How to organise kitchen cupboards

There’s a reason they say the kitchen is the heart of the home as a lot goes on in the space. With that said, there’s often a lot of stuff in it, whether that’s food, utensils, cookbooks, or just your everyday go-to items. If your kitchen cupboards aren’t organised, cooking and other everyday tasks can take a lot longer than they need to as you’ll spend more time looking for items than doing the task itself.

A badly organised kitchen can also result in a lack of knowledge of what’s in it, leading to you buying food and equipment you don’t need. While it might seem like an overwhelming task at first, the best way to organise your kitchen is to take everything out and start from scratch. Keep reading to find out how to give your kitchen a brand-new, more practical lease of life.

When organising your kitchen cupboards, empty everything out and sort it into keep/bin/donate piles. Make sure you know exactly what you already have to avoid unnecessary duplicates. You can then organise your items by zones and accessibility, creating functional kitchen zones (cooking, cleaning, storage, prep, tableware) and positioning frequently used items at eye level for easy access.
You can maximise storage in your kitchen with clear containers, vertical racks, under-shelf baskets, tension rods, and door-mounted organisers to make the most of every inch of your space.

Purge & declutter your cupboards

It helps to get a good overview of everything you’ve got in your kitchen. This will make it easier to properly assess each item, thinking about whether it’s necessary or whether it even works to begin with.

While it can be hard to get rid of non-essential items, think about how often you actually use it on a weekly or monthly basis. You might find you enjoy a functional space with clear worktops more than a blender that you were gifted three Christmases ago.
This applies to not only kitchen gadgets you might have, but even ingredients and food items that tend to build up. Go through your spice rack and cabinets, making sure to remove anything that’s old or expired.
Separate everything into three piles - a ‘keep’ pile, a ‘bin’ pile, and a ‘donate’ pile. With the things you keep, remember that not everything has to be out in the kitchen. If you’ve got the space, store it elsewhere until you need it.

Know what you've got

One of the main causes of clutter is people not knowing what they already have. If you can’t see a bag of flour at the back of the cupboard, you may end up buying another one that you don’t need.

Once you’ve decluttered, make sure you put everything back somewhere where it can be seen, or somewhere that you will always know where it is.
Transparent containers are great for this as they let you see when you’re about to run out of something and when you’ve got more than enough of something to last until next week’s big shop.

Create kitchen zones

While your kitchen is stripped back, break it down into different zones to make it easier to organise. This way, you’ll know exactly where to find what you’re looking for. When assessing the contents of your cupboards, give yourself a designated zone for each of the following:

Cooking
Cleaning
Dry goods storage and consumables
Plates, cups, glasses and cutlery
Food prep utensils

Not only will this make life easier for you, but it also means that if anyone else is looking for anything in the kitchen, they’ll find it quicker.

Prioritise access

When putting everything back, think about keeping priority items within reach at all times.

Keep your go-to things front-and-centre at eye level and place your less-frequent items up high or out of sight.
Getting rid of boxes and packages lets you save space in your cupboards and helps food to last for longer. This means it can be a good idea to empty things like cereals, pasta, rice, and more into clear sealable containers.
There are loads of ways you can get creative with kitchen storage and organisation. Consider the best ways to use your space, whether it’s hanging pots and pans, wall-mounting a magnetic knife block, or using dividers in drawers and cupboards.

Space-maximising storage solutions

Remember, you’re not limited to the storage solutions that are built into your kitchen cabinetry. There are a few clever tools and kitchen cupboard organisers that can help:

Slot-in racks can allow you to store items vertically without placing them directly on top of each other. This is perfect for Tupperware and pans that may otherwise become lost inside one another.
Tension rods are great for hanging items from, whether that be mugs, cleaning supplies, or utensils. These don’t require any drilling or cutting - just good old-fashioned friction.
Under-shelf storage baskets slot onto your existing shelves to create more space underneath. Again, this allows for more vertical storage while keeping everything visible and organised.
Cupboard doors often create wasted space. A good way to use these is to attach kitchen cupboard storage to their inner face, such as an over-door spice rack or hanging hooks. These are perfect for smaller and lighter items, leaving more space on your shelves for the larger things. You can also get pan lid holders that attach to the inside of your cupboard doors, making it easier to store your pans inside each other in the cupboard.

Follow these tips and before you know it, your kitchen with be a perfectly organised haven. You and your whole family will reap the rewards, and you won't believe how much time and hassle it saves you in the long run. When organising, consider what you use the most and where it would be most practical to keep it. Creating zones in your kitchen can help you to find things quicker and will mean you won’t have to travel so far between cupboards when you’re trying to do simple things like make a cup of tea.

It’s also a good idea to make sure your most frequently used items are as visible as possible, keeping them in clear containers and at eye-level so they’re easy to access. And if you’ve got a lot to store away, clever space-saving storage solutions can help you to keep it all hidden away and organised.

Need some advice on where to create certain zones? Check out our guide on the benefits of a kitchen triangle.

FAQs

Corner cupboards can be awkward with items right at the back being difficult to access. To make this space more practical, invest in items like Lazy Susans, swing-out kitchen cabinet organisers, or clear storage containers.

Cookware, baking utensils, cleaning supplies, and heavier items, like blenders and mixers, should be stored in lower cupboards. Your everyday items, like plates and cutlery, should be stored at eye level so they’re easier to access.

It goes without saying that perishables like meat, dairy, and eggs should not be stored in the pantry, but other items like those with high fat content (nuts and seeds), opened condiments, and jams and syrups can also spoil quickly. In addition to this, items like linens and books can attract moths, and pet food can create odour transfer to the rest of your produce.