Four Ways To Organize Your Kitchen This Fall

Fall brings us back to the kitchen. It’s the place we gather with friends and family, pack school lunches for the kids, and share a glass of wine with our partner while prepping dinner. Why not organize the heart of your home to make these activities easier?

Here are four of my best kitchen organization tips as seen recently in Northeast Seattle Living Magazine!

Set-Up Stations

Stations streamline food prep, and also make it easier for others to help the chef! You’ve probably heard of the coffee station, but why not set-up a chopping station to house cutting boards and knives, or a baking station to store baking ingredients, mixing bowls, and baking pans near the standing mixer?

Label the Fridge

It’s a good practice to deep clean the fridge every few months. Check expiration dates on bottled items, and toss ingredients your family won’t use. Sort the items that are left into categories of like with like, all the condiments together, all the drinks together, and label those areas of the fridge so your family and guests can easily find what they need. Consider dividing up your fridge with bins, and adding one for leftovers, one for snacks, and one for tonight’s dinner.

Sort Food Storage Containers

Between packing lunches for the kids, and sending guests home with leftovers, food storage containers get extra use this time of year. Sort your collection and toss any container without a matching lid. I recommend a three-slot organizer to keep the lids sorted and stacking all the containers of the same size together. Store them together in a drawer, pantry, or cupboard with a pull-out, so you can access them easily. Bonus points if you put the lunch boxes and sandwich bags nearby!

De-clutter the Counters and Open Shelving

The best way to make your kitchen feel bigger and more inviting is to de-clutter the counters and open shelving. Take everything off and wipe it all down. Eliminate the items that go elsewhere or that you no longer need. Put back only select items that you use all the time, and that you enjoy displaying. Find a home for the remaining items. If there isn’t room in your kitchen cabinets, try a hutch or sidebar. As a last step, simplify the way visible dish-soap, hand-soap and counter spray look by buying them from the same product line or decanting them into containers that all match.