A cluttered kitchen is enough to cause some people anxiety and stress. To avoid this, you can either remodel your entire kitchen from the ground up or work with what you have and optimize your kitchen space, so it’s more functional and easier to keep clean and tidy.
Of course, if you choose to remodel your kitchen and purchase all-new, top-of-the-line appliances, we definitely won’t be the ones to stop you, but there may be ways to work with what you have first.
Today, we’re going to share some expert tips on optimizing your kitchen space so you can live in a stress-free kitchen!
Cabinet and fridge organizers
This is one of the first solutions people think of when organizing their kitchen to use the space better. You can buy organizers in all shapes and materials to organize the items in your cupboards and fridge. Choosing a system with stackable components will allow you to optimize vertical spaces too.
Our favourite solution for cupboards is to buy a pullout organizer or a sliding shelf. These are attached directly to your cabinet with screws, and many are sturdy enough to hold canned goods or your heavy pots and pans. It will save your back from having to dig deep in the back of your cupboards for your heavy cast iron frying pan.
There are kitchen cabinet organizers in all shapes, sizes, and budgets. You could buy inexpensive bins from the dollar store or go for more luxury, custom-fitted cabinet organizers for a more considerable investment. Either way, cabinet organizers are an excellent first step to organizing and finding more space in your kitchen.
For your fridge, we usually recommend clear bins to organize your foods. This is great to organize small items like juice boxes and snacks for the kids. Don’t forget to use the crisper and meat drawers to keep your vegetables and meats organized and fresh.
Multi-use appliances
Countertop kitchen appliances are a home cooks’ dream. They make meal preparation so much easier, but they can take up a LOT of space. Look for countertop appliances that can take the place of multiple small appliances. A popular example is pressure cookers like the popular Instant Pot brand. The single appliance can cook “dump pot” meals, steam vegetables, cook rice, cook meat, and even make desserts.
Your other option is to inventory all your small appliances to prioritize their use and thus their storage location:
- If you don’t need it anymore, sell or donate it.
- If you still need it, but only for special, rare occasions, consider storing it at the back of your deeper cupboards or in a further away closet.
- If it’s something you use weekly, store it near the front of your cupboard.
- If it’s something you use daily, like a toaster or kettle, find a tidy spot for it on your countertop or a rolling kitchen cart.
Rolling kitchen cart
Many love the convenience of a kitchen island countertop to add extra storage to their kitchens. Building a permanent kitchen island can get quite expensive. Instead, consider getting a rolling kitchen cart.
Not only does this provide a less expensive alternative to a kitchen island, but the wheels also make it easily portable. You can easily move it around your kitchen for extra space where you need it or roll it into another room when it’s just taking up too much space.
Kitchen carts can vary in price but are generally a couple of hundred dollars, depending on the cart’s brand, size, and features.
Toe-Kick Drawers
When you want to optimize your kitchen space, people immediately think of cabinets and countertop space. But, you can also make use of those cabinet toe-kick areas too. It’s quite a handy space to install a pullout drawer to store things like baking sheets and serving platters you don’t need often.
Visit your local hardware store for the supplies to add a drawer behind the toe kicks in your kitchen, or talk to your local handyman for installation.
Stove and sink covers
To increase your usable countertop space, get a fitted cover for your stovetop or sink. These are often wood, bamboo, or plastic and are placed over your stove or sink, so you can use the space for storage or extra food preparation space. You can also choose one that doubles as an over-the-sink drying rack to save countertop space drying your dishes.
When using a cover over your stove, ensure all heating elements are fully cooled before placing the cover on top. Then always remove the cover before you turn on the oven or stove back on.
Depending on the size and material, budget between $30 and $100 for a sink or stovetop cover.
Wall or ceiling mounted storage
Don’t forget you can use your walls and ceiling for storage too. You can buy minimalist-looking ceiling-hanging racks for your pots and pans. These often look great over a kitchen island.
Make use of empty kitchen wall space too. You can hang your large cooking utensils or oven mitts with simple wall hooks, or install small floating shelves or wire baskets for spices or regularly used small kitchen tools.
Other Reminders
In addition to installing kitchen organizers to optimize your kitchen space, here are a few other good reminders for keeping your kitchen tidy:
- Do the dishes daily, so they don’t take up valuable countertop space.
- Regularly wash and disinfect your countertops, so crumbs don’t accumulate.
- Create a kitchen maintenance checklist to include a deep clean of your fridge, an oven clean, cleaning or replacing filters in your fridge or range hood.
Utilizing large appliances to optimize kitchen space
Your large kitchen appliances can also help you optimize your kitchen space. Get a dishwasher that has a higher capacity or a fridge with built-in, zone-based storage compartments. Many newer appliances are a better use of space and often have more advanced energy efficiency features too.
Talk to our team if you’re ready to upgrade your large kitchen appliances and are wondering about your options to best optimize your kitchen space. We have many top-of-the-line large appliances that can do more with less space and that have energy-efficient features, so you can do your part to save on electricity costs and contribute to a better environment.
Tell us about your kitchen space and organization struggles, and we can suggest large appliances with all the space-optimizing features you need for your space and budget.