Struggling to keep your kitchen cabinets organized? We’ve got you covered! Check out our tips and tricks to declutter, maximize storage and make the most of your kitchen space. From clever kitchen storage solutions to smart countertop organization hacks and pantry organization ideas, you’ll find everything you need to make your kitchen super-organized!
The kitchen truly is the heart of the home. So much happens in the kitchen and when things are cluttered and impossible to find, it’s super frustrating. When I took the time to organize the kitchen cabinets and drawers, my time in the kitchen became much more efficient and much less stressful.
When we bought this house 3 years ago, the FIRST thing I did was repaint the ugly kitchen cabinets. There were many aesthetic updates that the house needed, but the kitchen was number one on my list.
Like most moms, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and I knew that I would feel productive and happier at homeif I didn’t have to see ugly 1980s cabinets every single day.
SHORT ON TIME? SAVE TO PINTEREST NOW & READ ABOUT HOW TO ORGANIZE KITCHEN CABINETS LATER!
This post may contain affiliate links meaning that I may earn a small percentage (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase through a link that I share. See full disclosure.
Why Organize Kitchen Cabinets?
Saves time
Saves money
Less Stress
Easier to clean
Promotes healthy meals
To save time
I was wasting so much time searching for a container with a lid, trying to find a cutting board, and so on. And since I didn’t have designated places for every single item, when hubby would empty the dishwasher, things were really impossible to find.
Organized kitchen cabinets will save you oodles of time.
If I had a nickel for every time I decided to order food because the thought of being in my unorganized kitchen to prepare a meal was too much….well, I’d probably have enough money to design a new kitchen and install custom drawer pullouts for every cabinet in my house!
We save money when things are organized, and not just in the kitchen.
Take advantage of the stressful situations that you can control. Keeping your home clutter in order will help you manage stress.
Easier to clean
A clutter free and organized space is always easier to clean. Then, when you need to clean house fast for unexpected guests, it’s much less of a chore.
You will certainly feel more motivated to prepare healthy meals and snacks when you can quickly find all of the things you need in your organized kitchen pantry.
Steps to Organize Kitchen Cabinets
Take everything out
Discard/Recycle anything broken
Box up extras and unused items
Clean & prepare the space
Group like items together and place them where it makes the most sense
What to do 1st to Organize the Kitchen Cabinets ?
First, you need to know what you have have hiding out in all those deep dark kitchen cupboards.
Take everythingout of every single cabinet and drawer.
I bring in big folding tables from the garage and place everything there.
Make sure you set aside a big chunk of time for this.
Oh, and don’t make any decisions yet…just take everything out.
2nd Step When Organizing Cabinets
Remove.
Box up anything that is broken or no longer works properly and discard (or recycle).
This should be the easiest step. No real decisions to make…if it’s broken or doesn’t work—out it goes.
Organize Kitchen Cabinets Step 3
Declutter.
Decide what you simply don’t needor use and put into boxes.
Here’s my biggest problem:
I could never decide if I might need/want it in the future.
I had two crock pots…TWO…not the small ones either.
Oh, I had two small ones as well—the ones that you might use for dips—but I also had two full sized crock pots.
For a family of six.
I know what I was thinking when I decided to monopolize two cabinets for my crock pot hoard.
I thought:
“Wouldn’t it be handy if we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner to be able to have the dressing cooking in one slow cooker and sweet potato casserole in the other? Then I could have gravy in one of the small crock pots and dip in the other!”
I’d been holding onto all these slow cookers for about 5 years and guess how many times the above scenario went down?
ZERO.
It’s difficult for most of us to get rid of things that we think might be useful.
It’s often painful to know the the hit our budget has taken and the money we have spent on items that are doing nothing more than taking up space.
In the past, I would guiltily put all of the unused items neatly back into the cabinet….I couldn’t bear to get rid of things that I might someday need.
But, things start to get out of hand after years of this kind of faulty thinking.
So I started boxing up the things that I knew we didn’t need or use.
Then I labeled the side of the box with what items were inside and put it in the garage for storage.
And here’s the most important part:
Put the date on the box label!
Now, you can relax because if you need multiple crock pots, you can just go out to the garage (or wherever you store excess), and retrieve one.
If an entire year passes without needed anything from the box….donate it!
It’s already boxed and ready to go!
But wait:
Isn’t that just causing a cluttered mess in the garage?
It’s a compromise.
It’s not clutter because it’s boxed and labeled, and the peace of mind it gives those of us who struggle with letting go of useful items is worth a box stored in the garage.
Besides, you’ll be donating it in a year because chances are, you won’t need it.
How do You Know What Items to Declutter from the Kitchen?
things you don’t use
anything broken
plastic containers without lids
any food or spices that are expired—donate foods that you know you’ll never eat (if not expired)
extras–do we really need 12 wooden spoons? Keep a few of your favorites and donate the rest
cookbooks you no longer use
any small appliances that aren’t used
unused kitchen gadgets–and be honest–if you haven’t used it, you probably won’t
excess coffee mugs, chipped mugs
extra pots/pans and lids
excess baking dishes
unused mixing bowls
extra colanders
raggedy oven mitts
worn out dish towels
unused cleaning products
excess cutlery
damaged cutting boards
extra or chipped dishes—plates, bowls, glasses
unwanted silverware
serving dishes that you never ever use
And if you’ve decluttered and organized and your house still looks cluttered, then read:
There are many kitchen organization products that will make the most of the space that you have.
These cabinet shelf risers are so useful and will utilize the vertical space in your cabinets. Lazy susans help keep things organized and always within reach and are perfect for those awkward corner spots.
5th Step When Organizing Kitchen Cabinets
Next, think about where you should put things. You want items you use regularly to be as accessible as possible.
They come in so many sizes and they are more than half the price of the wooden pull outs.
These were seriously so easy to install. I absolutely love them!
It’s now easier for hubby to help put things away since each basket is labeled. Nothing gets lost in the back anymore. The height of the baskets allows for storage of more items.
The Container Store’s Kitchen sale is happening now:
You can find every single thing you need to organize every part of your kitchen and pantry.
And after you get your kitchen cabinets decluttered and organized, it’s time to organize kitchen drawers.
Other Kitchen Organizational Tools
Now’s the time to decide if you need to buy any other things to help get your kitchen organized. Some of my favorite things to use when organizing the kitchen:
If you liked this and thought it was helpful, would you share to Pinterest or Facebook? It lets the search engines know that I provide quality content and helps keep my website alive. 🙂
Thank you SO much!!
20 thoughts on “How to Quickly Organize Kitchen Cabinets in 1 Day”
I’m just finishing up a kitchen island and I can’t wait to tackle my cupboards and use these techniques to declutter and organize! Thanks for all the great tips!
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect for the kitchen. I have one on my pantry door for dog/cat treats/food. And I cut one in half for two cabinet doors for cleaning supplies, sponges, wipes, cleaning solutions. Also a pool noodle, notched, is great for brooms, mops, dust pan. No more falling out of the closet
Barbie, these are fantastic suggestions! Love the suggestion to cut a door shoe organizer in half! And the pool noodle solution sounds better than the store bought holders….I’ll be trying it!
I have just recently reorganizing and decluttering my kitchen cupboards. I used many of your suggestions. if I had more containers of the same size, I would have done better. I still need to sort through my spices; I do this once a year but this year life just got in the way. Thanks so much for your advise.
Hi Angela, I do have some things that work for me-(small galley-style kitchen).
(1 drawer)silverware, serving spoons, chopsticks, & straws, +Rubbermaid drawer dividers (they lock together & hold a lot).
(1 drawer) measuring utensils and most knives, spatulas, rasps, corkscrews etc.
(1 drawer)a shallow one, spices & herbs (should be away from light & heat+ small container so they stay fresh).
(1 shallow drawer)-next to stove, for oven mitts, hot pads, silicone trivets +special glove to wear when I’m grating things (no scraped knuckles).
No small kids, so I have a magnet bar on the side of the frig (for paring & cutting knives & shears-right where I need it.
Narrow cabinet by stove: cutting boards, cookie sheets, stacking wire sheets for cooling cakes & cookies (get double duty for raising roast out of pan juices).
Upper cabinets for cups/plates/bowls (use a stacking rack–saves space) & makes them easy to retrieve & glasses to the side.
I converted a broom closet into an appliance “barn” , also holds big roasting pans & aluminum foil, parchment paper, saran wrap, etc.
The pantry has pull-out drawers on the lower level & shelves on top.
I’m just finishing up a kitchen island and I can’t wait to tackle my cupboards and use these techniques to declutter and organize! Thanks for all the great tips!
Thank you so much, Jenn! A kitchen island is on my wish list! Have fun!
Super great post! I’ve been putting this task off for too long.
Thanks so much, Meagan! I’m the queen of procrastinating but feel so much better when it’s done!
This really helped I have been trying to figure out the best way to organize my tiny kitchen with 2 full time working parents and 5 kids
Thank you, Christina! You sure have your hands full! I really appreciate you reading and I hope you found some helpful ideas you can use.
Thanks your ideas are helping me get organized in my kitchen.. will definitely check out the container place too
Thank you so much, Pearl…I’m thrilled that this was helpful! Be warned: The Container Store is addictive! I LOVE that place! Happy organizing!
Excellent ideas I just finished my kitchen yesterday easy to find things now. Thanks
Over the door shoe organizers are perfect for the kitchen. I have one on my pantry door for dog/cat treats/food. And I cut one in half for two cabinet doors for cleaning supplies, sponges, wipes, cleaning solutions. Also a pool noodle, notched, is great for brooms, mops, dust pan. No more falling out of the closet
Barbie, these are fantastic suggestions! Love the suggestion to cut a door shoe organizer in half! And the pool noodle solution sounds better than the store bought holders….I’ll be trying it!
I have just recently reorganizing and decluttering my kitchen cupboards. I used many of your suggestions. if I had more containers of the same size, I would have done better. I still need to sort through my spices; I do this once a year but this year life just got in the way. Thanks so much for your advise.
That’s great, Heather!! Keep up the good work!
I am trying my best to get my house organized, you make it seem so easy I love your skills, thank you.
Hi Angela, I do have some things that work for me-(small galley-style kitchen).
(1 drawer)silverware, serving spoons, chopsticks, & straws, +Rubbermaid drawer dividers (they lock together & hold a lot).
(1 drawer) measuring utensils and most knives, spatulas, rasps, corkscrews etc.
(1 drawer)a shallow one, spices & herbs (should be away from light & heat+ small container so they stay fresh).
(1 shallow drawer)-next to stove, for oven mitts, hot pads, silicone trivets +special glove to wear when I’m grating things (no scraped knuckles).
No small kids, so I have a magnet bar on the side of the frig (for paring & cutting knives & shears-right where I need it.
Narrow cabinet by stove: cutting boards, cookie sheets, stacking wire sheets for cooling cakes & cookies (get double duty for raising roast out of pan juices).
Upper cabinets for cups/plates/bowls (use a stacking rack–saves space) & makes them easy to retrieve & glasses to the side.
I converted a broom closet into an appliance “barn” , also holds big roasting pans & aluminum foil, parchment paper, saran wrap, etc.
The pantry has pull-out drawers on the lower level & shelves on top.
Wow! These are awesome suggestions!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Deborah! Blessings to you!