24 Basic Organizing Ideas for Your Kitchen

Putting items in designated zones can significantly improve the flow of your kitchen.

Lazy Susan
Photo: Bed Bath and Beyond

As these photos show, what makes a kitchen great is how you organize it.

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Turn to a Lazy Susan

Lazy Susan
Bed Bath and Beyond

Contain messes by housing sticky or spillable food items on an easy-to-clean lazy Susan.

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Give Cookbooks Space

Cookbook and Utensils
twomeows/Getty Images

Cookbooks are fine on open shelves, so long as they're not exposed to humidity and grease from the fridge or stove.

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Start Hanging

Pots and Pans
Brian Bumby/Getty Images

Hang aprons, pot holders, and dish towels on pegs (mount them at least two feet away from the stove).

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Store Items by Use

Kitchen Cabinets
Hero Images/Getty Images

Arrange your kitchenware by frequency of use, with everyday dishes on an easy-to-reach lower shelf and special-occasion pieces up above.

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Group Similar Objects

Kitchen Plates
Getty Images/ ka2shka

Group objects by purpose and assign them to specific cabinets, as with the bakeware centralized here.

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Designate a Cooking Zone

Kitchen Utensils
Felix Oberhage/Getty Images

Create a cooking zone around the stove, storing pots and pans as close to the range as possible.

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Stash Like Items Together

Kitchen Drawer
Image Source/Getty Images

Keep plastic bags, wrapping, and kitchen utensils in a drawer near the refrigerator to make quick work of storing leftovers.

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Stow Tools Efficiently

Kitchen Utensils
Pexels

Stow essential tools together within easy reach of your cooking area for efficient food prep.

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File Plastic Containers

Tupperware Lids
anand purohit/Getty Images

"File" plastic containers and their tops in orderly zones within the same drawer to keep them readily locatable.

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Contain Lids

Cookware Lid
PhotoAlto/Laurence Mouton/Getty Images

Use lid racks to neatly collect the tops of various pots and pans.

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Install Shelf Organizers

Kitchen Shelf
The Container Store

Sliding shelf organizers make frequently used gear easy to access.

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Divide Drawers

Drawer Divider
Fancy/Veer/Corbis/Getty Images

Drawer organizers keep cutlery neatly separated, so you never have to rummage around for what you need.

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Think Double-Duty

Utensil Cups
jin chu ferrer/Getty Images

For no-fuss buffet service, present cutlery to guests in mugs or small pitchers.

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Light It Right

Kitchen Lighting
Jacek Kadaj/Getty Images

Even under-the-cabinets space can be well utilized for lighting, an appliance, or, in this case, a dish-towel rod.

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Color-Code Kitchenware

Colorful Cookware
Chatuporn Sornlampoo / EyeEm/Getty Images

Pots and pans double as artwork when like-colored kitchenware is put on display.

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Put China on Display

kitchen-cabinets
Andersen Ross/Getty Images

Use glass-front cabinets to showcase your good china, antique bowls, or even canisters filled with pasta.

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Introduce Baskets

kitchen-baskets
Johner Images/Getty Images

Keep open shelves uncluttered by stashing items in airy rattan baskets.

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Categorize Food

Kitchen Spices
Stewart Waller/Getty Images

Organize your pantry shelves as you would a library, with food items grouped by category.

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Consider See-Through Storage

Wire Basket
The Container Store

Make it a snap for kids to grab snacks on the go with see-through wire baskets.

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Stash Items Over the Door

Pantry Organizer
Bed Bath & Beyond

Stash pantry items in the see-through pockets of an over-the-door organizer to virtually eliminate search time.

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Roll in a Cart

Rolling Cart
KatarzynaBialasiewicz/Getty Images

Invest in a cart that can transport heavy dishes from kitchen to dining and act as extra counter space for cooking and entertaining.

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Hang Pots and Pans

Hanging Pots
Spaces Images/Getty Images

Another way to conserve precious storage space: Hang pots and pans, if your kitchen allows.

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Try a Retractable Book Stand

Book Stand
Williams Sonoma

A retractable book stand keeps a recipe at eye level while you're working, then folds back under a cabinet when you're done.

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Declutter Counters

bulletin-board
everydayplus/Getty Images

Declutter kitchen counters by mounting basics–calendar, phone, and to-do lists–on the wall.

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