[This article originally appeared in Woman’s Day]
Image courtesy of KaboomPics
Follow this plan for a more streamlined space
How did your kitchen get out of control? You may not have set it up the right way, says Vicki Norris, president of Restoring Order in Portland, Oregon. “Organize based on the way you live.” Here’s how.
Day 1
Move the monsters. Reassign large or rarely used appliances (turkey roasters, bread makers) to the garage or basement. “Make items earn their real estate in the kitchen,” says Deniece Schofield, author of Kitchen Organization Tips and Secrets.
Day 2
Face the madness. Pull out all kitchen items and group them (dishes, silverware, pans, cookbooks). Toss damaged items; set aside extras to donate. Once storage areas are empty, measure them and make a list of containers to buy.
Day 3
Shop for storage. But before you do, “break away from what you think a kitchen should look like,” says Joe Provey, author of 1,001 Ideas for Kitchen Organization. “It will enable you to do more with the space.” It worked for Julia Child: Her kitchen, now at the Smithsonian, was a testament to how to rethink that room. Could you put a lazy Susan atop the fridge? Hang hooks inside a pantry door? When you restock everything, include this new storage. ( Click here to see other Organizing Tools the Pros Love.)
Day 4
Create stations. “Keep things where you use them,” Schofield says. Have a jones for java? Arrange coffee, mugs, spoons, sugar and the coffeemaker together on a counter tray. Love to bake? Store items you’ll need in a movable butcher block.
Day 5
Add polish. “Ah, the joy of clean surfaces,” says Norris. Make your newly organized space look even nicer: Put fresh flowers or a big bowl of colorful fruit in a nook.
-By Melinda Dodd
Visit Woman’s Day to see the original: http://www.womansday.com/home/organizing-cleaning/tips/a4735/5-days-to-an-organized-kitchen-103819/
See the PDF here: Woman’s Day – 5 Days to an Organized Kitchen 3.1.2010
