3 Key Organization Tips For Your First Kitchen

By Danielle Wirsansky on October 8, 2018

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You have done it! You made it through high school, you applied to college (you even got accepted!), you have moved into your first apartment…. And then were defeated by a kitchen.

Wait, what? You never expected that when you moved into your apartment, that you could be so stressed out and upset—and school has not even begun for you! What could be going on? Why in the world would your kitchen be your downfall?

You had to organize it.

Many people are unaware of how much of a struggle organizing your kitchen can be, especially if they have never done it before! The kitchen is an integral part of your home. It is the epicenter, the brain, one of the most important parts of your home. You have to eat, ergo you have to use your kitchen.

Where should everything go? How can you keep it all straight? Why can’t you remember where you put anything?!

Fret not! Keep calm, cool, and collected. If you are having trouble figuring out how to organize your kitchen, no fear! Read on to learn some kitchen organization tips for those living on their own for the first time.

Photo by Sarah Jane from Pexels

Do Not Be Afraid of Unorthodoxy

The first step to being able to truly organize your kitchen in a way that will work for you is to throw out your pre-conceived notions of what a kitchen set up should be. Obviously there are a lot of things about setting up a kitchen that are based around common sense, like putting your silverware in a drawer instead of a cupboard, but honestly, you have to figure out what will work for you.

You can’t set up your kitchen just like your kitchen at home with your parents was like because your kitchen is different. In fact, every kitchen is different. From the set-up to the contents, to the person who uses it, each kitchen is going to be at least a little bit different. Just because your mom always kept her dishes in the cupboard closest to the sink does not mean that you have to keep your dishes in the closest cupboard to your sink. Just because your grandma sorts her dry mix, pantry good in a particular way does not mean that you have to sort your dry goods in the same way either.

What’s going to work for you, in your kitchen, and the way that you live your life? Maybe it makes sense to have your dishes I the cupboard by the microwave. Maybe your cereal will only fit in that one cupboard with taller shelves by the fridge. Maybe your cereal does not fit into any of your cupboards and you find yourself having to store it on top of the fridge. Be unorthodox in how you organize your kitchen and just do you.

Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels

Lowest to Highest

By the time we get to college, we mostly expect that our bodies are done growing. That being said, no matter how tall we are, the majority of us cannot easily reach all of the shelves in our kitchen cupboards. So, if you still really are not sure where to start when beginning to organize your kitchen, your best bet is to start from lowest to highest.

What this means is to find the stuff you use the most often, which will be different for different people, and place those on the lowest, easiest to access areas, and put the stuff you use the least higher up where it is harder to reach.

Maybe you use your wine glasses a lot. Keep them on a lower shelf in your cupboard then so you can easily grab one when you want to use it. Maybe you happen to eat a lot of canned soup. Why would you put things you rarely use in reach and make it a struggle to reach the things you really do use? Make it easier for yourself. Keep what you use in reach!

Have Appliances You Use

Another tip which can unclutter your kitchen space and keep it organized is to only keep out the appliances that you regularly use. Maybe you mostly use your oven and stove, and your microwave hardly ever. Why keep it out on the counter, taking up useful space in your small college apartment? So what if other people generally have a microwave?

If you do not use it, you do not need it on your counter. You can definitely keep one, but it can be stored away until needed. Same with a coffee maker or toaster or even a toaster oven! Keep the things that you actually use out so you can use them, and ditch or store the other appliances.

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