Tips for Organizing Your Kitchen in Your Apartment

Are you moving into a new apartment and looking for tips to keep it clean? Is your current kitchen starting to get messy? You might benefit from some kitchen storage ideas to help you organize it and make it more efficient.

Whether making breakfast and coffee in the morning or dinner in the evening, your kitchen setup affects how your day starts and ends. So, instead of working around your kitchen, make it work for you by organizing it effectively!

What to Consider Before Apartment Kitchen Organization

Organizing and deep cleaning your space gives you a clean slate and brings a calmer feel to the area. It can also create a more functional space, allowing you to make better use of your kitchen. 

However, while kitchen storage and organization help you make the most of your home, you need to give it some thought before you start. What do you use the kitchen for the most? For example, if you make cups of tea or coffee several times a day, then you might want to make space to leave your kettle or coffee pot on the counter instead of in your overhead cupboards. 

Also, consider if any areas cause traffic jams or frustrations in the kitchen. For example, if the pots are too far away from the stove or the cooking spoons are mixed in with eating utensils, it could cause significant inconveniences when preparing meals. 

Steps to Organize Your Kitchen 

Organizing to optimize kitchen space is important when entertaining guests or trying to maximize comfort. A clean kitchen makes cooking less stressful and helps you get more creative with your culinary inventions. Getting things in order is easy if you follow these steps for kitchen organization and storage.

1. Empty Everything Out

To organize the space correctly, you have to understand what you’re working with. However, before you start emptying all the cupboards, make sure you have enough time to dedicate to cleaning your kitchen. Ideally, you don’t want dishes scattered about for more than a day. 

When cleaning day arrives, go cabinet by cabinet and remove everything. You can temporarily place items on the counter, floor or in boxes. Line the area with newspapers or bubble wrap to prevent breaking and clanking. Emptying everything helps you to approach your kitchen as a blank slate and makes the next steps a lot easier. 

2. Deep Clean the Kitchen

Before you start brainstorming kitchen storage and organization ideas, you want to work in a clean space. Deep cleaning keeps the area cleaner for longer and makes it easier to maintain. It also ensures that your dishes and cutlery are kept in a hygienic place. Here’s how to clean different areas of your kitchen: 

• Cupboards: Remove dust and crumbs with a vacuum or a dry cloth. Wipe your cupboards with warm, soapy water and pat dry with a microfiber cloth.
• Countertops: Spray cleaning product onto a dry cloth and gently wipe over surfaces. Since small splashes can be hard to see, you want to wipe down everything. With stubborn stains, spray the product directly onto the spot and leave it to sit. When the area is slightly dry, go in with a damp cloth and wipe until there’s no soapy residue left. 
• Floors: Wiping the countertops may cause crumbs and other residue to fall onto the floor, so it’s important to clean the floors at the end. Sweep or vacuum the floors, getting into the corners to pick up all the dirt. Next, mop your floors, rinsing the mop in clean water every few swipes to prevent spreading dirt. 

When performing a deep clean, aim to choose products without volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can contribute to headaches, allergic reactions and chronic respiratory issues. You can make a homemade kitchen cleaner by combining vinegar and water, and baking soda works well for scrubbing. For a nicer smell, you can add essential oils like tea tree and grapefruit to your vinegar solution. Alternatively, invest in a VOC-free cleaner to get the place sparkling while keeping the air free of harmful fumes. 

3. Purge the Nonessentials 

Now, let’s get back to all the stuff you emptied of the cupboards and took off the shelf. To start implementing kitchen organization and storage solutions, say goodbye to some of the things you don’t need — nobody needs five sets of measuring cups!

As a golden rule, you don’t need to keep more than one set of kitchen tools and cooking utensils. Keep any duplicates in a separate box for backups, donating or a garage sale. Here are some of the essential kitchen tools that you should keep in sets for convenient cooking: 

• A knife set with different sizes and sharpness levels 
• Different cooking spoons like spatulas, slotted spoons and ladles 
• Pots and pans in different sizes to make various portions and meals 
• Multiple cutting boards for different uses like meat, fish, fruits and vegetables
• Digital scales to get accurate measurements

Don’t hold on to items that you haven’t used in years. If you have sentimental kitchen pieces that you don’t use but are still important to you, move them to other areas of your home where they may serve you better.

You should also let go of any broken utensils. It’s much easier to replace them, and buying new ones could save you time.

Trouble Deciding? Create Organization Piles

If you’ve got all your kitchen items lying in front of you and are having trouble deciding what to keep, creating organization piles is one of the best kitchen organization ideas. All you have to do is get three large boxes and label them:

•  Keep: The items you need in the kitchen should go into the “Keep” box.
•  Move: The things that you need but that don’t belong in the kitchen, like sentimental crockery, should go in the “Move” box.
•  Give: Any extras or unnecessary items belong in the “Give” box. 

4. Categorize the Necessities

Now that you’ve decided what you’ll keep, the next step is to find the most convenient place to put these items. Separating tools according to how you use them makes preparing and enjoying meals easier. Look at each space in your kitchen and organize items based on where you use them most frequently.

Kitchen Counter Organization

Let’s start with the day-to-day items you want to keep on your countertops. These should include things you use regularly and enjoy convenient access to. Creating zones in your kitchen based on what you use each area for helps simplify the process. For example:

• Morning rituals: Consider how you start your day. Perhaps you make a cup of tea or coffee every morning. You’ll want your kettle, coffee pot, tea bags, coffee grounds or syrups near the cabinet where you keep your mugs. You could even use a tray to keep things like sugar dispenser jars organized.
• Cooking station: The cooking station is an essential area to organize in your kitchen. You likely want to be able to reach particular items while making meals. For example, you might keep your knives and spices on racks near your stove.
• Baking supplies: If you bake, create a zone for relevant appliances and utensils. For example, you could put your standing mixer near your flour and sugar containers or above the drawer where you keep your measuring cups. If you do not bake often, you can likely keep larger appliances in cupboards or cabinets and leave room on your countertops for other tools. 
• Meal preparation: Create an area for meal preparation that’s central to your cooking and baking zones, and place your cutting board here. You can also put your toaster and bread box near this space for quick and convenient snacking.

Kitchen Cabinet Organization

Once you have an idea of what you want out in the open, you can decide what to put in your cabinets. Consider your kitchen zones and which items you want close by. Here are a few ideas: 

• Overhead cabinets: This space is ideal for mugs, cups, plates, bowls and plastic containers. Keep ceramics and glass at eye level so they’re easy to see and reach. Place your plastic cups and containers on the shelves above so that even if they fall, there’s no harm done.
• Lower cabinets: The lower cabinets are better suited for large, bulky items like pots, pans and casserole dishes, which could cause more harm than a mug or plastic cup if they fall from high up. A lower corner cabinet can also hold appliances that you don’t use every day, such as a crockpot.
• Under-the-sink cabinet: The cupboard under your sink is ideal for kitchen cleaning supplies like sponges and dish detergent. 

Kitchen Pantry Organization

Your pantry is where you’ll store all your nonperishable foods and ingredients, from oil and flour to noodles and cereals. Let’s start with the floor. Keep in mind that if you have pets, you may want to avoid storing food on the floor level, especially if you’re prone to leaving the pantry door open. Instead, start by placing heavier, bulk items like bottled water and cans of soda on the floor. You can also use the floor space to store large appliances you don’t use often or don’t fit in drawers or cabinets. Paper towel rolls also fit nicely down there.

Your pantry’s lower shelves are ideal for ingredients like flour, rice and sugar. Your lightest food items, like spices, condiments, snacks, tinned foods and cereals, can fill out its upper levels.

Kitchen Drawer Organization

Your drawers are usually the most straightforward section of your kitchen to organize. The number of drawers you have to work with affects how you use them.

Typically, you place your cutlery, such as knives, forks and spoons, in a top drawer that’s close to your plates cabinet. In another drawer, you can place cooking or baking utensils like whisks, spatulas and measuring cups. A third drawer can hold dry towels, placemats, dishcloths and napkins. If you have other odds and ends that need a home, an extra drawer could be the perfect spot.

Tips for Maintaining an Organized Kitchen

Now that your kitchen is fresh and clean, how do you keep it that way? It’s all about applying some basic principles to maintain cleanliness and a state of order. Here are some steps to keep your kitchen sparkling: 

• Load and unload the dishwasher at the correct times: Empty the dishwasher before you start cooking and reload it after every meal to prevent dishes from piling up and cluttering the space. 
• Clean as you go: When cooking or baking, fill one side of your sink with warm, soapy water. This way, you can toss measuring cups, utensils, pots and pans right in the sink when you’re done. When you have some time, such as when your cookies are in the oven or your chili is simmering, you can clean everything.
• Wash tricky utensils and tools immediately: Graters, strainers and pots with burnt bits are more challenging to clean when left longer and could lead to a pileup in the sink. Wash them as soon as possible so it’s easier to get through the dirt. 
• Invest in kitchen organization products: There are many nifty organization tools out there, such as mini garbage cans for food scraps, drawer organizers and mug holders. 
• Keep countertops clear: While it may be tempting to throw your car keys, jacket and cell phone on the kitchen countertops, it can invite unnecessary clutter. Maintaining sufficient space on the countertops makes it easier to prepare food and prevents messes. 
• Check the kitchen every night: Before you turn the lights out and go to bed, do a walk-through of your kitchen. Make sure no dirty utensils are lying around, and check for crumbs on the counter. Checking that the kitchen is organized every night means you can wake up to a clean space for breakfast.
• Use a vinegar cleaning spray: Vinegar-based cleaning sprays help prevent stains and mildew, and vinegar also repels ants and prevents them from entering your home. 

Apartment Kitchen Features That Help Ensure an Organized Space

If you’re a culinary enthusiast, you may have more kitchen storage needs. While there are many ways to optimize your space with additions like floating shelves, racks and stands, you could also consider certain features when looking for a new apartment. For example, an island counter with more kitchen storage cabinets can make preparation and dining more convenient and efficient.

Here are some other helpful organizational kitchen features to look for when apartment hunting:

• Low overhead cabinets: Look for cabinets that aren’t too high above your head or out of reach so your things are less likely to fall out and break. 
• A lot of drawers and cabinets: If you have a lot of utensils, appliances and crockery that you aren’t willing to part with, consider looking for an apartment with plenty of kitchen cabinets and drawers. This way, you can keep everything you need and hold onto anything with sentimental value. 
• Large drawers: Most kitchen drawers are suitable for utensils and cutlery, but if you have lots of pots, pans and oven dishes, large drawers can come in handy. They’re also convenient if you cook often, making it easier to organize the ones you use most frequently.
• Plenty of counter space: Look for an apartment with a lot of counter space in the kitchen so you can maintain organized zones, have ample preparation space, and keep larger appliances and more utensils out in the open.

Find Your Perfect Home With Triple Crown Corporation

Are you looking for a townhome or apartment where you can express your inner foodie? Triple Crown Corporation offers a wide range of apartments in residential communities across Pennsylvania and Maryland with incredible features like kitchens that provide ample space.

If you’re ready to take advantage of more than 40 years of experience, contact our friendly team today and let us help you find your perfect home.