Do you have one of those kitchens where a second person entering becomes a game of Twister, and your countertop real estate feels like the Manhattan market? If so, then this is for you. I have a small kitchen, and this fact has led me to research and implement solutions which I will share with you in this multi-part series. Today our focus is on how to organize a small kitchen as we discuss the following small kitchen ideas.
Small Kitchen Ideas
- How to Organize using Ziplock Bags
- Create Space in Kitchen Cabinets with Stackable Shelves
- Clear your Small Countertop with an Under-Cabinet Paper-Towel Holder
- Use a Multi-Level Basket to Organize Fruits and Vegetables
- Small-Kitchen Recycling with a Paper Grocery Bag Holder
- Organize that Kitchen Junk Drawer
- Store Coffee Pods Below to Maximize Vertical Kitchen Space
- Add a Spice Cabinet to Leverage Wall Space in a Small Kitchen
- Organize your Dry Goods in Stackable Containers
Join me as I run through some of my favorite techniques for organizing your kitchen clutter to maximize your use of whatever space you have available to you.
How to Organize using Ziplock Bags
Not your typical organization product? Well, I have found the simple act of grouping similar items together into a Ziplock bag to be extremely helpful in reducing clutter in my small kitchen storage; especially items that you don’t use a lot. As an example, I have a bag containing all of my baking-topping items (birthday candles, caramels, chocolate chips). It’s on a top shelf out of the way, but easy to grab when needed.
Create Space in Small Kitchen Cabinets with Stackable Shelves
I have researched all of the fancy pull-out shelf systems like Rev-A-Shelf. Very cool, and also very much too big to fit in my tiny kitchen cabinets. One of my favorite small pantry shelves ideas are these Amazon stackable cabinet shelves which let me get an extra layer out of each of my cabinet spaces and helps me organize my small kitchen.
Clear your Countertop with an Under-Cabinet Paper-Towel Holder
This is a no-brainer. If you are still holding on to that countertop paper-towel holder, maybe it is time to switch and free up that space for meal prep. I tried the highly-rated Kamenstein 4554ASB paper-towel holder. I love the fact that it holds the roll in place, but the screws holding it together don’t seem long enough and mine breaks if you aren’t super careful not to pull down on it too hard. The Swaitee one has the same one-hand pull features, so maybe it would work better.
Use a Multi-Level Basket to Organize Fruits and Vegetables
Sometimes you have to keep things on the kitchen countertop, but if you are going to do so then you may as well leverage some vertical space. We love this Antopy 2-Tier Fruit Basket which provides hangers for our bananas. We use one basket for fruits and vegetables, and the other for bread and snacks.
Small Kitchen Ideas for Recycling with a Paper Grocery Bag Holder
We recycle; like a lot. But in a small kitchen, where can you keep a recycling container? Under the sink is our only option. As mentioned earlier, I would love to have some kind of under cabinet pull-out system like the Rev-A-Shelf Pull Out Trash Can, but with the size of our kitchen cabinets and the under-sink plumbing, I have not been able to find one that fits. We were putting the recycling under the sink in a standard brown paper grocery bag inside a traditional oval-shaped plastic trash can, but the rectangular bag doesn’t fit properly; super annoying. Finally, when we had almost given up hope for a decent solution, we found this Ikea Hallbar plastic bin which is perfectly shaped to hold a brown paper grocery bag. Problem solved!
Organize that Kitchen Junk Drawer
Do you have that one drawer in your kitchen that you are scared to open because it is filled with all of the random stuff that doesn’t belong anywhere else? Yes, I’m talking about the junk drawer. Well, you may not believe this, but my junk drawer is actually under control thanks to this small drawer organizer: SpaceAid Bamboo Drawer Dividers. I love being able to actually find the things I need. Yes, that is a photo of my actual junk drawer; don’t judge me.
Store Coffee Pods Below to Maximize Vertical Kitchen Space
Coffee; I can’t live without it but wish it didn’t take up space on my counter. I used to keep my coffee pods in a nice-looking carousel on my countertop, but who has the space to spare for that? Instead, I found this Flagship Vertuo Pod Holder Storage Drawer which allows me to keep my Nespresso pods underneath my espresso machine, and even provides a nice platform to place other items in my coffee bar. Flagship makes a similar K Cup Holder Storage Drawer for Keurig owners. Remember, maximizing your use of vertical space is how you organize a small kitchen.
Small Kitchen Ideas to Leverage Wall Space – Add a Spice Cabinet
If you cook a lot, then you likely have a lot of dry spices taking up space in one of your kitchen cabinets. I reclaimed that space by building my own separate spice cabinet, and putting my spices in uniform Talented Kitchen Glass Spice Jars. I will publish the detailed plans on how I built my cabinet in a future post in this series. In the meantime, if you do have wall space available, something like the X-cosrack Wall Mount Spice Rack Organizer would accomplish the same thing.
Organize your Dry Goods in Stackable Containers
One of your kitchen cabinets is likely filled with various dry goods such as flour, sugar, etc. If you currently have these products in their original bags, then not only are you shortening their shelf life, but you are potentially giving up valuable vertical space in your cabinet. My solution to this was this Progressive International Prepworks ProKeeper Container Set. I like that they are airtight, stackable, and numerous enough to handle all of my most common dry goods. I also love some of the features like the built-in leveling bar on the flour container, and the terra cotta disk that I can soak in water periodically to keep my brown sugar soft.
Summary
Well, that’s a wrap on my ideas for ways to better organize your kitchen in order to get the most out of the space you have. All of the ideas listed above are implemented in my own kitchen, and they have helped me prosper in my small space. I hope they are helpful to you as well. Stay tuned for more posts from our Small Kitchen Ideas series.
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