I don’t think anyone can disagree when we say that one of the most important rooms in the house is the kitchen, right? A human can only go about 11 days without eating, so, no matter how lazy we are, we have to spend a bit of time there every day (because ordering food is bad for you and hell for the wallet).
But you know what’s terrible, just absolutely awful: going down to the kitchen to make yourself a dinner sandwich and finding not a single inch of counter space, unorganized utensils (why are the forks and the whisk in the same drawer?) and a full sink. Its cry worthy, really, almost makes you want to go hungry.
Even a big kitchen can seem cluttered and small when you’re not taking good care of your space, and for that reason Gomez Cleaning brings you some great tips for a better kitchen experience.
First step, declutter.
As we’ve mentioned on the blog posts before, we urge you to declutter your spaces. Sounds like a broken record, yeah, but it’s very effective!
Starting out with your appliances and items, check that they’re still working and are in good condition, and evaluate them. Look at what you have and ask yourself: Do I use it often? Do I own another item that can do the same job? Do I own duplicates of this item?
Depending on your answer, it might be your best bet to get rid of that item. We understand that it’s hard to get rid of that expensive coffee roaster you bought because you were really into homemade brew, but if you only used it two times in the three years you’ve owned it…It might be time to let go. Or, you know, move it from the kitchen to the garage if you can spare the space, but that’s just moving the clutter, not getting rid of it (garage decluttering tips coming soon!).
This also applies to things like pots, pans and utensils. If you’re not a home chef, you probably don’t need tons and tons of these implements, just find out what you use and gift or sell the rest. Yes, this includes tableware, if you’re not hosting dinner parties every weekend, its best you find a better location for all those plates that go unused for months, instead of keeping them in busy cabinets.
Now on to the tips!
The wall, It’s free real estate!
People always, always underestimate the amount of space they can make use of if they count their walls, the sides of cabinets or even the fridge wall. You can hang a ridiculous amount of things on your wall, from simple storage cabinets, to some smaller kinds of pot racks, to tiny shelves. Rails or hooks in exposed cabinet sides are also a very good option if you’re trying to optimize for space. In any case, all of these can help free up some counter space and make your kitchen look cleaner, and also keep all of these items at arm’s reach for you.
Keep junk out of your cabinets, please.
We want to make clear that cabinets are not for hiding anything. You’d be shocked at how many non-kitchen implements and just plain junk you’ll find hiding around if you take a cursory look at a random drawer in the kitchen. We want an actually clean and pretty kitchen, not just the illusion of one. Thus, cabinets must be kept organized. Grouping by usage is best, keep plates and cups in the cabinet closest to the dining table, if you don’t own a pantry, keeping those items closer to the fridge might be better.
Keep your friends close, and your spice rack even closer.
Cheesy title aside, this is just generally a good idea. People tend to keep their spices hidden away up on closed cabinets, which makes it easy for some of them to get pushed to the back of it to suffer a slow and painful expiration date. Instead, get yourself something that’s wide and long, that doesn’t intrude too much, that way you can perfectly see all of them all the time and use them whenever needed.
Divide and conquer
Place dividers, dividers everywhere. There’s no real reason why your forks should be mingling with your spoons other than to cause you a headache. Use some dividers to keep your implements from confusing you whenever you reach for the fork. It’ll make things look a lot neater and also allow for some creativity in your kitchen. Wick, colorful plastic, a neat ceramic or metal, use whatever fits your kitchen aesthetic best!
