Kitchen Storage Overview
It’s important to know how to arrange your kitchen space and where to store all your things. Storing everything in its place will make cooking and eating more enjoyable.
- First, start tidying up your dinnerware and glasses, then cooking items and appliances. Finish with food items.
- Store items based on material category, e.g. ceramic, glass, metal, plastic and fabric.
- Keep like items together by shape and size, e.g. stack same size bowls together.
- Items that you use often should be easy to reach.
- Place frequently used items either on the bottom cupboard shelf above your countertop or in the top drawer.
- Leave the cupboard space at the top or in the back for cooking appliances and things that you don’t use often.
- Display as little as possible on your kitchen countertop, except for the coffee machine, kettle and drying rack. If you have a large countertop then it’s fine to keep a group of ornamental items, away from water and oil.
Dinnerware
Includes plates (side plates and dinner plates), bowls (for soup and cereal), serving ware and platters.
- Collect and go through all your dinnerware.
- Remove all chipped dishes and old pieces, that you don’t like anymore or haven’t used it in the last 2 years.
- A white dinner set is a classic choice and it’s easy to add items from other dinner sets.
- Group each dinner set together, especially if they differ in colour or pattern. Starting with plates at the bottom, then bowls and smaller items at the top.
- Place dinnerware, which you use for special occasions, in the back of your cupboard.
- It’s advisable to remove all dinnerware from boxes. People use things they can see, more often than hidden items.
- Make use of the beautiful dishes instead of keeping them packed away.
- Separate glass from ceramic salad bowls and platters.
- Stack all plates and bowls together.
- Group all plastic tableware for children and outdoor picnic things together.
- Keep a limited number of disposable items, such as paper plates and cups together. Place them upright inside a box.
- Store your dinnerware in a cupboard close to the kitchen table or dishwasher.
Drinkware
Includes glasses, cups, mugs, teapots and pitchers.
- Remove all glasses with permanent water marks or any chipped mugs.
- Group like items together by function, e.g. separate wine glasses from champagne and drinking glasses.
- Glasses you use less often, should be placed upside-down to keep the inside dust-free.
- Put cups and mugs inside each other.
- Group the teapot, milk jug and sugar pot together.
- Store glasses near the kitchen table and mugs near the coffee machine.
Cutlery
Includes cutlery for eating and serving, as well as chopsticks.
- Store cutlery in a cutlery tray where knives, forks and spoons are separated from each other.
- Store the cutlery in the top drawer, near the kitchen table or dishwasher.
Napery
Includes tablecloths, table runners, placemats, napkins, coasters and tea towels.
- Group by function and colour.
- Fold table cloths and napkins in rectangular shapes and stack them upright in a box.
- Fabric placemats and table runners can be rolled up.
- Place napkin rings in a small box.
- Store all paper napkins in a box and stack them upright.
- Keep napery items near your dinnerware.
Sideboards are ideal for storing special occasion dinner sets, expensive silverware, napery and other necessities for entertaining. This piece of furniture can be one of the most practical storage items in the house.
“Eating and cooking is fun with good organising.”
Follow my 52 Week Organise your Life Programme
organised-spaces.com 