The kitchen is the place where any housewife spends a lot of time. Despite expensive repairs, if there is no order in organizing the storage system, then beauty in the interior will not be achieved. Experts recommend following the tips to know how to properly organize storage in the kitchen. There are many tips that can help you create comfort in your space.
What it is
Smart storage in the kitchen is a rational and comfortably organized space. All items in cabinets and drawers must be placed so that they can be easily and conveniently reached. Things should have their places. This will make it easy to arrange space in your kitchen and in the apartment as a whole.
Smart storage represents: rationality, compactness, spaciousness, beauty and functionality of interior design. These components will help save time and effort when the housewife spends time in the kitchen.
Devices that you use regularly should be visible at all times.
It is advisable to place frequently used dishes and accessories in kitchen cabinets at the bottom of the furniture. This will help you quickly get the necessary supplies.
If the area is small, then the storage system in the kitchen needs to be thought out so that the walls can be used. There are open shelves, hanging cabinets on which it is easy to place dishes, spices, etc.
We take care of convenience in advance
Ideally, you should ask yourself the question of organizing your kitchen space not even when purchasing a set of furniture and household appliances, but even earlier - during renovation. It is when the decision is made about where the sink, heating radiators, sockets, lamps, and so on will be located.
There are no universal kitchens. Their appearance and content depend on the tastes and lifestyle of the owners: how many people are in the family, how much food they store, how many dishes and other items they have. It is important to consider how often they will cook in the kitchen and who exactly will do it - this is necessary in order to make the space the most ergonomic specifically for this person. For example, shorter-than-average height people will benefit from a lower work desk and sink.
The opportunity to organize space remains even when the kitchen renovation has already been done. You don’t have to completely remodel the furniture—it’s enough to improve its internal contents—add shelves, drawer dividers, and organizers.
Today there are a large number of modern mechanisms - door closers, lifting fasteners for facades and other things.
Lift mount makes access to upper cabinets easy
Everything is in its place
Kitchen storage organization is very important to keep your kitchen cabinets organized. You need to store similar things in one place.
It is recommended to do this separately from other categories. This will help you quickly find the necessary items and easily maintain order in your closet.
If you sort things on shelves into categories, it will look more neat and beautiful. Not everyone is able to follow the principle. Often pans are stored with baking tins, etc.
For example, it is better to store sugar and salt together with spices.
Fruits and vegetables are more difficult to store, as different types require different conditions.
There is no need to get too carried away with categories and subcategories, as this can lead to inconvenience during cleaning. It is very important to free up as much space as possible on the countertop. Without order in this part of the kitchen it will not be possible to restore order.
Experts recommend folding things in a vertical position. This will make it easy to get the necessary item.
It is better to put all accessories that are used less frequently deeper in the closet. If you take something out extremely rarely, it is recommended to free up space by putting it away. Give kitchen utensils that you don’t use at all and don’t intend to do so to someone else.
Liquid products: vegetable oil, canned food and honey
Let's put things in order on the shelves with glass and tin containers with liquid products: jam, compotes, canned vegetables, honey and oils. Most of them are stored in the back corners of closets or in a separate pantry. But there must be something at hand.
Canned food likes temperatures from 3 to 8 degrees Celsius, but they are often stored at room temperature - this is only permissible for closed cans. The main thing is that the place is not too wet.
ADVICE. No matter how beautiful the jars of canned food are, you should not store them in plain sight for a long time - they will quickly deteriorate from exposure to light. To decorate the interior of kitchens, special decorative canned food is made in jars and bottles of interesting shapes. For such preservation, several times more salt and vinegar are used, so it is unsuitable for food.
Honey can be stored for ages at temperatures no higher than 20 degrees Celsius. He also needs a secluded dark corner.
An airtight jar will ensure the safety of honey
It is preferable to keep vegetable oils in glass bottles, in a dark place, away from the stove - so as not to heat up. If they are in plain sight, put them in nice bottles and try to use them within a month. Some oils need to be refrigerated after opening.
If you are used to keeping oil in sight, pour it into an unusual but grippy bottle
Trays, separators, containers
For order and storage by category in the closet, various baskets, boxes and trays are perfect. This will help tidy up your closet and make it easier to find the items you need.
Using containers can make cleaning much easier without having to pull out every jar. They also rarely get dirty; you can wash the tray itself. Everything looks nice and orderly.
Dividers are also assistants for many housewives. They will help you arrange things correctly and not mix items, making them easier to find.
Dividers are placed in closets and furniture compartments. This system is suitable for large items as well as small ones.
In order to easily find the required jar or container, you need to write the name of the spice or cereal on the container. This will help you find the products you need faster.
It is advisable to pour cereals and bulk products into sealed containers. This will help protect against bugs and food moths. If the dishes have cracks or chips, they must be thrown away.
Bulk products: cereals, tea and coffee
Finding beautiful jars is not a problem. But you shouldn’t buy the first containers you come across. They must have the following qualities:
- Convenient form . Rectangular jars can be placed tightly without leaving any “air” in the cabinet or shelf. Cylindrical ones are more ergonomic.
- Tight lid. It will prevent moisture and air from penetrating inside. In this case, the can should open without much effort.
- Material suitable for food storage. We do not recommend purchasing containers made of plastic of suspicious quality - they have their own smell that can absorb food. In addition, such material can be toxic. Wooden boxes absorb food odors and are suitable for storing only one type of cereal. Tin cans look cute and are lightweight. And the most durable and environmentally friendly are containers made of glass and ceramics. Unless, of course, you drop them.
Opaque cans and boxes are recommended to be signed. To do this, you can use special stickers with the names of the products or plain stickers that you sign yourself.
It is customary to put spices in small jars - this is the cutest way to store them. We will talk about this in more detail in another article.
Bulk cans form a single “ensemble” - you shouldn’t hide such sets behind cabinet doors
An alternative to jars is bags with zip fasteners. And if you like to store food in store-bought packaging, you will need clothespins or clips, as well as baskets where all the packages will stand vertically, supporting each other. Note that this method does not guarantee long-term preservation of products - it is suitable for those who purchase small packages and use them quickly.
ADVICE. Don't fill your closets 100%. If there is no space left in them, it will be inconvenient to put things in and take them out.
For tea in sealed bags, jars with tight lids are not needed - such a “house” will be enough
Placemats
Using dish racks, you can organize space in the closet by stacking pans and plates. This method will help you not to take everything out at once, but take only what you need. The dish stand can be made of metal, plastic, wood, stainless steel, or combined.
The most popular is the table stand with tray. Also in recent years, hanging stands for dishes - rails - have been gaining popularity. This storage system is perfect for a small kitchen.
If the housewife does not want to place the stand in a visible place, then a built-in option for a wall cabinet or a pull-out cabinet is perfect.
Many people are interested in how to store jar lids. These devices are perfect for solving this problem.
Magnetic board
This storage method is more suitable for spices - after all, large containers will look a little strange, and placing small containers on the board is much easier.
The essence of the technique is quite simple: a canvas with magnetic properties is attached to the wall in a convenient place. Then small jars with metal lids or magnets on the walls are selected. Then everything is simple: attach them in a random or strictly defined order, depending on your taste.
It is not necessary to purchase special containers for this. Clean jars of tick-tock dragees, signed in a beautiful font, look original. Just attach a ribbon with a message on one part and a small magnet on the other.
For a large kitchen: If you want to use this technique for cereals, you will need a lot of space, a magnetic board and more powerful magnets. Select containers that are not too heavy and think about the location so that it is convenient for you to reach each jar.
Cabinet Accessories
Many housewives often use corner cabinets to place dishwashing supplies, floors, trash cans, etc. You can place a hanging shelf there to add space for kitchen items.
In these cabinets you can compactly arrange things on the shelves, allocate enough space for pots, pans, cups, etc. In small side compartments you can place cereals and bulk products.
You can purchase a pull-out container for the trash can. This will save space in your closet so you can fit more things in it. On the inside of the door you can attach hooks for towels, as well as a sponge holder.
You can place a hanger under the sink. If rubbish accumulates there or detergents are scattered, then you can place a rail in the closet, which is fixed between the walls. Plastic containers also work great.
You can hang spray bottles with detergents on the rails, and place sponges, brushes, napkins, etc. in containers.
The inside of cabinet doors can be used to store spices and various containers. To do this, you need to tighten plastic hooks, magnetic tape or any fixing material.
If the furniture has a small cabinet, you can place a pull-out organizer there. You can easily store vegetable oil, vinegar, various bottles, and spices in it. With the help of such an item you can easily maintain order in the kitchen.
An excellent solution are plug-in shelves and shelves that can be placed in closets. With the help of these items, the placement of dishes is greatly facilitated. You can also get additional useful space and make the most of the space.
Many housewives use closet organizers that can be hung on the door for storage in the kitchen. It’s easy to put detergents and sponges there.
Retro cabinet
A hanging wooden cabinet with glass doors and iron handles looks good. It fits well into a kitchen decorated in a classic style. You can arrange the drawers symmetrically, or you can arrange them in a chaotic order, alternating the sizes and colors of the doors.
This option looks impressive, but it is necessary to take into account some nuances. The first of them is price. Most likely, the cabinet will need to be custom-made to suit the color scheme of your kitchen.
The second can be considered more significant - if the product is of poor quality, you will not be able to ensure the tightness of the products, which will negatively affect their shelf life and may cause the appearance of kitchen moths.
Shelves on top of cabinets
Almost every housewife has items in her kitchen that she uses infrequently. They can find a place on shelves on top of cabinets. The area up to the ceiling is often empty. It is perfect for placing additional shelves.
When the housewife has a fairly spacious kitchen, it is much easier to maintain order there. If the square area is small, then it is necessary to place everything compactly, getting rid of unnecessary items.
Today, furniture with hidden tanks is popular, which will help place more kitchen utensils. An excellent option is a retractable rack. It is perfect for a kitchen where there are a lot of dishes.
Also, a mezzanine is perfect for a modern kitchen, where you can put items that are rarely used. Many people mistakenly believe that this was relevant only in Soviet times.
Experts also advise using door sides for cabinets and roof rails. This area is often not used at all. Therefore, it can be used to place baskets, food containers, etc.
Experts believe that the countertop should be almost empty. It is not recommended to force her with equipment and utensils. Clutter will create visual noise, so you won't be able to achieve perfect order. It is important to remember that it is better to put large and heavy items in the lower cabinets.
Additional open shelves
This option is very convenient. You can place items that are often used there. It is advisable to put beautiful jars there to make it look more cozy and tasteful.
Hooks or hangers
There is always a lot of empty space inside the cabinets, which can be made quite functional. To do this, purchase hooks for keys or a regular wire hanger for the hallway. Now you can always place your measuring spoons, steelyard, vegetable peeler and other small items inside the cabinet.
Hooks can also be attached to the door or side surface of the kitchen unit. The only thing you should remember is that you should not overload the visible space with small details, otherwise the kitchen will look untidy.
Space under wall cabinets
Often, using the space under wall cabinets makes it much easier to find the items you need. You can make a shelf under the cabinets for spices and utensils.
For example, you can screw lids under a wall cabinet, then screw in jars of seasonings.
Alchemy laboratory
Probably, almost everyone dreamed of becoming a wizard in childhood. Now you can at least partially realize your dreams! Small narrow test tubes with spices and wide flasks with cereals and pasta will look very impressive on a hanging shelf.
You can also add mystery bottles of vinegar and vegetable oils. This design looks very interesting and mysterious. However, be careful not to hang it over the stove, even if your beakers are heat-resistant: constant heating does not improve the properties of the food.
An interesting technique: Containers with glass of different colors can add originality to an already interesting idea. If you decide to place vegetable oils on this shelf, make them aromatic - add herbs or berries to them. This will make your shelf look even more like the shelf of a wise wizard.
Extendable table
This table is an excellent solution to save space in the kitchen. It can be any size. It can be used as a cutting, working area, or for eating.
Such a device can cope with any task. The design can be on wheels, which is quite convenient to use.
Office supplies to help
Who said office supplies can only be useful in the office? Vertical document trays make great storage for pans or glass lids. This design will not take up much space, and storing kitchen utensils will be much more convenient.
In addition, when the lids are kept in such an individual “box”, they will be less scratched, which means they will last much longer.
Hidden storage areas
With the help of such places you can significantly save space. For example, you can place rarely used items under the seat.
Almost every kitchen has free space. Often it is located between the refrigerator and the wall. You can place a vertical shelf on wheels there. Such a device can serve as an excellent place for storing spices, bottles, jars, etc.
End cabinets are very popular among many housewives today. If you make it not too wide, it will look quite stylish and modern. You can easily store detergents, mops and other supplies there.
If every housewife follows simple recommendations, this will always help maintain order and cleanliness in the kitchen.
Hanging stand
Containers hung by strong hooks on a metal or wooden sheet on the wall look non-standard. You may have to make it protruding in order to organically place containers with cereals. It is better to choose oblong narrow containers.
When using this design technique, you must take into account that it looks best in kitchens decorated in a modern style. In addition, it will be difficult to arrange containers of different sizes beautifully - it may be better to use the method only for cereals or spices. In this case, it is better to come up with another option for the second type of product.
Clothespins for rubber gloves
Ordinary clothespins glued to the locker door will help you forget forever about the problem of where rubber gloves are located.
You can also hang rags, napkins or other household utensils on clothespins.
