A lot of times, we go to clients’ houses and they ask for a whole kitchen reorganization. So we take everything out, reorganize it, and put it all back. But when it’s all done, they find they’d prefer to leave some things where they were before. The truth is you don’t always need to do a big reorganization in your kitchen. Sometimes you just need little tweaks. 

If you know the story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, you know that one thing spirals into another. By the end, your whole kitchen is tidy, organized, and amazing. So that’s what I suggest if there are spots in your kitchen that you really like.

Don’t take everything out, just focus on the areas that are bugging you and fix them. 

Make A Plan

My first kitchen organizing hack is to make a plan before you start any organizing project. And when we make a plan, we use Post-It notes to label everything. We start by writing labels for each type of category we have in the kitchen. Then we add it to the drawer or cabinet for where we want that category to go.

This hack is helpful when you know you need to reorganize your storage.

We have a whole video where Sarah shows you how she uses post-it notes to organize her whole kitchen before putting everything away. It’s a simple way to plan when you’ll store things in your kitchen. As you decide what you want in each space, label them with post-it notes. Then, work with the post-it notes to decide what really feels right before putting everything away. 

I suggest post-it noting everything—even the things that you don’t think you want to move. 

Create Stations

When the kids are home for the summer (or for homeschooling), I like to give them easy access to snacks. That way, they’re not always asking me. I use stackable pantry bins from the Container Store these to do this. You can fit a lot in each bin (bags of chips, reusable sandwich bags, cheese sticks, yogurt, etc.). They also make smaller bins that fit into the larger bins. 

If you’re curious for more info, check out my video and a blog post on how we create a snack station. 

Make The Kitchen Work For You

Did you know that you can adjust the shelves on your cabinets so that you can reach what you need? Did you also know you can add more shelves to create more storage in those cabinets?

This kitchen organizing hack might seem so basic, but when we do this with clients, they are amazed.

A lot of kitchens are built with cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. It’s great for extra storage, but the downside is that you can’t reach anything above the second or third shelf unless you’re 6 feet tall! I recommend moving some of those higher shelves down. You can store plates or short glasses on narrower shelves, and store taller items higher.

By doing this, you also create space for more shelves if you want. All you have to do is go to Lowes or Home Depot to get some MDF or melamine boards cut to size. Then, you can get the little prongs to set in the cabinet, and there you go! You just gave yourself a whole extra shelf for really cheap!

Tip: This is great for storing platters. If you try stacking all of your platters on top of each other on one shelf, you’ll never use them. But if you just put 1-2 platters on each shelf and you use more narrow shelves, you create great extra storage and easier access. 

I walk you through how to do this in your closet, but the process is the same here.

Use Drawers Effectively

Another super simple and easy kitchen organizing hack is to use the drawers effectively. I have so many tips on how to organize kitchen drawers. Read them below:

Best Ways To Line Kitchen Drawers

How To Organize Kitchen Drawers

How To Organize Your Kitchen Without Spending Anything

If you’re already using all the drawers in your fridge or pantry and you feel like you could use more, buy drawers. You can store loose items in them and still have space on top of the drawer for more storage or stacking more drawers. You can get it from The Container Store. 

Not Sure If You Use It? Try This

While you’re going through your kitchen, you might find items that you aren’t sure that you need or use, put them in a plastic container with an air-tight lid in the basement. If you end up needing it, you can grab it. If you don’t end up needing it, you can get rid of it! A lot of season stuff doesn’t need to be stored in your kitchen year-round. So if you have a smaller kitchen, store only what you use daily or weekly in your kitchen. Store your specialty items somewhere else, and get rid of what you don’t ever use. 

I love this trick because you aren’t cluttering up your kitchen with tons of things you may or may not use. Instead you give them a specific spot in case you do need something.

More Kitchen Organizing Tips

Still need more support to organize your kitchen? Check out these posts:

Creating A Kitchen Clean Routine So Your Kitchen Always Stays Clean

My Top 12 Favorite Kitchen Drawer Organizers

How to Organize Your Kitchen Like a Pro