How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets

It's challenging to store a plethora of kitchen items in your cabinets. From large pots and pans to oddly shaped bags and boxes of pantry items, there never seems to be enough room for everything. However, once you declutter and designate a place for every item, you'll be amazed at how much more manageable your kitchen becomes. Organizing kitchen cupboards saves money and time when cooking, meal planning, and making the grocery list.

We've pulled together a guide full of quick and helpful tips to help you arrange kitchen cabinets and keep them organized for good.

Declutter Your Kitchen Cabinets

Decluttering your kitchen cabinets is the first step to an organized kitchen. Do this before purchasing any extra cabinet storage solutions. Don't try to rearrange items without decluttering because you will just be moving things around without having a real organizing plan. Take these steps:

1. Set up a trash bin for items you're tossing.
2. Put a box for items to donate (or sell) near the trash bin.
3. Have a space or table nearby for your "keep" pile.
4. Empty out all of your cabinets.
5. Go through each item and decide which pile it goes in: "Trash," "Donate/Sell," or "Keep."
6. Immediately dispose of your trash items, make your donations, and put the box with items you are planning to sell in another room so you aren't tempted to put them all back.
7. Clean your cabinets to eliminate crumbs and other grime.

Categorize Your Kitchen Items

Once you've decluttered and cleaned the shelves, now you can organize the cabinets. Here's how in four steps:

1. Categorize items in a way that makes sense for how your household uses the kitchen. For example, you'll have cookware, dinnerware, and edible items. You may have other categories, as well.
2. Divide your cookware and dinnerware into subcategories: Pots and pans, cooking utensils, cutting boards, plates and bowls, glasses and mugs, and more.
3. Divide your edible items into subcategories: Drinks, baking ingredients, snacks, canned goods, and whatever other food you keep.
4. Designate a cabinet for each of the above subcategories and any others you have.

Assign Items to Kitchen Cabinets

Before putting everything into their designated cabinets and drawers, evaluate how you use the kitchen. Doing this helps you determine how to position items and if you need storage solutions to help you achieve that.

For example, if you drink coffee daily and wine infrequently, coffee cups should be more easily accessible than wine glasses. Place special occasion items in the higher cabinets.

What to Store in Upper Cabinets

Here are ideas for what to store in your upper cabinets:

• Food: Store food just above the counter space you typically use for meal prep for easy access.
• Glasses and dishes: Store glasses and dishes over your dishwasher or drying rack to make it easier and faster to put away clean and dry items.
• Food storage containers: Put food storage containers right above the counter space you use when you fill them with food.

What to Store in Lower Cabinets

Here are ideas for what to store in the lower cabinets:

• Appliances: Store kitchen appliances in the lower cabinets just below your main work area for easy access during food prep. If you use an appliance daily, consider moving it to your countertop.
• Pots, pans, and baking sheets: Organize pots and pans in a lower cabinet by your stove, and baking sheets near the oven. Maximize space by nesting pots together or using a rack to store baking sheets and lids vertically.
• Mixing bowls and cutting boards: Stack these items in a lower cabinet close to the drying rack or dishwasher for easy storage.
• Kitchen cleaning supplies: Place cleaning supplies on the lower shelf of a bottom cabinet, preferably under the sink, inaccessible to small children or pets. Never store cleaning supplies above or on the same shelf as food.

Maintain Your Cabinet Organization

Once your kitchen is organized, functional, and beautiful, consider the following tips to keep it that way:

• Label containers, storage bins, or even cabinet doors if it helps everyone follow your new and improved system.
• Turn food labels so they face out and are easy to read.
• Stack dinnerware according to type and size to keep things tidy.
• Plan to declutter and organize your kitchen cabinets at least once or twice a year.
• Frequently check for expired food items that take up valuable space.
• Let go of kitchen items you haven't used in a long time and never will. Part with items you know you'll never have time to fix.