The Salad Caper

I need to know how to organize my kitchen cupboard efficiently. I inspected my kitchen cabinets and the cabinet on top of the stove had laundry detergents. I had to cross to the end of the kitchen to get sauces if Im cooking! The cookies for the kids are placed on the highest part of the kitchen cabinet (how in the world will me kids get that, you think?) and the kitchen utensils are on the wrong side.

I blame my maids for this just so you know (I wasnt there when they did the kitchen) – and yes, we have been here since May and I only noticed it now (This is how long I have not touched the stove and cooked, hehehe).

With them leaving by the end of the month, I need to be in control! Here are the steps Id do:

Clean Your Cabinets

One great way to keep your kitchen cabinets organized is to clean them out every couple of months. That allows you to keep stock of what’s in there and get rid of anything that is past its prime or has damaged packaging. Containers with damaged packaging that leak food can attract pest like ants, cockroaches and mice.

Organizing Your Cabinet

After cleaning out your cabinets, put everything back in a well organized way. Items that you don’t use very often, put towards the back, while having frequently used items within reach. Try to group “like items” together. If you know where to reach for specific ingredients it will save you time in the kitchen. Train everyone in your house to put items back where they got them.

Remembering Where Stuff Is

If you tend to have a hard time finding things that are stashed away in the back of your cabinets, place an inventory list on the inside of the cabinet door. You can even draw a square and diagram where items are likely to be located. A diagram may also help inform other family members where to put things away, which could save you headaches down the road.

Grocery List

Attach a piece of paper to the inside of the cabinet door to write down items as you run out of them. Then you can reference it when you put together your grocery list. This is very useful if other people use the kitchen as well, everyone will know that you have ran out of something and won’t spend a half hour looking for it.

Access More of Your Cabinet Space with Lazy Susans

I always keep my eyes open for inexpensive Lazy Susans at garage sales and discount stores. A Lazy Susan is basically a turntable that you can install in a kitchen cabinet or pantry that rotates so you can easily get to everything on the cabinet shelf. This is especially useful for cabinet shelves that are difficult to reach.