Jamie Killin
THE WASHINGTON POST – Not only is the kitchen a high-traffic area especially prone to messes, it houses a mishmash of awkward items – likely nowhere else in the home is it possible to find a drawer of stray Tupperware lids next to one stuffed with batteries, pens and Post-it notes.
Given the range of organisational woes in the kitchen, we asked professional organisers how they tackle some of the trickiest spots and items found there. Here’s what they recommend.
TUPPERWARE
When it comes to organising Tupperware there are two schools of thought – those who believe in keeping the lids with their containers and those who split them up. Experts say both approaches can work well depending on the space.
“If there is room, I like to match all the lids with the containers and then leave the lids on and stack the containers,” said Tracy Bowers of Organize Simply in Salt Lake City. “It’s much easier. People are always telling you to separate out the lids but then years go by and youend up having way more lids than you have containers or you’re always struggling to find the right lid.”
Other pros prefer separating their lids – either storing them vertically like file folders in one container or arranging them in a lid-specific organiser.
Whichever method you choose, experts say drawer organisers are key to splitting up your Tupperware space. “I use two dividers to create three sections,” said Ashley Stewart of OCD (Organize. Create. Design) in Scottsdale, Arizona. “One will be (for) all round containers, one will be all square containers and the next will be all lids.”
UTENSILS
Drawer dividers are also a go-to solution for corralling utensils. “We like to customise every single drawer for flatware and utensils,” said Bowers. “You can use drawer organisers to play Tetris in your drawer, which allows for so much more usable space than a regular (flatware holder).”
Katrina Teeple of Operation Organization, who is based in Los Angeles and Dallas, recommended creating categories for each section of the drawer, such as stirring spoons, spatulas and tongs. And when drawer space is limited, she recommended countertop containers.
“You can use a few countertop containers to store your general utensil categories upright,” she advised. But if you go this route, she suggested cutting down on visual clutter by “investing in a combination of matching wood and stainless steel cooking tools to make the kitchen look more aesthetically pleasing.”
WATER BOTTLES
Water bottles are another bulky item that can be difficult to organise – but the pros offer several options.
If you keep them in a drawer, water bottles can be stored either vertically or horizontally with the right container. “We don’t want to just put them freely in a drawer because then they’ll slosh around,” said Teeple. “What you want to do is get drawer organisers – like some bins – that are narrow and deep so that they go the length of your drawer, but they don’t allow the water bottles to topple over when you’re closing the drawer. Another thing you can do is use water bottle organisers that allow you to lay your water bottle horizontally.”
If your water bottles stay in a cabinet, Teeple recommended storing them upright on a turntable with a grippy base that will keep them from toppling over.
JUNK DRAWER
Somehow the junk drawer always tends to live in the kitchen. To begin tackling it, Teeple recommended identifying which things actually make sense there – such as tape or batteries – and finding a space for them with drawer organisers. For everything else, she recommended the following system.
“If I know something doesn’t belong in the junk drawer, like a receipt, flier or kid party favour, I will toss it in my junk basket and go through it once a week,” she said. “Most of the time, the majority of the stuff in the junk basket is trash and I am only left with a few things to put away.”
She also advocates for changing the name of the junk drawer to the “utility drawer” or something similar, to make it clearer to your household how the space should be used.
SPICES
Spices can be controversial among organisation pros, with some advocating for stashing the bottles in a drawer, and others opting for a turntable. Stewart is a fan of both options.
“It’s always nice to put your spices in a drawer next to the stove,” she said, “so when you’re cooking on the stovetop, you can pull out the drawer, and you can see all your spices laying down.” If you don’t have space for that, she suggested keeping the bottles upright on a turntable in a cabinet near the stove.
Marisa Smith of MACmomorganizing in Madison, New Jersey, is firmly in the turntable camp: “For spices, it’s better to have them on a turntable than just shoving them in a cabinet because when you do that, you can’t see what you have.”
PANTRY ITEMS
Thanks to influences like Netflix’s Get Organized with The Home Edit, aesthetically pleasing pantries have become a favourite goal for homeowners.
According to Smith, you don’t have to decant every baking ingredient and box of cereal to achieve a happier pantry, but you do have to get rid of bulk packaging for things like fruit snacks and breakfast bars to save space. Store those items loose in bins instead. She also recommended using smaller dividers within larger bins to separate different types of snacks (chip bags from granola bars, for example).
Other pros insist the time and financial investment of decanting is worthwhile for long-term success. “I find that when we go back into a client’s house years later and we decanted their items for them, the pantry still looks stellar compared to just organising with baskets,” said Stewart. “It can be expensive at first, but it’s a one-time investment that keeps your food fresh while preventing waste and overbuying.”
Professional organisers offer a litany of ideas for handling items like sponges and cleaning products under the kitchen sink.
UNDER THE SINK
“Get a large turntable and put that on one side, which allows you to just spin it and get what you need, instead of having to dig or pull a caddy in and out for cleaning products,” said Teeple. “Then, you want to store your back-stock in the back. If you have two glass cleaners, put the one that you’re not using and haven’t opened up in the very back so that it’s not taking up that precious real estate.”
On the other side, she suggested adding stackable drawers to contain items such as extra sponges. Another trick: Install a tension rod across the back of the cabinet for hanging lesser used spray cleaners.
You can also hang items on the backs of the cabinet doors. “We like using clear, adhesive acrylic containers on the inside of your cabinet door or a cabinet door organiser,” said Susie Salinas of Systems by Susie in Annapolis, Maryland. “Those are good for storing things like sponges or brushes.”
GROCERY BAGS
Grocery bags can come in handy – but they can also become a cumbersome mess. If you can’t stand the thought of throwing the plastic and paper ones out, experts suggest stashing them in a large bin. Or, Salinas recommended using a product specifically for disposable grocery bags that can be attached to the inside of a cabinet door. For reusable shopping totes, she opts for a Command strip hook on the back of a cabinet door to hang them.
