In The Kitchen | Organized A to Z Blog

De-clutter Your Kitchen for Divine Dining

My kitchen is always organized, but there’s always room for an update, too, as we all tend to accumulate things over time. I donated two large plastic bins of stuff to charity from my tiny kitchen! Here’s what I did so it will get you motivated to get going on your own kitchen de-cluttering campaign! Good Luck!

1. Open Sesame. I opened every single cupboard in my kitchen and if anything had a chip, it was put in a box to donate to charity. You can also use chipped pitchers for flowers or to water plants if you don’t want to get rid of them entirely and if the chip is small. Think how to re- purpose things as you go and then decide if they get donated, or stay for a new purpose.

Try our Under the Shelf Cup Holder to organize the coffee cups and mugs you keep!

2. So Long Set. If a piece of any set (three floral mugs instead of four, for example) was missing, out went the partial set. I could have used the mugs for pens on my office desk etc., but I already have some colorful mugs serving that function in my office so I hope someone else enjoys them on their desk!

3. White is Right. I’ve decided that other than our set of rose-motif antique china, I now only want to use white dishware and clear glasses and serving pieces and then use colorful napkins, placemats, tablecloths, and napkin rings to enhance my table setting. I like how nice food looks on crisp white plates and if a piece breaks, I can find another white piece to go with it easily even if it’s not an exact match; I actually like a mix of white and clear dishes with different textural designs. And it’s less expensive to update your table with new tablecloths, placemats, and napkin rings than to buy new sets of dishes.

4. Drastic Plastic. Too many plastic storage containers! Any that did not have lids or the lids did not fit, I donated. You can also re-use them in drawers etc. for separating small items like tealight candles, match books etc.

5. Let There Be Light. I went through all my candles and got rid of any that had wicks that were too short. I’ve decided that I’ll also only use white candles now for a nice uniform look, and I like to use different styles and sizes for a romantic twinkle when I entertain. I use unscented beeswax candles due to my scent allergies. I often put tealights in my antique stemmed juice glasses and set them all along my bookcases for a soft white ambiance.

6. Utensil Usage. I decided I don’t need three large meat forks! I only need one so the others went into the charity box. Ditto stray knives and duplicate measuring cups.

7. Recipe Reveal. Like most people, I sometimes tear recipes out of magazines and put them in clear sheet protectors

Our Recipe Nest is a great way to organize your favorite recipes, and it's a Featured Product for February!

and put them in a three-ring binder. I looked through the binder, and I decided if I haven’t made it by now, I probably won’t make it later. Trash time!

8. Bye Bye Bugs. I decided I really don’t need a hot pink mesh net contraption to cover food at a picnic in case of flies! In fact, my hubby reminded me that we seldom even have bugs in SoCal! He’s right! Bye bye pink mesh bug cover!

9. Crazy for Christmas. Out went the Christmas-motif salt and pepper shakers. White ones will do.

10. Vase Vanity. I’m lucky that people are kind enough to bring me flowers but after awhile the vases proliferate and are duplicates. My new rule for vases is clear or white, just like my dishware. Clean. Simple. Elegant.

If your kitchen cabinets are groaning from too many dishes and appliances, ask yourself if this is the style of entertaining and living that you still want to do today. If so, go for it! If not, why not donate your dishes and kitchen things you no longer want or need so that someone else can enjoy them? There’s a college student or budget-minded young couple setting up a new apartment who would love to have them!

As for me, I’m off now to set my table for breakfast tomorrow morning and I can’t wait to eat off my simple, but elegant, white dishes.

Thanks to Organized A to Z.com partner Kathryn Bechen for contributing this article. Kathryn is an award-winning professional freelance writer for national home and garden magazines, regional wedding magazines, and creative entrepreneurs. Combining a B.A. degree in English and Education with a certificate in interior decorating, her biggest life passion is writing about order and beauty as a way to live one’s best life. She also enjoys writing and consulting for other professional organizers and interior decorators. Visit her Web site at www.kathrynbechenink.com.

Your Kitchen: The Hub of the Home

In today’s busy lifestyle our kitchens have truly become the hub of the home. We ask one room to perform in so many different ways. Not only do we prepare meals in our kitchens but many pay bills, manage kids school papers, help with homework, entertain, etc. No wonder entering this room can make us feel overwhelmed. But there is HOPE!

With just a few “tweaks” here and there you too can have a kitchen that functions for the way your family lives.

Try our What's For Dinner Meal Plan System!

Let’s start with the classic function of the kitchen – cooking. A great way to keep your pantry organized is to have a meal plan. Sound funny? Here is the reasoning. If you know what meals are planned you will know what ingredients you need on hand and will stock only these. This saves overloading your cupboards with a mish-mash of goods that don’t work to create a meal and saves your grocery bill because you won’t be buying items on a whim. You now have a plan and will buy only what is needed to make your meals. With this system you won’t find expired canned goods in the back of the pantry unused. Remember any wasted ingredient equals wasted money.

With your pantry cleared and stocked with only the ingredients you will use let’s talk about a few ways to keep it organized.

Keep like items together. Create zones for canned goods, dry goods, baking items, snacks, paper products, small appliances, recycling, etc.
Put items you use daily at eye level.
Our Linus Pulz Turntable works great and is a featured product this month. You can save money!

Create a lunch station. Use bins or baskets to organize all items used to prepare a sack lunch. With a quick visit to the lunch station your child can pack his/her own lunch.
Use every inch of possible storage space by using a turntable in a corner cupboard or adding an extra shelf or under shelf basket in a cupboard.
If your pantry has a door use an over the door rack to add even more storage.
Remove goods that come in a bag to a container with rigid sides. This allows you to store vertically and you won’t have items falling all over your shelves.
If you store crackers, pop tarts, granola bars, etc in their original box tear off the top flaps. No one ever closes the top anyway; this way you will create a more organized appearance.
If you want to go all the way label, label, label. This helps family members get things back to where they belong and won’t leave mom with all the responsibility.

Well we’ve tackled the pantry. How are your kitchen counters looking? They may need more TLC than the pantry. With the kitchen being the hub of the home our counters collect dishes, appliances, keys, paper work, backpacks, electronics and more.

Here are a few quick tips to keep your counters clear of clutter.

Choose only 1 or 2 appliances you use daily to keep on the counter. Store others in the pantry or appliance garage.
Load the dishwasher after each meal. Store everyday dishes near the dishwasher for easy unloading.
Have a basket for each family member and fill with belongings that found there way to the kitchen counter. Try this rule - by bedtime baskets must be emptied.
Install hooks for backpacks, coats and keys
Try our Faux Leather Charging Station

Have a charging station for electronics; store bought or homemade is fine too.
Give that paper a home. Create a master binder. This binder will contain all things paper. From school hot lunch menus to party invitations, dance class schedule to book order forms. Use dividers to categorize for each child and or event and place all those important papers in one place. The next time you need to reference an important paper you’ll know right where to find it.

As you work to organize your multi-tasking kitchen remember that it is a process – but one with HOPE! Every step you take is moving you closer to conquering that clutter. Commit to one small step a day and watch the hope return. You can do it!

Thanks to Organized A to Z Partner Kara DeBord for contributing this article. Kara is a professional organizer in Mid-Michigan and the founder of Organize with Hope. Her heart for organization is not about making a home picture perfect; it’s about setting up systems to make the client efficient so they can spend time on things that matter. With encouragement and ingenuity she brings hope to a client’s home. Visit her site at www.organizewithhope.com.

February's Storage Plan – Tackle Your Kitchen!

For our monthly organizing project, the month of February will focus on your kitchen. We have several items that will make kitchen organization much easier for you, but remember to create a system that will work for you. Below are a few tips. You can accomplish them all in one afternoon, or set a goal to complete one task each week. By the end of the month, you’ll have a neat and clutter-free kitchen that fits your lifestyle!

Start by cleaning out those drawers! Remove utensils and other items that you don’t use and place them in a box that you will donate to a local charity. Use drawer dividers and sectioned trays to help keep silverware and kitchen tools easy to see and grab when you need them.
Next, tackle the cupboards! Throw away outdated food and spices, and use expandable shelf organizers and risers to keep items within reach. We love our Bamboo Expandable Step Shelf! It adjusts to fit in any size of cupboard and promotes an efficient use of space by allowing you to use the back of your cupboards without burying items.
Saving receipts? You can easily organize these in a pocket photo album, accordion file divided by month, or in a binder with sheet protectors. The same concept works for user manuals for your appliances and smaller kitchen tools as well.
Take advantage of the surface space on your refrigerator! Use a dry erase board to track schedules, write notes, or record phone messages. Purchase a magnetic basket to store pens, pencils, paper, and even freezer tape. This gives you easy access when labeling items that you place in your freezer.

Let us know your tricks and tips that help you organize your kitchen. We love to share with our readers, and you’re sure to help out someone who has the same organizing goals that you have. Leave a comment or send your tips to info@organizedatoz.com. Happy Kitchen Organizing!

1 Comment February 1, 2010

What's For Dinner?

It’s inevitable! After a busy day of school and work, everyone wants to know what’s for dinner, and when it will be ready. With our new Menu Planning Home Study Course, you’ll always have the answer!

This convenient and easy-to-use meal planning system shows you how to create a weekly menu and plan your grocery shopping. Save time and frustration! Enjoy dinner time around your own table on a regular basis and eliminate the dollars spent on supermarket delis, high-fat frozen entrees and pizza delivery.

And a built-in bonus - a section on how to prevent your kids from becoming picky eaters!

The package includes:

DVD featuring Organized Audrey
36-page workbook with step-by-step instructions
Segment on “How to prevent your kids from becoming picky eaters”
Sample grocery lists
Sample menu plans

3 Specialty Organizers to Make Things At Home Run Smoother

Organized A to Z would like to introduce 3 new organizers that will make life a little easier for you! Whether you’re planning a night of take-out from your favorite restaurant, determined to send birthday and anniversary cards on time, or tracking maintenance records for your home, we’ve got you covered!

Our Take-Out Menu Organizer recognizes that everyone needs a night away from the kitchen. A stressful day at work and busy family schedules sometimes require a quick and easy call to your favorite pizza place or Chinese restaurant for a convenient and tasty meal delivered right to your door. With this organizer, there’s no more searching for menus or phone numbers. Keep it all within reach, and then enjoy the extra time with your family.

The hardcover 3-ring binder includes a tipping guide, helpful ordering advice, frequently called numbers list, pen and pad and 9 tabbed dividers with storage pockets.

Next, we have our Greeting Card Organizer, a hardcover binder featuring a semi-eternal calendar, birthday tracker, holiday address book, and so much more. The special tabs help you keep your cards ordered by theme/occasion, and offer helpful tips to help you choose the perfect card or gift. There’ll be no more belated wishes from you!

Finally, we present our Home Maintenance Organizer, a handy tool for tracking all of the projects for your home. From recording maintenance dates on your heating and air system to tracking the model number and service contacts for your appliances, this organizer helps you keep it all straight. With easy guidelines for what to do when, along with one-stop storage for project tracking and important documents, this no-nonsense system appeals everyone. Includes a common conversions chart, frequently called numbers list, handy ruler, and so much more.

Today's Birthday Special – Marcel Over Cabinet Towel Bar

To celebrate our July birthday, today we are featuring InterDesign’s Marcel Over Cabinet Towel Bar. Another functional and stylish piece that conveniently installs over a cabinet door. I really like bronze finish and the hardware-free installation. Great for kitchen or bath!