Americans spend six hours a week cleaning, on average.
And cleaning your kitchen tends to be one of the most pressing jobs, week in and week out. Of course, this room gets lots of use and foot traffic. It makes sense that you’d have to spruce it up each week.
To make your next cleaning job easier, though, you might try learning how to organize your kitchen. If everything has a place, then it’s easy to put everything away and get on with scouring the place.
So, here’s cleaning 101, kitchen-style: here’s how to organize your home’s culinary center.
1. Put Cooking Must-Haves Near the Stove
Do you find yourself running to grab spices while you cook? Or maybe you find you need a different utensil and have to walk away from your simmering meal to get it?
When organizing your kitchen, you should move must-have items close to the appliance with which you use them. So, a spice rack and a utensil holder near your burners can make the whole area more functional. It gives you a way to organize both groups of items, too.
If it’s possible, make the storage spaces close to your stove and oven home to your cookware, too. Again, this makes the most sense: you can grab a frying pan, put it on the hob and start cooking with ease.
2. Be Smart With Plates and Cups, Too
Your cookware shouldn’t be the only kitchen supplies that move.
Try and put your plates, cups and silverware in logical spots around your kitchen. For example, if you have a coffeemaker, place your mugs above it so you can grab one and quickly brew your morning joe. Or you might place bowls near the pantry so you can quickly fill up your morning cereal.
3. Re-Stack Food Storage Containers
One area that always seems to be a mess is the Tupperware cabinet. We’ve all whipped open the door and had all of the plastic containers fall out at some time or another.
Designate a cabinet or drawer where you’ll keep these containers. Keep them stackable and organized by putting them into the cabinet with lids on. That way, you won’t have to scrounge for matching tops and bottoms later.
4. Reorganize the Fridge
Your kitchen essentials don’t start and end with cooking supplies. Give every category of food its own space in your fridge. So, you might put all condiments on the door, keep fruits and veggies in separate drawers, put dairy products on a shelf and keep a space for leftovers only.
Having these areas cordoned off means you won’t lose track of what’s in your fridge. And that’ll make cleaning a breeze — no longer will you have to spend hours cleaning leftovers and rotten food out of the area.
Cleaning 101: Your Sparkling Kitchen
Now, organization is the groundwork for a clean space. Once everything has a home in your kitchen, it’s easier for you to come in and scour the place.
And although that’s where cleaning 101 technically begins, you should always start with an organized space. Need more kitchen-related advice? Click here for our reviews of the best kitchen gadgets out there.
