10 Cabinet Organization Ideas + How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets in 3 Steps
Knowing how to organize your kitchen cabinets can add both practicality and style to the main activity hub of your home. Organizing your cabinets keeps your kitchen supplies and materials handy when you need them while also optimizing the storage available to you. It’s all about making your kitchen storage space work for you.
It’s easier than ever to truly customize your kitchen cabinets, thanks to a variety of styles and options of cabinet and drawer organization tools available. Taking your cabinet organization to the next level will ensure a clutter-free zone for cooking and hosting.
Kitchen cabinet organization will ultimately boil down to what will most help you in the kitchen, where, and when. Give every item in your kitchen a place to live, and you’ll always know where to find it and where to put it when you’re done.
Whether you have many kitchen cabinets or a tight-and-mighty few, there are ways to optimize and organize the storage space in your cupboards so it supports your activities in the kitchen.
Kitchen Drawer & Cabinet Organization Ideas
You don’t need to have built-in features to create custom cabinets or drawers for your kitchen. Drawer and cabinet organizers come in different sizes and styles to assist you in organizing your existing cabinets and drawers. If you need help figuring out what will fit your cabinets to optimize the space, reach out to our designers and they can get you set up with the right kitchen cabinet accessories.
Lazy Susans
Lazy Susans are the corner cabinet’s best friend. The swivel shelf is ideal where it may be an awkward fitting cabinet that’s hard to access. Just a turn of the Lazy Susan and items in the back come to the front for easy grabbing! Lazy Susans work great for storing pots, pans, Tupperware (be sure to pair the lids and containers together), or even snacks or easy-to-access food. They are also super easy to clean when you pop out the spinning shelves, so Lazy Susans are also nice for food items that might be prone to spilling.
Spice Rack
What is a meal without spices? Keep your spices handy in your cooking or prep area with a spice rack. Spice racks come in a wide variety of styles, from drawer spice organizers to cabinet door-mounted spice racks. The latter works excellent as an upper shelf attachment as it puts your spices at eye level. There are also space rack base cabinets available, which are narrow pull-out drawers specifically designed to store spices.
Pull-out Cabinet Organizer
Another popular cabinet addition is the pull-out cabinet organizer, which could also be used for trash, recycling, or compost bins, or even for storing cleaning supplies. A trash pull-out, in particular, helps to free up floor space and makes the trash inaccessible for curious children and pets.
Door Inserts
For added functionality, door attachments and door inserts that mount or latch onto cabinet doors provide additional options for storage–--to hold lids, for example.
Tray Dividers
You can use tray dividers to organize and easily access your cutting boards, sheet pans, pot lids, and other kitchen items.
Utensil Trays
Drawer organizers and drawer inserts are a great way to safely store your utensils, flatware, and other small dishware. Utensil trays, for example, are great for storing and organizing spoons, forks, and butter knives. For easy access, store utensils used for similar types of cooking together.
Peg-Board Inserts and Tension Rods
Larger deep drawers are well equipped to handle stacked plates and bowls, mixing bowls, food storage containers, and other supplies so your countertops can remain free of clutter. For these larger drawers, peg-board inserts or tension rods can help divide up the sections and hold larger items in place.
Blind Corner Optimizers
Blind corner optimizers maximize the space in blind corner cabinets. This allows the you full accessibility to the entire storage space.
Rollout Shelves
For your pots, pans, and corresponding lids, shelf organizers can help keep them organized while maintaining a tidy cabinet. Rollout shelves, in particular, are helpful for accessing larger items, especially when used in base cabinets.
Pulldown Shelves
For items higher up, such as dishware and serving dishes for special occasions, pulldown shelves make it easier and safer to access high items without having to use a step ladder.
Appliance Lift Shelves
Similar to a pulldown shelf, but in reverse, you can install appliance lift shelf in your base cabinets. Not only do lift shelves provide an easy, accessible way to store an appliance like a kitchen aid, but the shelves also offer more counter space!
Floating Shelves
Floating shelves that are not contained in cabinets can add additional storage while creating variety in your design—providing a home for your commonly used items, such as bowls, mugs, etc. These work great when placed at eye level.
Kitchen Racks and Hooks
Whether within or outside your cabinets, you can further optimize your organization system in your kitchen with hooks or racks to hold various items. A pot or pan rack, hanging or mounted near the stove, can make a statement as decor while also providing an easily accessible storage place for small to moderately sized cookware.
Similarly, a wine or stemware rack attached underneath a cabinet provides an attractive storage solution for your glassware.
A towel rack attachment on the cabinet door beneath the sink may also come in handy.
How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers
1. Empty and Clean Cabinets and Drawers
If you want to start completely fresh, then it’s a good idea to take everything out of your kitchen cabinets and drawers to see what you have… and to also clean the cabinets before putting everything back in.
For this first step, remove items from your cabinets and drawers and wipe down the interior surfaces, replacing (or adding) any shelving paper where necessary to provide a clean and ready cabinet.
While they’re empty, consider measuring your kitchen cabinets and drawers. That way, you have a better idea of how much space you have available for storage and you can buy the proper sizes for any kitchen organizers you may want to add in the future.
2. Discard Unused Items
To create space for better organization and make room for anything new you may need, consider tossing anything you haven’t used in more than a year or two.
Donate, recycle, or discard glass jars, utensils, dishware, storage containers, and other kitchen items that you don’t use regularly. With a bit of creativity, you can repurpose some unused items, like turning Tupperware that doesn’t have a matching lid into a drawer organizer if the size is right!
If organizing your whole kitchen feels overwhelming, try paring down to cleaning and organizing one category (or zone) at a time so you’re not trying to organize everything all at once.
Potential zones or categories to plan for in your kitchen cabinets:
- Prep - knives, cutting boards, measuring cups and spoons, colanders, etc.
- Oven or stovetop cooking - pots, pans, stirring utensils, etc.
- Dishes and glassware
- Sink storage - cleaning supplies, cloth, paper towels, etc.
- Food or pantry storage
- Small appliances - mixers, blenders, toasters, coffee/tea makers, etc.
- Storage items - plastic bags, foil, Tupperware, jars, etc.
- Catch-all drawers - affectionately called “junk drawers”
Consider installing drawer and cabinet organizational attachments or inserts that can help you to make the most of your cabinet space.
How to Maintain Kitchen Organization
The initial organizing of your kitchen cabinets is a great starting point, though regular cleaning and tidying up maintains that sense of organization. Once an area is organized, it’s easier to keep organized—but that doesn’t mean maintenance isn’t needed.
Return your kitchen items to their designated drawer or cabinet after they have been cleaned. Regularly wipe down countertops, shelves, and handles so crumbs and germs don’t stick around.
By keeping basic tidying rules in place and not simply tossing items wherever you have space, you can easily maintain the organization of your kitchen cabinets and drawers.
It’s good to do a general clean-out of your kitchen cabinets once a year.
By using kitchen cabinet and drawer organization accessories, you can optimize the storage and functionality of your kitchen spaces. With a wide variety of organization tools available, you can truly customize how you organize your kitchen to suit your needs.