Learn 31 Best Ways To Organize Your Small Kitchen (Clutter Free Heart of the Home)
If you feel overwhelmed by clutter in your kitchen, this quick guide on the best ways to organize your small kitchen will be a lifesaver.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, where memories are made, and where everyone gathers to nourish their bodies.
This guide will ensure you have plenty of realistic ways to find more order and calm in your kitchen. If you have a small kitchen, live in a studio apartment or tiny home this guide will teach you all the ways to maximize space in your cozy quarters.
Get ready to walk away with plenty of creative hacks to organize your kitchen, declutter it, and maintain a minimalist approach to keeping order in your home.
This post is all about the best tips to organize your small kitchen.
The Best Small Kitchen Organization Hacks
Here are some helpful topics we will cover in this home organization post to make this process a breeze!
- Our favorite small kitchen organization products
- How to organize a small kitchen on a budget
- How to save time organizing a small kitchen
- Small kitchen countertop organization
The Best Small Kitchen Organization Tips
1. Make the most of vertical space in your kitchen
We all know how cluttered kitchen countertops can become. To combat this, make use of the vertical space in your kitchen.
Be sure to get creative with your kitchen walls, pantry, and kitchen cleaning closet when it comes to storage options for your kitchen.
- Magnets on the fridge to hold papers, calendars, small storage containers for rubber bands, chip clips, and other small items etc.
- Shelves on your kitchen walls, pantry, cabinets
- Magnetic strips for hanging knives, spices etc.
2. Utilize shelving for vertical space
If you don’t have shelves on your kitchen walls, add some! Or if you already have some, add some more.
Floating shelves are really popular right now for minimalist-themed kitchens but they can really work in any space.
This can help clear up counter space and offer extra room for kitchen decor to brighten up your kitchen. They can also be used for storing the usual dishes, glasses, mugs, or pantry items.
3. Use a magnetic knife strip to clear up kitchen counter space
Rather than storing knifes in drawers or in a knife block which takes up space, consider using a magnetic knife strip.
These heavy-duty magnetic strips ensure your knives are safely up and out of the way. Giving you easy access to your knives while also keeping your counters clear.
4. Use magnetic strips to hold spice jars
A great way to keep your spice jars organized is to get a collection of similar spice jar bottles and then add a magnet to the back of them.
Then you can easily grab them as you are cooking to efficiently spice up your recipes.
To cut down on waste you can simply stick magnets to the back of the spice bottles you already have. It may not be as aesthetic but it gets the job done!
5. Install a peg board for vertical storage in your kitchen
You can install a peg board to an empty wall or on the inside of a cabinet door.
These are a great way to bring a bit of customization into your home as you can use shelves or hooks as a way to hang pots, pans, and small baskets for extra kitchen storage.
6. Use hanging pot racks. Either ceiling pot racks or wall-mounted pot racks
Depending on how high your ceilings are or how much wall space your kitchen has you can utilize open-air space to organize your kitchen tools.
This storage style can give a rustic feel to your kitchen as well if that is your kitchen decor theme.
7. Use S hooks and a tension rod to store pots
For a little diy moment, you can get creative with a tension rod and s hooks to store your pots up and out of the way.
For many kitchens this works well over your stove but do what works best for your space.
8. Corner shelf organizer
Try to use every inch of your counter space-even the corners!
These are great for storing things like oils, decor, and kitchen gadgets.
9. Over-the-door organizers in your pantry or kitchen cabinets
We normally think of over the door organizers in the bedroom but why not throw one on your pantry door?
They can hold snacks, spices, kitchen cleaning supplies, and more!
10. Use wire shelves to maximize kitchen cabinet space
Wire shelves are super easy to find at thrift stores and can easily add another shelf in a cabinet to stack plates and mugs.
11. Buy a stand-alone pantry if you don’t have a pantry
Most small kitchens don’t have a pantry. If you don’t have one you can buy a stand-alone cabinet or a large corner cabinet to store things like dry foods, bulk items and cleaning supplies.
Another great option is to use a simple wire shelf as a pantry. Since this is pretty open it can easily look cluttered if you are not careful. Try to use a mixture of clear containers and baskets to keep things organized.
12. Use vertical cabinet dividers
Rather than stacking cookware, you can separate them with vertical divers.
Here are some things you can store vertically in kitchen cabinets:
- Baking sheets
- Serving trays
- Cutting boards
- Muffin tins
13. Use kitchen cabinet shelf risers
To expand the storage space in your kitchen cabinets, use shelf risers.
These will double the space in your cabinets making room to stack kitchen supplies like plates, mugs and bowls.
14. Use draw dividers and utensil dividers to maximize storage space
Adjustable drawer divers are a great way to keep things organized in small kitchen drawers.
15. Use lazy Susans/rotating organizers to maximize storage space
Rotating organizers are a creative way to make the most of the space in cabinets and pantries.
These are great to store smaller items like spices, drinks, sauces, and more!
{RECOMMENDED POST: Essential Guide To Cleaning Out Your Fridge The Right Way}
16. Choose a cabinet for an appliance garage
Choose one cabinet that you can dedicate as an appliance garage.
This will be so helpful with keeping your countertops clear of large bulk appliances.
17. Have a countertop basket as a catch-all for daily mess
Life gets busy and there isn’t always time to put everything away during the week.
Choose a cute basket that you can dump things into at the end of the night. At the end of the week, go through the basket and put things in their normal storage space.
18. Use wire baskets to store kitchen essentials
Wire baskets are great because they keep items organized and grouped while also making it easy to see your items.
You can use wire baskets in your pantry to hold bags of chips or in your cabinets to organize things like dish towels.
19. Choose high cabinets
This tip may not be an option for renters (but talk to your landlord-you never know!). But try to make the most of vertical space.
If you can install high cabinets you will have a lot more storage space. The stuff you don’t use as often can go into the hard-to-reach places.
20. Prioritize small appliances
There is a mini version of basically every kitchen appliance. To save space, try to buy the smaller version.
Here are some mini kitchen appliances I used when living in a studio apartment:
- Mini coffee maker
- Small rice cooker
- Small juicer
- Magic bullet blender
- Mini waffle maker
The smaller your kitchen appliances, the less space you need to store them.
My favorite kitchen organization tip
You need WAY less than you think you do. It is so easy to pick up cute organizers or fun kitchen gadgets but how often do these things actually get used? Try to be mindful of your purchases so that you have less to organize and clean in your home!
21. Make the most of multi-functional furniture
Staying organized in a small kitchen means making the most of every inch. Here are a few kitchen furniture pieces that are multi-use:
- Use a rolling kitchen kart for storage space, extra counter space, prep station or serving cart
- Choose a trash can and recycling bin combo
- Use benches as seating and storage space underneath
- Kitchen island (if you have the space!) with storage underneath
- Drop leaf table to extend your dining table or shorten it for extra space
- A kitchen hutch, sideboard or bookshelf to store items out of the way and items on top
22. Use small hooks on the inside of cabinet doors
Keep things simple with small hooks on the inside of cabinet doors for pot lids, dish towels, and measuring cups/spoons.
23. Prioritize stackable food storage containers
In order to make the most of your cabinet, pantry, and fridge try to use stackable containers. Of course, use what you already have but buying a nice set of food storage containers that stack nicely and are the same size can last a long time.
Make sure that they are clear and be sure to label them.
These are great for storing things like sugar, pasta, flour, cereal etc. Being able to see everything laid out and organized makes cooking much more efficient.
It also helps to be able to see what items you are running low on. Keeping things in their original container is perfectly ok (and great for the planet!) but if clean containers work better for you, do it!
24. Use sliding kitchen shelves for under-the-sink storage
No one wants to get down on their knees and rummage around for cleaning supplies under the sink. Use pull-out cabinet organizers to easily access all of your kitchen supplies and kitchen gadgets in low places like under the sink. Some homes come with these already installed but if not you can use these to make your own!
{RECOMMENDED POST: 7 Amazing Zero Waste Kitchen Must Haves For A Plastic Free Home}
25. Minimize the kitchen cleaning supplies you use
We really do NOT need a million and one cleaning supplies, especially in the kitchen. They take up a ton of space, can spill, and create clutter.
My go-to cleaning supply for my home is Dr. Bronners. Here are some ways you can use it in your kitchen:
- Put it in a spray bottle with water for a multi purpose spray
- To clean out your fridge
- To wash off produce
- As dish soap
- As hand soap
- To clean the kitchen floors, kitchen cabinets, and dining table.
26. Choose kitchen gadgets that nest and stack
Nesting bowls and measuring cups can save so much space.
In general, just try to keep similar items together so that you can easily find them when needed.
27. Get a mini coffee maker
If you have a tiny kitchen then you may benefit from a mini coffee maker. These mini Keurig coffee makers make one cup of coffee at a time and are so convenient! All they need is a small space on your kitchen counter top and you are good to go.
You can buy these reusable coffee pods to minimize plastic waste in your home as well!
28. Store seasonal items in your garage
If you have a special gingerbread-shaped muffin tin or seasonal kitchen decor, it doesn’t need to be stored in your kitchen or pantry.
Make sure it is all cleaned up and then store it in a tightly sealed container in another area of your home. Your kitchen probably gets the most foot traffic and use year round so storing seasonal items there will just add to it being a cluttered mess.
29. Opt for a dish-drying mat
Dish drying racks can fit a lot of dry dishes but they take up a lot of valuable kitchen counter space. Instead, opt for a dish drying mat that can easily fold up and be tucked away when not in use.
Another great option is a dish drying rack that goes across part of your sink. This ensures your countertops stay dry and again you keep all of your precious kitchen counter space.
{RECOMMENDED POST: 11 Genius Zero Waste Kitchen Organization Tips For A Peaceful Home}
30. Consider digital cookbooks to minimize clutter
Are your cookbooks gathering dust? If you have found that your cookbooks are not getting much use, they may just be taking up valuable space in your kitchen.
Consider finding your favorite chefs online websites, blogs, or Pinterest accounts. That way when you are cooking you can simply pull out your device.
This tip will not be for everyone. I personally will not be donating my cookbooks. ha! But for those that don’t mind, consider storing them in a larger area of your home or giving them to a new home.
Consider checking out cookbooks from the library rather than storing them in your home as well!
31. Use reusable items rather than single use items
A great way to create more space is to not store extra items like single use items. Examples of this would be paper towels, paper plates, napkins etc.
Instead try to use these items that can be reused and take up less space:
- Reusable silicone lids for bowls
- Silicone reusable baggies i.e. Stasher bags instead of plastic bags
- Dish towels instead of paper towels
- Reusable trash bags and reusable recycling bags
- Reusable straws rather than plastic straws
- Silicone baking cups
These can of course have a higher up front cost but ultimately you will save money not rebuying them and save space by not buying bulk amounts of disposable products.
How To Save Time Organizing Your Small Kitchen
Hire a professional organizer
I am all about DIY but if you have the budget for it, consider hiring someone that specializes in maximizing space and organizing things.
You can look on places like Task Rabbit and Care.com to find local people who are talented at looking at your unique kitchen and finding solutions for making it flow nicely.
It may be a large upfront cost but it could save you a lot of time and stress in the long run. If you are able to outsource this task do it!
Swap chores with your friends and community
Not everyone finds joy in organizing and that is totally ok.
You could swap this task with someone else and do a task in their home that you enjoy doing. Community can be powerful when we are open to it!
Organize your kitchen on your own schedule
You do not need to completely remodel your kitchen and get it perfectly organized in one weekend. It is a bit unnecessary and could be very expensive.
Choose one section per weekend to tackle, allow the new organization system to integrate in your daily routine, and then move on to the next section of your kitchen another day. It will all get done.
If I were to recommend places to start organizing in your kitchen it would be:
- Pantry
- Junk drawers (we all have them!)
- Your fridge and freezer
- Kitchen cleaning supplies
How to Organize a Small Kitchen On a Budget
- Use what you already have in creative ways. Use unused storage items from other areas of your home.
- DIY kitchen storage organizers like mason jars, shoe boxes, cans etc.
- Prioritize buying kitchen organization and storage products from thrift stores.
- Don’t tackle this project all at once.
- Sell the items you declutter and use the money to buy kitchen organization products.
- Prioritize organizers made from durable materials like bamboo rather than plastic since they will last a long time.
- Check out the Buy Nothing Project which is an app that connects people wanting to give stuff away for free. Yes, free. Household items are on there! It is a pretty cool initiative that diverts items from going to the landfill.
How to Keep Your Small Kitchen Clean and Organized
Now that we have covered all the specific kitchen organization ideas, let’s zoom out and talk about tips for maintaining a clean and organized kitchen.
- Build a daily routine of light cleaning (even 5-10 minutes per day adds up!)
- Bring stuff you don’t use to the thrift store, sell it or donate it.
- Be mindful of how many items you buy for your kitchen (even items on this list!)
- Find a deep cleaning and decluttering schedule that works for you (monthly, seasonally etc.)
- Choose a proper place for everything.
- Take note of the frequency of use when deciding what to keep.
- Only keep kitchen essentials and maintain a minimalist approach.
Have any other creative ideas for organizing a small kitchen? Let us know in the comments below! I’m sure others in the community would love to learn from you as well!
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Stay well,
Maggie
This post was all about the best small kitchen organization ideas.
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