For example, if you store fruits and vegetables not in the refrigerator, but in kitchen drawers, you risk encountering trouble: say, a rotten tangerine will leave a damp spot on the surface of the drawer, on which fungus can grow. You'll have to spend time cleaning, but with a rug it's easier - you can just wipe it with a rag. The same advice applies if you haven't gotten into the habit of drying dishes before putting them away.
- Kitchen
7 kitchen items you're storing incorrectly (better fix!)
Life hack 2: make a box from two drawers and store cutlery there
Drawers save space inside the kitchen furniture and nerves in searching for a particular pan. With the help of available tools and imagination, you can make your life even easier. For example, get rid of the top drawer by drilling the bottom to the bottom compartment. The result is a spacious box. Now we make recesses of different sizes and shapes: oval, round, square. And we place metal containers pre-selected in size into the holes, which can be found at IKEA. We store spoons, forks, and ladle in a miracle box.
Where to begin?
We will not advise you to disassemble all the kitchen drawers at once. The mess that arises in the process will quickly discourage you from engaging in useful but painstaking organization. There is a possibility that at the end of the work all the items will be folded “somehow”.
Forget about the “somehow” and “neat” folding method. Each item should have its own specially designated place in the closets.
It is important to follow the rules:
- Accessories and products are kept in close proximity to the surface on which they are used. Pans, pots, cereals, spices - by the stove, detergents and sponges - by the sink, etc.
- Everything unnecessary is gone. Unused equipment has a place on the mezzanine (at the dacha). It is better to move the preserved food to the pantry.
- The less frequently, the farther. Items and products that are taken out of drawers only “on holidays” should be placed in the depths of the set.
- Organizers, shelves and dividers are our everything. In the modern world, it is difficult to do without these helpers. They help organize the many objects that we use today.
Life hack 3: put spices on hand
Spices should always be on hand when cooking, so it would be wise to make a separate cabinet in the kitchen. We position it as conveniently as possible so that you do not have to stretch, bend or stand on a chair. We solve the problem once and for all: we buy a small metal shelving unit from IKEA and attach it to the back door of the cabinet. Or we purchase a tiered prefabricated structure: if you pull it towards you, it will decompose, and if you push it, it will hide back in the closet. 9 more tips on how to make your kitchen more convenient.
Questions and answers
How to organize your kitchen drawers as quickly as possible?
Reorganizing your kitchen space in a short time is difficult. There is only one option to speed up the process. It is necessary to attract helpers and divide the zones among themselves. With a clear plan, a group of 2-3 people can complete the task in 2-3 hours.
How to make sure that order is maintained?
Maintaining order depends on the behavior of the people living in the house. At a minimum, all family members need to be informed of how kitchen utensils will now be placed. As a maximum, drawers and organizers should be decorated with stickers with a list of what is stored in them. This will help you quickly remember what is now lying (standing) and where.
Finally, order in cabinets and drawers appears when people feel comfortable using their contents. You shouldn’t go to extremes and chase beauty and aesthetic appearance at the expense of comfort. Original shelves and organizers will be of no use if they are non-functional and difficult to open or maintain. Organize your space so as not to perform unnecessary actions. This is the main secret of order in the kitchen!
Life hack 9: hiding equipment in a niche
Very often, various kitchen appliances - a blender, a mixer, a juicer - stand directly on the work surface, cluttering it and making the cooking process difficult. All these appliances can be placed in a hidden cabinet in one of the kitchen niches. You can do it yourself by purchasing additional sliding doors. The niche can be open. Find out which kitchen appliances help you save time.
How to inspect a refrigerator
Start by quickly going through the contents of your refrigerator and throwing out any expired items. The refrigerator, by the way, is the only exception to the rule “pick every item in your hands to check it.” If you have individually packaged sauces, condiments, or any other products that you never use, throw them away. Keep the ones you decide to keep in a small container or small box to make your refrigerator look tidier.
When storing food in the refrigerator, you should leave approximately 30% of its internal volume free. The free space can be used for leftover dinner or other food that you may consume that day.
Useful tips on how to keep your kitchen tidy and clean
Tip 1. Throw away everything unnecessary
A pile of unnecessary things in the kitchen space creates a feeling of clutter. That is why, when sorting out the contents of shelves, cabinets and drawers, it is necessary to soberly assess the need for each item and, without regret, throw away everything that has not been used for more than a year. The same should be done with broken dishes, broken appliances and old kitchen towels, which are kept in the most secluded corners for some unknown reason.
There is no need to do this
Tip 2. Give everything a place
In order not to waste a lot of time searching for something during the cooking process, you need to carefully consider the storage system and allocate its own place for each item. At the same time, things that are rarely used should be placed in the lower drawers and on the upper shelves, and items that are used regularly should be placed in a quick access zone. The same goes for food supplies, spices, tea and coffee.
Tip 3. Don’t clutter your work surface
A free work surface creates a special feeling of order. That is why it is worth making a rule - after completing the cooking process, leave the work area clean, and also make sure that unnecessary objects do not accumulate on it.
Rails on the wall, which can be conveniently used for storing kitchen utensils, magnetic tape for knives of other metal utensils, as well as additional shelves, will help free up the countertop. All this will not only make cooking and cleaning easier, but also inspire new culinary masterpieces.
Tip 4. Wash dirty dishes, hob and sink immediately
Nothing spoils the mood of any housewife more than a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink and a stove with burnt spots. Especially when such a picture appears in the morning, setting the mood for the entire coming day.
A way out of such a situation can be the useful habit of not going to bed until the last cup, sink and hob have been washed. In fact, it won’t take too much time, but it will provide a positive attitude from the very morning.
Tip 5: Don’t leave uneaten food in the refrigerator
The refrigerator is another problem area in the kitchen space, where forgotten products with expired expiration dates seem to appear out of nowhere. To reduce such precedents to a minimum, you should not put small leftover food items in the refrigerator - a piece of sausage, sour cream on the bottom, a spoonful of mashed potatoes. As a rule, all this disappears, becoming a source of unpleasant odors.
Tip 6. Dry the wipes and change sponges often
To avoid unpleasant odors in the kitchen, you should carefully monitor the condition of your foam sponges for washing dishes and change them at least once a week. And if the sponge begins to look dirty and smell unpleasant much earlier, throw it in the trash without hesitation. Particular attention should be paid to fabric napkins, which require regular drying and timely washing.
Tip 7. Try using paper or wet napkins instead of a regular rag.
An alternative to the rag familiar to many will be paper and wet wipes. With their help, you can quickly and easily remove dirt, wipe your hands or any surface, and after use simply throw it away, saving yourself the trouble of washing. Such “helpers” are especially indispensable in the household when you need to do something very quickly, immediately removing the “traces” behind you.
Tip 8. Wipe down kitchen fronts every now and then
To keep your kitchen furniture always clean, you should regularly wipe the facades with a damp cloth. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to wait for the next cleaning - it is enough to walk over the surfaces at any convenient time, removing dust and minor dirt. This technique will help prevent the appearance of strong old contaminants, the removal of which will require a lot of time and effort.
Tip 9: Clean up while you cook.
While cooking, there are always pauses: while the water boils, the frying pan heats up, or the vegetables are sauteed. This time can be put to good use by washing dirty dishes, wiping down countertops, or putting away unnecessary containers, food, and household appliances.
Professional chefs adhere to exactly this rhythm: whipped cream - washed the whisk, cut vegetables - rinsed the board, etc. This allows you to avoid a pile of dirty kitchen utensils in the sink and work area and thereby maintain not only order, but also a good mood.
Tip 10. Buy a cordless mini vacuum cleaner for cleaning up crumbs in the kitchen
A miniature wireless vacuum cleaner, which does not take up much space and can easily stand in a secluded corner instead of a broom, will help solve the problem of eternal crumbs on the table and floor. With its help, it is convenient to collect crumbs and small debris not only from the floor, but also from the table - you just need to take out the small central part without attachments and quickly walk it over the surface.
Tip 11. Spend 20 minutes every evening cleaning the kitchen
To start a new day with an aromatic cup of coffee in a clean kitchen, you should take care of this in the evening. Namely, set aside no more than 20 minutes to wash the dishes after dinner, remove all excess from horizontal surfaces, wipe them and vacuum the floor.
Tip 12. Delegate
Cleaning is a routine and almost never-ending task. A clear distribution of responsibilities between all family members will help make the task easier. After all, if everyone washes their cutlery after eating and wipes the table, this will already become a significant contribution to maintaining order and saving time on cleaning.
A clear action plan will allow you not only to put things in order in the kitchen, but also to constantly maintain it. The main thing is not to be lazy and not to put off current affairs. High-quality equipment will help make the task easier - a comfortable mop, all kinds of sponges, rags and, of course, rubber gloves that keep the skin of your hands soft and velvety.
Organization of the kitchen space: how to learn order
The main principle of organizing any space in the house, including the kitchen, is to store similar items together in cabinets, drawers, boxes and shelves specially designated for them. This way you can easily control the amount of kitchen utensils and products and maintain order without tedious hours of cleaning.
The second principle is to organize the space so that things can be easily put back in place and it takes a minimum of time. Then you won’t need to waste time putting things in order - putting things away right where they should be is much easier and faster.
About storing food and items in kitchen cabinets: life hacks
With proper kitchen arrangement, every thing has its place. And since there is always a lot of dishes, various accessories and products, it is important to use the kitchen space with maximum rationality.
A few simple solutions will make this task easier:
- Packages of cookies, groceries, bottles, jars, foil, towels and much more can be conveniently stored vertically. For this purpose, drawers and boxes with dividers are suitable, which you can make yourself from thick cardboard or buy in a store. With this method of storing necessary things, clutter will leave your kitchen forever.
- The space between furniture and household appliances can be filled with narrow, one-can-wide, pull-out shelving or racks on wheels. By pulling out such a rack, you can immediately find the thing you need, since thanks to the special design, disorder in it is impossible.
- Square or rectangular jars and trays save space, unlike round and oval ones. Glass containers speed up the process of finding the right item.
Organizer for pans and pots
Before you put your cooking utensils in the organizer, get rid of old damaged frying pans and pots with chips, dents, and no handles.
Modern sets, as a rule, are equipped with a special system for storing pots and pans, for example, a cabinet with retractable mounts with hooks on which up to 14 pans can be hung. In the absence of such furniture, pans are placed on rails, wall panels with hooks, shelves with hooks and lid holders.
Important ! Non-stick frying pans should not be stacked one on top of the other as this may damage them.
Pots are placed in drawers with dividers. There are organizers that do not need to be attached to the closet; they are simply placed on a shelf. Convenient storage systems with an internal structure similar to a dishwasher. The mesh shelves slide out completely from the cabinet and are very convenient to use.
Life hack for a small kitchen: cabinets up to the ceiling
Cabinets up to the ceiling are the most functional option for a small kitchen . The discreet and laconic design of the set with a minimum number of open shelves is suitable for high-tech, modern, minimalism and classic styles. To prevent such cabinets from overhanging and visually reducing the already small space, it is better to make them light, with smooth facades without unnecessary details.
Small items and textiles are stored in wall cabinets. Inside you can place a large number of compartments and shelves. Household appliances are placed in column cabinets from floor to ceiling, a microwave or oven is installed in the middle part of three-section floor cabinets, and kitchen utensils and food are stored in the upper and lower parts.
Attention ! It is recommended to attach tall cabinets to the wall for safety, especially if there are children in the family.
How to decorate the kitchen
Once you've tidied up your kitchen, take some time to make it beautiful. You can decorate it with paintings, lay out a tablecloth that you like, and decorate the wall beautifully. Decorating your kitchen can greatly enhance the feeling of joy, especially if you've never thought about making it beautiful before.
I recommend gradually replacing the old tools in your kitchen with things that sparkle with joy. For example, I replaced a soulless plastic spatula with a wooden one, and this small detail really opened my eyes to how much difference using a kitchen utensil that brings joy can make. If you have at least one kitchen item chosen with love and care, the time you spend cooking will be much more enjoyable.
