For a lot of families, the kitchen is where the magic happens. Everyone gathers in this warm spot in the house to cook together, share meals, and bond in the company of great food. It also happens to be the busiest place in the house, so it’s not surprising that most kitchens get messy and disorganized most of the time. You may use this as an excuse to avoid doing something about it, but you also have to think about the benefits of having an organized condo kitchen.
Aside from the aesthetic value, the great thing about condo kitchen organization makes food preparation faster and more efficient. It certainly helps a lot when you know where every single item in the kitchen is placed. This should be a good enough reason to arrange stuff in your kitchen to make it look neat and tidy. To start things off, check out the following tips on organizing your kitchen.
1. Go crazy with labels
If you have already amassed quite a number of jars, bottles, and containers filled with spices, condiments, and other ingredients you use for cooking and serving meals, it can get tricky trying to remember where everything is stored. This can be easily solved by putting labels on your storage containers. Use blank stickers and use markers to label stuff accordingly. This makes it easier for you to tell the difference between sugar and iodized salt from a distance.
2. Use magazine holders as freezer shelves
Not all of us have meticulously organized refrigerators like the ones we see in an episode of MTV Cribs. While you don’t have to acquire one of those mega-sized refs for your condo, you can certainly use some pointers in the organizing department. An inexpensive way to put stuff in order is to use old magazine holders as shelves for some of your items. Why throw these holders away when you can turn them into instant freezer shelves?
3. Hang pots, pans, and cooking utensils from the ceiling
Space is usually a problem among condo owners. Why not give your kitchen more space by hanging your pots, pans, and utensils from the ceiling? Just imagine the cabinet space you’ll free up by doing this. If you happen to have a nice cooking set, hanging it from the ceiling can actually serve as kitchen decoration.
4. Create a roll-out pantry
A lot of condo owners have this unused space between the wall and the refrigerator. Make use of the small space by placing a roll-out shelf where you can put boxed goods, canned items, and other kitchen must-haves for your condo that are not immediately perishable. You can easily hide this space-saving shelf if you need to make more room in the kitchen. You can have a carpenter build one for you or if you’re the DIY type, you can easily make one of your own with the help of easy-to-follow instructions from the web.
5. Use collapsible wine rack for bottles
Don’t you just hate it when bottles in the refrigerator move out of place when you’re arranging stuff? A collapsible wine rack keeps your bottles in place and gives you more space in the ref for other stuff. Get a modular rack so you can have extra space to store more bottles.
6. Hang cleaning products in tension rods
Admit it, most of us don’t give much thought to organizing the cabinets under the sink. If space is an issue, you can install tension rods in the cabinet and hang your spray bottles on it. This is a great way to organize your cleaning products and make more room for stuff you can’t hang on the rod.
7. Use inserts to sort out utensils
A lot of homeowners are guilty of just dumping spoons, forks, and other utensils together in a drawer and container. Not only does a mixed-up bunch of utensils look unsightly, it also makes searching trickier. Putting inserts in the drawers is a simple solution for sorting utensils and making them more accessible
8. Use clips for storing kitchen sponges
The kitchen sponge is always left neglected because of its disposability. There’s a way to make your sponges last longer and protect them from mold and mildew. Just clip the sponge (the usual office clip will do) and make it stand upright. This will prevent the sponge from soaking water when not in use, thus allowing it to dry thoroughly.
9. Install a kitchen island
If you still have enough space, adding a kitchen island is a great idea. It is a functional kitchen table design for your condo. You can use the surface as cooking station and dining table. You can also make use of the space underneath for storage by installing built-in shelves.
10. Use rods to store pot lids
Pots are easier to store if you just place one inside the other according to sizes. Storing lids though is a different business. You can’t just stack them one on top of the other because of the handles. The rod comes to the rescue again. Install the rods against the wall then slip the lids inside. The handles will prevent the lids from slipping out or spilling out from the rod.
11. Store garlic and onions in steamer baskets
Some people prefer not to store garlic and onion in the fridge, whether for preservation or storage reasons. So where can you keep them if not in the fridge? Make use of your bamboo steamer baskets. Using this will give enough ventilation for your veggies and will free up space in your fridge for more perishable stuff.
12. Fit a cutting board over the sink
If you have limited counter space, making room for chopping and slicing can be difficult. When ingredients are already occupying your counter space, place your chopping board over the sink and just work in that area. You save space plus you can prevent flesh and juices from making a mess of your kitchen counter or floor. Make sure your cutting board fits perfectly over the sink to prevent accidents with the knife.
Given the limited amount of space in your condo, it’s important that you maximize the little room that you have. Knowing how to organize your condo kitchen will not only make it look neater, it will also make cooking and dining a better experience.