Kitchen Organization with IKEA

I am a mega organizing nut and when it comes to organizing my kitchen, I am all there! Here are some helpful tips for you to help get your kitchen organized this Spring Cleaning season!

A lot of the times we mean to get in there and finally organize the kitchen, but once things get out of control the job can seem so daunting and you just don’t know where to start. These top 10 kitchen organizing tips will help make your kitchen pleasant and welcoming.

The best way to start a big task is to start small and think of one thing at a time. If you think of everything you need to do you may just never do it!

Here are some easy kitchen organizing tips:

• Mentally Prepare – Look in your kitchen and make a mental note of what belongs in there, what can be put away, what you don’t need anymore, etc.
• Organize Kitchen Cabinets – Take everything out of your kitchen cabinets, clean, and place them back into different categories such as glasses, plates, baking trays and so on. If your cabinets are organized you will save a lot of time during cooking.
• Clean your Pantry – It’s amazing the things you’ll find stored in the back of a pantry. We often buy things we already have because we simply can’t find them. So, take everything out of the pantry, clean and place back in categories. Use one shelf for dry foods such as cereals, pasta, etc. Use another for canned goods, and so on. Use baskets in your pantries for smaller items like stock cubes and gravy mixes. This will make them easier to find and avoid spillage from opened packets.
• Use a Spice Rack – By simply using a wall-mounted or counter top spice rack you can save a lot of cabinet space and have your spices close at hand. Clearly label your spices and place the ones you use more often towards the front of the rack.
• Clear your Counter Tops – Remove any items you don’t use on a regular basis from your counter tops. Instead, store them in a cabinet or even your basement or garage (if you don’t use them very often). Group appliances together for conveniences like the toaster and coffee pot.
• Organize that Junk Drawer – Okay, just because we all call it the “junk drawer” doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be organized. Take a look through and throw out any items you many not need. Place small baskets in there to store items like batteries, clips and all those other interesting things we seem to collect in our kitchens.
• Clean up your Cleaning Products – Buy an inexpensive plastic dish drainer and place it under your sink. These make it easy for you to organize cleaning products, sponges, etc. Please remember to keep a lock on all cabinets with dangerous items if you have young children.
• Clean that Fridge – Every time you go grocery shopping clean out your fridge. You’ll find lots of things in there which have gone bad, are empty, etc. Throw out all these items and give your fridge a good wipe. Bacteria in fridges can accumulate quickly so you want to make sure this area is cleaned weekly.
• Set up a Message Station – If your kitchen allows, set up a specific place for the telephone, messages, keys, etc. I have a small peg board where I keep reminders and messages. Underneath that there’s a wall-mounted key rack, and under that a small desk with the telephone, a basket for mail, a calendar and pens and paper for writing. Having an area like this can save you tons of time and you won’t loose messages or mail again. If you don’t have space for this in your kitchen then place it in your hallway or living room.
• Invest and be Clutter Free – Now you can find all sorts of inexpensive organizing products and gadgets for your kitchen and home. If possible invest in a few of these as they will make your job much easier. A simple pegboard where you can keep photos, messages or your kids works of art can be a lifesaver. The same thing goes for a plastic bag organizer or good spice rack. Invest a little and you’ll reap the rewards in time saved and much more pleasant kitchen to cook in.

I have to say that my panty is my biggest area that I WANT organized. You can even ask Amanda… She makes fun of my labeled Tupperware. Shush! It gets me where I need to be and that is organized for meals for the kids.

My pantry is a part of a 1900  home. This part of my home ‘used to be’ a porch (way back when), but we made it a pantry. Here are some of my own, personal, pictures of my pantry. Go ahead, Amanda… laugh. LOL!

I love to use my Tupperware and lazy Susan (Why are they called that anyway?) to help organize canned goods as well. Anything helps! Here is my pantry area. Judge for yourself.

One thing that has truly helped me get organized in my kitchen is IKEA. Ah… who doesn’t love IKEA?? I am going to Chicago in July for BlogHer ’09 and I cannot wait to go a day early just so I can visit my favorite store in the whole world! (I am not lying either. Really.. I am IN love with this store!)

What is a better way to get your keys, coupons, etc. organized than with the IKEA ESTETISK Writing/ magnetic board?

Key features
You can write messages with the chalk and stick magnets on the board.
Product dimensions
Width: 23 ½ ”
Depth: 2 ¾ ”
Height: 17 ”
Width: 60 cm
Depth: 7 cm
Height: 43 cm

This has been a massive live saver in our home! We used to have our keys hanging here and there and, yes, we will lose a set (here and there ) But now, they are all in one spot, as well as out checkbook, coupons and anything else that we don’t really care to have lost in the immediate future. Lifesaver. Lifesaver. Lifesaver! I cannot express this enough!

When you are cooking, what do you often think about? I know that I am looking around for my spices and the things that I use the most with making our meals. Man, it would be nice to have a place to have my spices without having to reach in a drawer, bonk a child on the head when trying to stir the spaghetti and reach for the basil. Ah, the life! Well, now you can reach, cook, stir and tend to your kids all at once. Ok, Maybe not that ‘magical’, but at least you can reach up and grab the things you need, sprinkle, put back in the same spot and carry on. IKEA has the ever so fabulous GRUNDTAL Containers. Love them! They come in a 3 pack of containers that are magnetic and you can easily use and replace in your kitchen

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Key features
Containers with magnetic back; readily clings to metal surfaces.
Transparent lid; allows you to see what is inside.
Ideal for storage of spices. Clears work space on your countertop.
Product dimensions

Diameter: 3 3/4 ”
Height: 1 1/2 ”
Package quantity: 3 pack

Diameter: 9.5 cm
Height: 3.7 cm
Package quantity: 3 pack

I wanted to show you that this spice rack can hold a knife if you chose to. To put these fabulous containers on my wall, I used the GRUNDTAL Magnetic knife rack. This is priced around $8.99. Well worth every penny! I plan on going back when I am in Chicago and stocking up on more containers and more kitchen organization.

Thank you to IKEA for providing a well honored opportunity to help organize my kitchen! I will see you soon and I do plan on more organizational posts to come!