For many people, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where food and drinks are made, friends and family gather, and meals are prepped and enjoyed. But if using your kitchen is a stressful experience and doesn’t inspire joy and calm, you could be making major mistakes with your organization—with one behavior in particular causing disorder. This habit not only interferes with how conveniently you can use your kitchen, but encourages clutter and mess. Here is the number one mistake people make in kitchen organization.
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No Designated Spaces
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It’s important to put kitchen items in the same place for storage, be it silverware or cooking pans. Constantly moving things around instead of placing items in designated spaces is inviting chaos into your kitchen. "It feels easier in the moment to just place a serving spoon in a random drawer or cabinet, but you run the risk of forgetting where you placed it the next time you need it," organizing expert Tamar Prager, founder of tamarprager.com and host of the podcast The Paper Weight, tells Martha Stewart. "When we take the time to decide where we want our items to live, and consistently return those items to that same place, cooking in the kitchen runs more smoothly and with ease."
Be Smart About Those Spaces
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Don’t just decide where to store things willy-nilly—take some time and think about what works best for what you need. "We need our kitchen space to work for us," Prager says. "Ask yourself the following questions to get a clear sense of how the space needs to serve you: What do I do most often in this space? Cook? Help my kids with their homework? What are the things that I use most that require easy access? What things do I rarely use that can be moved?"
Declutter First
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Don’t buy storage for your kitchen items before doing a thorough declutter. “It doesn’t make sense to plan storage for items that no longer serve a purpose,” residential designer Jamie Gold tells Apartment Therapy. “You’ll have more room and need fewer organizers if you focus on what should really stay in the kitchen, especially its key work zones.”
Ditch the Spice Rack
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Your spice rack could be taking up precious space, while causing spices to be less potent. “Spices often dull faster from sun exposure,” Catherine McCord, founder of Weelicious and author of Meal Prep Magic, tells Homes & Gardens. “Drawers are best for laying spices jars flat and close together so you can alphabetize and see all of your options when cooking.”
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Avoid Stacking
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Whenever you’re deciding where to put items in your kitchen, try to avoid stacking. “Anytime you stack to save space, you’re limiting access to items on the bottom,” Ashley Murphy, Co-Founder and CEO of NEAT Method, tells Homes & Gardens. “Avoid stacking by adding additional shelves whenever possible. You can typically source standard cabinet shelves from your local hardware store or purchase them online. Whenever possible, take advantage of adjustable shelving in order to accommodate tall items or to lower shelves that are out of reach. This will allow you to maximize space and make better use of your cabinets.”
Be Smart About Storage
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Don’t put things you use every day where you can’t reach them. "We often see a kitchen set up in ways that no longer serve our clients," Anna Bauer, organizing expert and owner of Sorted by Anna, tells Martha Stewart. "Families who rarely bake have baking tins, flour, and mixers in prime real estate or coffee mugs are on the opposite side of where the coffee maker is."
