25 Kitchen Organization Hacks

Tasha created a kitchen organization video years ago on YouTube, and it has over 1 Million views!  We thought it was definitely time for an updated version of that video with some all new hacks.  Here are 25 kitchen organization hacks that you need to know!  Watch the video here or keep reading for some kitchen inspiration!

1.  Stackable Plastic Drawers

My kitchen has huge lower cabinets that are just open spaces (as you can see, LOL!).  They aren't really the best use of space as they are.  To make the space more functional, I bought these stackable plastic drawers that make it so much easier to organize smaller kitchen items.

2.  Find Storage Spaces Outside the Kitchen

Do you have extra space in the garage for a cabinet?  You could store lesser used kitchen appliances, bulk food, or serving ware that you don't access on a regular basis.  You could also use cube shelving with baskets in your living room.  No one will know what's inside anyway!

3.  Put Your Coffee Machine Next to the Sink

We use the coffee maker daily.  We also have a faucet with an extendable head.  To make it super easy to fill up the water, we just have the machine right next to the sink.  I can swing the faucet head over to it and fill it up without moving anything!

4.  Space-Saving Silverware Tray

This one is apparently pretty divisive.  It's the same product I recommended in that 2019 video that so many people have watched!  I love this, but my husband would probably prefer a more traditional silverware organizer.

It saves so much space, but it does require you to “stack” your silverware in the slots, so the only thing you see are the handles.  By now I've memorized what each slot is for, so it doesn't bother me in the least, but if you're a visual cue person, this might bug you a bit.

5.  If You Have Very Little Upper Cabinet Space…

Use the space you do have for things that are most frequently used.  You want the stuff you use most often in the easiest to access spots, which are usually the upper cabinets.

6.  If you have big boxy cabinets…

Store appliances in them!  Air fryers, food processers, mixers, etc. all take up a ton of space.  Might as well put that big boxy cabinet to good use storing your larger items.

7.  Microwave Placement

I'm not sure this would qualify as “easy” since it might require adding outlets.  We have our microwave on the end of our island.  I also keep my air fryer there that we use all the time, and both stay plugged in thanks to the outlets my husband added on the back of the shelves.

8.  Use Consistent Labels

All throughout my kitchen you'll see the same style of labels.  It helps everything stay cohesive.  Even though the bins/drawers/baskets might be different, the labels are all the same style and help me remember where everything goes.

9.  Use Bins!

There are so many little bits of things in a kitchen.  I corral everything in bins.  A chocolate bar will be so messy if it's just tossed on a shelf, but if you pile it in a bin with other sweets, now all of a sudden you're organized!

10.  Sheet Pan Storage

I use all the bits of vertical space (like the small slots on either side of my stacking plastic drawers) to store cookie sheets vertically.  I also stack muffin pans in the space on top of my plastic drawers so I'm not wasting any cabinet space!

11.  Tall Upper Cabinets

I have a super tall pantry cabinet.  I'm tall myself, but the top shelf is still a bit much for me to easily reach.  Plastic bins to the rescue!  I can usually manage to slide out a bin and put it back on the top shelf, but if I had little items up there, I'd have to get a stepladder, which makes things really inefficient.

12.  Pantry Declutter

You can absolutely declutter your pantry! Every few months, I go through my pantry to check for expiring foods.  Inevitably we end up with some things that we just aren't going to eat.  If it's still in date, donate it to a food pantry so only food you actually want to eat stays.  It will make food prep so much easier to only have the foods you want to eat on your shelves!

13.  Open Shelving

This is so popular right now, and I love the look visually, but it can really be difficult to use!  Everything is out in the open.  So I want it to look good, and it needs to be frequently used items so dust and grease don't build up!  I keep my drinking glasses that get used every day on my shelves, along with a pretty frying pan that is my most-used skillet.  I also mix in a few items that are just for decor to keep it looking aesthetically pleasing, too!

14.  Cleaning Hack

We use our coffee maker multiple times a day.  It's an espresso machine, so it can get a bit messy when we tamp the grounds.  Because of this, I keep it on a silicone mat to protect my counter from stains.  It's also really easy to just wipe off the mat or take it to the sink for a full wash.

15.  Use trays!

While I don't like things on my counter, some stuff just needs to be there.  To make it look less haphazard, I keep things like salt and pepper and butter on a little wooden tray.  It's amazing how much better it looks this way!

16.  Bulk Food Storage

I love Costco, and you can save some significant money by buying certain things in bulk.  But then you have the problem of storing it.  I try to keep my bulk foods in places that are harder to get to.  I wouldn't want to keep things I use often in these places, but it's okay if it's a little harder to access my bulk foods because I'm not getting them all that often.  So I try to store them in lower cabinets close to the floor, in the garage, or even in other rooms of the house (as long as you don't forget where you put it!).

17.  Store Utensils in Different Places

This sounds like an odd hack.  But I have doubles of a lot of utensils, and I don't need all of them very often.  I keep my extras in a plastic drawer and the ones I use most often close by in a top drawer or a utensil crock on the counter.

18.  Pantry Cabinet Drawers

If you have a big deep pantry cabinet, consider installing some slide out trays or drawers.  It can make the items stored in the back so much easier to get to!

19.  Dishes

It usually takes you less time to do the dishes than you think it will!  It can seem like a monumental task, but usually it takes me about 10 minutes to do a whole sink and counter full of dishes.  I do have a dishwasher, but even if you don't, it still is a smaller job than you make it out to be in your head.

20.  Basket of Rags

I try to use as little paper towel as possible.  I do still use it, but the more I can use washable rags instead, the more money I save on buying paper towels!  To make myself actually use the rags, they have to be easy to access.  So I keep a basket of them next to the sink.  I bought a 100 pack of microfiber cloths on Amazon.  Every so often when they get super grungy, I'll toss them and pull out another 10 to have at the ready.

21.  Match Lids with Food Storage

It can be so annoying to not have the right lid for the container.  I keep my bases in one bin, and my lids in another.  you could also store them together and matched up.  Choose what works best for you, but at least declutter so you know you have a lid for every base.

22.  Easy Access to Hand Towels

These should be changed out very frequently (along with dish cloths if you use them).  To remind myself to do this, I try to make them super easily accessible.  Keep them in a nearby drawer so they're always ready to go.

23.  Refrigerator

The best way to make your refrigerator look good is to clean it!  Periodically, remove everything from the shelves and wash the inside– shelves and walls.  It will look super clean and smell fresh afterward.  Then go through any spoiled food and toss.  Only put back what you plan to eat.  It will make such a difference!

24.  Bins in the Fridge

I like to use a few bins to corral smaller things like cheese packages or condiments so they aren't strewn about everywhere.  They don't get knocked over or lost if they're in a bin!

25.  Spice Jars

It can be so annoying if you're decanting a spice, and it just won't all fit.  Then you end up hanging onto the other bottle with just a tiny bit left in it.  The solution here is to buyer larger spice jars.  I buy them on Amazon, and they're just a bit larger than most grocery store jars, which means I'm never left storing extra spices!

If you want links for things I mentioned here, check out my Best Products Guide for the Kitchen!