1. REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM YOUR CABINETS
As any professional will tell you, it’s almost impossible to re-organize anything in situ. It’s a lot easier to leave items you’re not sure about where they are than it is to actively put them back, so, if you want the job done properly, everything needs to come out. Yes, everything.
2. GIVE THEM A GOOD CLEAN
While you no doubt include them when cleaning a kitchen, it’s not often they’re completely clean inside, so take the opportunity to clean your kitchen cabinets thoroughly. Hoover up debris (be sure to get right into the corners and joints) then wipe down with a cloth or sponge soaked in warm water and fairy liquid. Using a new sponge, wipe down again with warm water, then leave to dry.
3. ASSESS YOUR KITCHEN ESSENTIALS…
You’ve likely acquired an awful lot of ‘kitchen stuff’ over the years, from utensils and pans, to heirloom crockery and seasonal serveware, all taking up residence – and space – in your kitchen cabinets. A streamlined cookware collection is something that all the most organized kitchens have in common, so the first step to creating order is to undertake a really thorough declutter.
4. …AND CATEGORIZE THEM AS YOU GO
Breaking items down into categories, crockery, cooking utensils, cookware, glassware, small appliances, and so on, not only makes the decluttering process feel more manageable, but it also makes it easier to ‘zone’ your kitchen (more on that later).
5. WORK OUT WHAT’S GOING WHERE
Before you start assigning your categories to your cabinets, step back and evaluate your kitchen storage as a whole. Cabinets are our go-to, but often items are better stored elsewhere in the kitchen (these are the six items not to store in your kitchen cabinets), or in the case of rarely-used or seasonal items, outside of it altogether.
6. SHIFT THE SHELVES AROUND
If you’ve got existing shelving in your kitchen cabinets, think about ways you could modify it to allow for better storage. ‘Many people forget you can actually do this, but taking advantage of vertical space in this way really helps cabinets both big and small live up to their full potential,' says professional organizer Vicky Silverthorn, founder of You Need a Vicky.
7. ASSESS YOUR CABINET STORAGE SOLUTIONS – AND IMPROVE THEM IF YOU NEED TO
Once you know exactly what’s going where, consider kitting out your kitchen cabinets so they suit what they’re storing perfectly. Doing this will maximize space and improve accessibility, particularly if you’re dealing with trickier areas, such as long and narrow kitchen cabinets, deep pantry shelves, or organizing corner cabinets.