18 Kitchen Organization Hacks to Help Keep Your Space Tidy

For many, the kitchen is the soul of the home. It’s the place where family and friends gather around. It’s where you can meet with your loved ones for some quality time over good meals. Unfortunately, this also means that your kitchen can end up looking like a complete disaster zone. It can definitely benefit from having a few kitchen organization hacks handy.

Here’s the thing: it’s very much possible to keep an organized kitchen even if you’re a master chef who loves to cook (and make a mess). Or if you’re a family with small kids who like to leave stuff everywhere. Keep reading for some of our favorite kitchen organization hacks that’ll help you keep the heart of your home clean and organized.

Be sure to download The Krazy Coupon Lady app for more home organizing inspiration, hacks, and tips.

 

18 Simple Kitchen Organization Hacks and Tips

Even the messiest of us can keep it clean with these simple hacks and tips.

 

1. Ditch All the Clutter

Before you do anything, you’ve got to get rid of any and all “garbage.” Toss it, sell it, recycle it, or donate it. Are you hanging onto takeout menus you never use? How about those 47 pairs of disposable chopsticks? Start fresh and with a clean slate. If it’s not something you need, then get rid of it!

 

2. Double Your Kitchen Storage as Decor

A hanging pan rack not only adds a nice touch to your kitchen but also gives you an extra place to leave your pots and pans. Decorative vases and tins might be perfect for flour, sugar, dry beans, and uncooked noodles.

A backsplash rack that takes only a few minutes to install offers both easy access and a stylish kitchen storage solution. This eliminates the need for clutter in drawers, and you’ll easily see what you’ve got to work with. Keep in mind, though, that since your utensils and other cooking tools will be on display, it’s best to make them uniform so that they look neat and organized.

 

3. Control Your Cutting Boards

Grab a metal file organizer and set your cutting boards upright. It keeps them neater and also makes it easier to grab the one you need.

 

4. Upgrade Your Condiments and Spice Storage

Keep your condiments and spices in an easy-to-store rack to clear up space in your kitchen. Use hanging racks on the backs of cupboard and pantry doors to take advantage of unused space.

Place the seasonings that you regularly cook with, like salt and pepper, near the stove. Consider installing a tiny shelving unit on the wall for easy access.

For the others, use a caddy or wooden crate so you can instantly stow them in a cabinet after cooking.

Make things look neater by using clear, uniform containers and add printed labels to identify spices easily. Store them neatly in a spice rack rather than stacking them randomly in a cupboard. Depending on your preference, there are space-saver spice racks that you can keep on the countertop, refrigerator, or microwave oven.

 

5. Save Your Old 6-Packs

After you’ve finished off that last brewski, use the leftover cardboard to better organize the condiments in your refrigerator, like mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, and sriracha.

 

6. Double Up on Microwave Space

Is your microwave taking up limited counter space? A microwave oven rack means that you can have the bulky appliance you want without losing the space that it takes up. Use it to store some of your go-to spices or seasonings, napkins, toothpicks, and other essentials.

 

7. Wrangle Spray Bottles

It can be challenging to keep spray bottles and other cleaning supplies organized so they don’t make a mess under the kitchen sink. This kitchen organization hack will save you: add a short tension rod inside your sink cabinet and hang the bottles from their handles. You can also use the rod to hang towels and rubber gloves.

This is one of our favorite hacks because it saves major space by storing products up, not out.

Related: Check out our storage solutions that will change your life.

 

8. Get a Lazy Susan

A spinning kitchen organizer is going to make your life so much easier. Let’s be honest: after you’ve finished digging through a cabinet for the spices you need, you never put them all back neatly. With this spinning space-saver, you can easily grab what you’re looking for without making a mess.

 

 

9. Don’t Forget About Multifunction Baskets

Imagine coming from the grocery store with bread, cleaning products, and fresh produce, and there’s no extra space in your fridge or countertop. A stylish but functional solution is to use baskets — whether they’re plastic stackable ones or tiered wired ones. It’s a simple and affordable way to organize your things anywhere you put them, from cabinets to kitchen counters to the fridge or under the sink.

 

10. Store Paper Towels Vertically

When you buy a mammoth-sized, Costo-amount of paper towels, let’s be real: the giant pack usually ends up on the floor or awkwardly hanging off a shelf, right? Instead, hang a shoe organizer in your closet and use each spot for a roll of paper towels.

 

11. Opt for a Mobile Kitchen Cart

A popular kitchen organization hack is to use a rolling kitchen cart because it gives additional storage and saves countertop space.

The top level provides extra work space when you’re preparing your next meal. On other days, it can be the spot for smaller appliances, like your toaster. The lower shelves can be an area for your cooking products so they won’t take up valuable (and limited) countertop space. Some even come with hooks where you can hang your gloves, towels, or cooking utensils.

Mobile kitchen carts come in different finishes — some in wood, others with shiny metal or painted various colors. Choose a cart that best suits your budget, needs, and kitchen aesthetic.

 

 

12. Get Your Plastic Bags Under Control

Do you really need 50 of them? Yes? Okay, then at least do something more than toss them under your sink. Grab an empty tissue box, shove all the bags inside, and tape the box to the inside of a cabinet door. Voila! A homemade plastic bag dispenser.

 

13. Crafty with Corkboards

Corkboards are lightweight, cheap, and easy to stick to just about anywhere. Screw in lightweight hooks and use them to hang measuring cups and spoons so they stop getting lost in the black hole that is your kitchen drawer.

 

14. Use a Pool Noodle in Tight Places

You ever get tired of having to dig toward the back of a drawer looking for the tongs you need? Cut a pool noodle to the width of the drawer and stick it in the very back. This will help keep all of your utensils toward the front of the drawer for easier access.

 

15. Repurpose a Magazine Holder

Aluminum foil, plastic wrap, parchment paper — what the heck do you do with these guys? A magazine holder is the perfect size. Stow it in a cabinet or even affix it to the inside of a door and use it for those long and narrow boxes.

 

16. Secure Your Kitchen Towels

Hanging a kitchen towel from a dishwasher, fridge, or oven door makes sense, as it’s in a convenient location and can dry more easily. However, this might also mean that your towels are constantly falling to the floor. Ew.

Here’s a solution: fold your towel into its desired form. Attach two Velcro strips — one in front and one on the back. Stitch or stick it (if it’s adhesive) in place, and then hang the towel in a way that the Velcro ends match together. Now they’re “locked” in place around the dishwasher handle.

 

17. Make Magnets Your Best Friend

Do you have access to the side of your refrigerator? Take advantage of that real estate! Grab some heavy-duty magnets and use them to hang your broom, small pans, mugs, towels, or apron.

You can also find magnetic seasoning bottles for all your spices.

 

18. Use a Curtain Rod for Your Lids

Nothing is more frustrating to organize than the lids of your pots and pans. Screw a curtain rod into a wall or the inside of a pantry door and tuck your lids into it. You’re going to save space, and it’s going to be less of a headache trying to find the exact size you need. We call that a win.

Organizing your kitchen doesn’t have to come at a big cost. These kitchen organization hacks are quite affordable, or you can do them by yourself, no fancy tools needed. Happy organizing!