, I’m only 5’2”! Use these cabinets for things that you don’t use often like cake plates or special holiday items.

23. I store my gift wrapping items like wrapping paper, bags, ribbon, bows, tags, etc in the cabinets located in my laundry room off my kitchen. It’s all in one place and ready when I need something.

24. Keeping the plastic grocery store bags is a good idea if you don’t have a garbage disposal. Tying up food before placing in your trash will prevent the kitchen from smelling. I always clean out my trash can before placing a new trash bag inside.
If you don’t have room to store all of your kitchen utensils in a drawer, place an attractive container on the counter. Store what you use most frequently and store what you use less frequently in your drawer.

25. A label maker is a beautiful thing!

26. Most importantly, organize your kitchen according to your sense of style. I like things put away and my counters fairly uncluttered, but some may enjoy their colorful utensils, silverware and glasses in plain sight. Whatever makes you joyful in your kitchen and makes you want to spend more time in the heart of your home is thoroughly encouraged!

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