So friends, I’ve been taking some time to deep clean and organize our small kitchen and I’m super psyched because I’ve discovered and created 15 Small Kitchen Organization Tips + Video Series for you all and they are all tried and true! Seriously friends, these tips are really working for our big family’s small kitchen! It’s a big deal to find what works for families that are bigger!!
Okay, so I say small kitchen-but realistically you could use all of these in any sized kitchen to help the space work and run more efficiently.
So before I tackled this year’s deep clean I did a ton of research. We were running into some repetitive problems that to be quite honest were driving me crazy for so long that eventually the issues brought me to tears!
One of the biggest problems we were having is the kids were emptying the dishwasher and putting items in a new place EVERY TIME. This meant that everytime I went to cook something it would take exceedingly longer than I expected and that it should have because I was spending over half the time searching for missing utensils and things I needed.
Another serious problem we were having was food going to waste in the fridge because-essentially if it was out of sight it was out of mind.
So I did a ton of research and put my thinking cap on and figured out some ways to solve the problems we kept running into. So let’s get started!
15 Small Kitchen Organization Tips + Video Series
Since this is the kind of thing your really have to see to get, I created a 4 part kitchen organization series on YouTube for you. In addition to that I’ve got a cheat sheet below of 15 random kitchen organization tips not covered until the last video.
Tip 1. Purge
This one is kind of a no brainer. I was already a kitchen minimalist before we moved into our small kitchen, but there were still some things I had that didn’t need. You can read my first Kitchen Minimalism Tips post which shares how to start a minimalist kitchen here. It gives some purging tips.
Tip 2. Hang it up
Measuring cups, measuring spoons, pans, cutting boards, whatever you can hang, hang it! This will save your drawer space. You’ve maybe heard of this tip before, but I like to take things an extra step. I like to invest in good looking utensils that will last a long time if they are going to be hung up and seen!
Tip 3. Selective Open Shelving
Although I love the all open shelving look, it’s not a good idea in a small kitchen because you are going to need cabinets for storage and to hide some things (like who wants their vitamins hanging out all over the place in their face, ya know).
I opted for partial or selective open shelving, and since the cabinet frame provides more shelving I kept this intact. I just removed the doors in select spaces and put contact paper up to hide the side shelf bracket holes.
The best part about this is it enabled me to get my pretty dishes up and on display.
Tip 4. Baskets
Baskets are my favorite go to when I need to coral something and create more space. One of the advantages of some open shelving is that they enable to you to utilize space upward with baskets.
I didn’t have quite enough drawer space in our kitchen for a towels and wash rags drawer, so I use baskets on my open shelving for this. I also use baskets for some dishes and my beeswax wrap.
Tip 5. Minimize Cups & Mugs
Most people have waaaaaay more than they will ever need and they take up a good chunk of real estate! I like to try to keep it to one mug per household member because they are never all in use all at the same time.
Tip 6. Look for Nesting Things
Nesting containers, bowls and dishes, everything nesting! This will help you utilize space upward instead of outward.
Tip 7. Don’t Put the Rolling Pin In A Drawer
If you have a tiny kitchen, you probably are short on drawer space. I don’t know about you but the last thing I want taking up space is a bulky rolling pin that doesn’t stay put. So I found a place in my cabinets with the cookie sheets where the rolling pin fits perfectly! If you look around I’m sure you’ll find a few cubbies where yours will fit and you can get it out of the drawer.
Tip 8. The Space By The Sink
If you have a tiny kitchen I’m guessing the space by your sink is pretty cluttered. Instead of hand soaps and dish soap on display I got a couple dispenser bottles that fit neatly side by side and I keep the soaps in them. It looks so much less cluttered!
Tip 9. Make a Spice Drawer
You’ll want to see the cabinet organization video to see why this works so well! Having a spice drawer means no more rummaging in cabinets and having to remove 3 things to find the spice in the back!
Tip 10. Lazy Susans
I stuff these everywhere! They are a small kitchen’s saving grace! They make it so you don’t have to rummage through cabinets to find what you are looking for. Instead all you have to do is spin the susan!
Tip 11. Utilize the Space Above Cabinets
Okay, so I like to use the space above my cabinets for plants….but I do have some delicate dishes up there that are only used on special occasions. I also like this space for baskets with things that I don’t need often but never want to forget where they are.
Tip 12. Rolling Carts
Okay, I’m getting ready to publish a post dedicated just to the uses of rolling carts but these things are AWESOME! I found this one that fits perfectly at the end of the counter and made it so we could take down the obnoxious hanging cabinet that used to block the view and make using the counter under it cumbersome.
14. Tone on Tone for Countertop Items
I don’t like things on my countertops, but with a tiny kitchen there’s not a lot of choice! I do have to have some things on the countertops. To keep the look as clutter free and clean looking as I can I opt for clear or tone on tone items and storage for on my counters (with the exception of a few statement containers).
Tip 15. Look for Places to Sneak In Open Shelving
I love this tip! It might be my favorite! There are usually so many places in a kitchen where you can sneak in some minimalistic looking shelving that actually utilizes what would have been lost space. And generally there are neat or pretty items you can fit perfectly on them too!
