How To Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets Like A Pro

If your kitchen cabinets are bursting with mismatched Tupperware, forgotten spices, and precarious towers of plates, you’re not alone. We all plan to organize our kitchen cabinets “one of these days,” but life gets busy, and that magical day never comes. However, an organized kitchen makes a huge impact, so it’s time to organize the cabinets and stop stressing out every time you enter your kitchen.

Organized kitchen cabinets make it easier to meal prep, grocery shop, host guests, and keep things tidy. Empty the cabinets and clean them, sort items, plan your design, and get appropriate organizers to maximize space. Put things back according to your plan, use labels, and tweak your system regularly to keep it working well.

Organizing your kitchen cabinets might feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Approach the process in small chunks, plan time for the project, and you’ll be enjoying a well-sorted kitchen in no time.

Why Bother Organizing Kitchen Cabinets?

You might try to convince yourself that organizing your kitchen cabinets isn’t that big a deal. After all, once the doors are closed, you don’t see the mess, right? (Unless you’re dealing with organizing glass cabinets.) But the benefits of organized cabinets go way beyond a tidy kitchen.

1. Organized Kitchen Cabinets Save Time

Kiss the days of digging through piles of mismatched food containers and playing “name that pot lid” goodbye. When everything has a place, cooking and cleaning are way less stressful, take less time, and dare we say it, are even enjoyable.

2. You Don’t Waste So Much Food (Or Money)

We’ve all been there. Buying a bunch of food that we already have because we don’t know we have it. Spices, canned goods, and other items end up hiding behind other things in the cupboards.

You buy duplicates, or you simply forgot about the stuff long enough that now it’s expired. Either way, it wastes food and money. You may also buy duplicate kitchen tools if your cabinets are so jumbled you can’t find the things you need.

3. You Win Back More Space In Your Kitchen

A well-organized cabinet can hold way more stuff than one that’s in chaos. Having a clearer picture of what you have and taking full advantage of vertical space is storage gold.

Plus, when your kitchen cabinets are better organized, it frees up more space elsewhere for storage or the highly coveted white space (empty space). Yes, leaving surfaces as clear as possible and allowing a bit of space between items on shelves and in cabinets looks and feels so much better.

4. Organized Kitchen Cabinets Make Meal Prep Easier

Knowing where things are means smoother meal prep. You won’t waste energy hunting for your spices, mixing bowls, or measuring cups. Instead, you can get straight to work mixing, slicing and dicing, and planning out meals for the week like a boss.

5. It’s Cleaner

It’s so much easier to clean when things aren’t piled on top of each other. Therefore, you’ll have fewer crumbs, spills, and random sticky jars when you keep things tidy in your kitchen. The bonus is you’ll also decrease the odds of little critters making their way into cabinets and other nooks and crannies.

6. Tidy Cabinets Reduce Stress

Household chaos can lead to stress. You’ve likely heard the saying, “A cluttered house equals a cluttered mind.” On the flip side, opening a clean, organized cabinet can give your brain an instant boost that delivers a calm, soothing wave of stress-free bliss.

7. Grocery Shopping Isn’t Such A Chore

If you know what’s in your cabinets, you're less likely to overbuy or forget something (like we said, no more wasting food). But this also makes grocery shopping a breeze.

You can see exactly what you have (and what you need) at a glance instead of guessing or digging through hoards of cans and boxes.

8. Organized Cabinets Make Hosting Guests Easier

If you love hosting for the holidays, throwing a dinner party, or have frequent overnight guests, it’s so much easier with organized kitchen cabinets. Your guests can find a coffee mug, fork, cereal bowl, etc., easily, which makes things less stressful for you, too.

Follow These Simple Steps To Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets

Okay, now you’re convinced your cabinet organizing efforts are worth it. What’s next? Here are the steps to follow to organize your kitchen cabinets and make life easier.

Step 1: Take Everything Out (Yes, Everything!)

First things first—empty those cabinets. Take out every last mug, every stray lid, every mystery spice jar from 2012. Why? Because starting with a blank slate makes it easier to see what you have, what you actually use, and what needs to go.

Yes, it means your kitchen is going to resemble a rummage sale for a couple of days, but it’s the best way to cut through the clutter quickly. Therefore, schedule time to organize your cabinets. Don’t suddenly decide to do it when you only have a couple of hours to spare.

Step 2: Sort Like A Boss

Now that everything’s out, it’s time to come to grips with the fact that you have five spatulas and a garlic press from 1959. Go through the items and first put similar items together. This makes it easy to single out duplicates. You can also quickly identify broken or worn-out items (and the things you have no clue as to what they are).

Next, create three categories:

• Keep: Items you use regularly and truly need (be honest!).
• Donate: Things in good condition that you haven’t used in the past year (that quesadilla maker from 2015? Remember — be honest!). Also, any duplicates or mystery items you identified. You simply don’t need eight sets of tongs.
• Toss: Broken, expired, or unusable items—yes, that includes the spice jar with no smell or that unlabeled bottle of mystery goo.

Step 3: Clean Like You Mean It

How often do you have your cabinets empty? Likely, never. Take advantage and give your cabinets a good scrub. Wipe down the shelves, vacuum out the crumbs (where do they even come from?!), and consider adding shelf liners to keep things fresh and easy to clean in the future.

Step 4: Design Your Cabinet Layout

Now for the fun part—strategizing! Think about how you use your kitchen. The goal is to make your most-used items easy to access. Here’s a general guideline:

• Everyday dishes and glasses: Store them in a cabinet near the dishwasher or sink for easy unloading.
• Pots, pans, and bakeware: Keep them near the stove for seamless cooking.
• Spices and seasonings: Arrange them near your prep area for easy reach while cooking. (But watch how closely you store them near heat sources, so you don’t compromise the spices.)
• Tupperware and food storage: Stackable containers work best. Store lids separately in an organizer to prevent the dreaded lid avalanche.
• Rarely used appliances: If you only break out the waffle maker once a year, store it on a high shelf or in a separate storage area. The only small appliances that should remain out in the open are ones you use daily. If you use something a few times a week, keep it on an easier-to-reach cabinet shelf.

Step 5: Use Organizers Like A Pro

Investing in a few key organizational tools gives your kitchen cabinets that Pinterest-worthy look. But beyond looks, the right storage solutions also make your life easier. Here are some game-changers:

• Shelf risers maximize vertical space.
• Lazy Susans are a dream for deep cabinets or corner cabinets. The spinning trays keep things within reach, so nothing gets lost in the back.
• Drawer dividers are ideal for utensils and smaller items.
• Clear bins keep similar items together (think: snack bin, baking essentials, coffee station container).
• Tension rods positioned vertically are great for storing cutting boards and baking sheets upright.
• Hooks on the back of cabinet doors are a go-to for hanging things like towels, utensils, and small cutting boards.
• Under-sink organizers are specially designed to work around pipes and plumbing to maximize space.

Step 6: Label Like A Legend

Labels might sound like overkill, but trust me, they make a difference. Use labels on spice jars, pantry bins, and even inside cabinet doors if you have deep storage. It helps everyone in the house know where things go, so you’re not the only one putting dishes away correctly.

Step 7: Maintain The Magic

The key to keeping your cabinets organized long-term? A simple, easy-to-maintain system. Try these tips:

• Do a quick five-minute tidy-up each week.
• Avoid overbuying kitchen gadgets and dishes.
• Stick to the "one in, one out" rule—if you get a new mug, donate an old one.
• Store items where they make the most sense based on your daily habits.
• Don’t be afraid to tweak your system after a few weeks if you realize you use certain things differently than expected.

Show Off Your Organized Kitchen Cabinets!

With your new streamlined kitchen cabinets, you’ll enjoy a more functional space. Cooking and putting away dishes and other items will be so much easier. Plus, the next time you open a cabinet, you won’t be met with a surprise avalanche of plastic containers. Cheers to a kitchen that works for you—now, who’s up for some celebratory cooking?

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• How To Organize A Small Kitchen Without A Pantry
• How To Organize Power Tools In Your Garage