Stuck indoors because of bad weather? Take advantage of that time to tackle the clutter in your kitchen cabinets and pantry! With these helpful tips, we’ll help you not only tame the clutter now, but also make it easier to keep everything clean in the future.

Behind every cabinet is a sure way to organize that room in a meaningful way. Typically when we move into our homes we make quick decisions where everything should go just to get things unpacked. As we begin to live in our home we see that some things don’t work but we don’t take the time to make any changes. My top question when I speak about organizing is always about the kitchen and the pantry. Where do you start? I suggest taking on one area at a time over a few weeks and work from there.

First, open all your cabinets at once and look at them. Are the glasses by the refrigerator where you get drinks? Are the plates and silverware by the dishwasher or kitchen table? Move the items that no longer work for your family first. Then start putting the items you rarely use in the cabinets that are difficult to reach. You know the ones I’m talking about.

Then you can organize the rest of your kitchen into “centers.” I’m a strong believer in “centers” to keep things organized and to make the flow easier to follow. By “centers” I mean putting like items together. For instance these are the “centers” in my kitchen:

Baking Center: All the baking items; flour, sugar, powdered sugar, spices etc. Above that shelf are baking dishes, items I only use while baking. Below the cabinet in the drawer are the baking tools; measuring cups, measuring spoons, cake slicer, beaters, etc.

Breakfast Center: Bowls, cereal, oatmeal, pop tarts, coffee, creamer etc. (When my kids were little it was located in the bottom cabinets for easy access.)

The Infamous Plastic Center: Try putting your lids in a basket. I sold Tupperware years ago so you can imagine how much we have.   I have mine divided by microwave, storage and everything else. This has helped my kids to store leftovers in the proper containers.

Snack Center: All the snacks located in one place. It sure makes grocery shopping easier when you can see what you need at a glance.

Pantry: Every pantry is different so you have to organize to the space and shelving provided. I love to add storage to the door or even add a pull out plastic drawer to a shelf. I have a small pantry so we keep most of our food items in there and leave the kitchen cabinets for working items. One shelf has box items, one has cans and bottles, one has the snacks, one has the pasta and a drawer that contains the on-the-go stuff; paper bags, snack bags, sandwich bags, spoons, etc. for making school lunches. The door has paper plates, foil, gallon bags, etc.

When your family knows where things go they are more apt to put them back there as well as find them! When you make these little changes it makes a huge impact to your home and family. As your family grows and changes, so do the centers. I am always available to answer any questions and offer help when it come to organization or keeping your home clean. We would love for you to post your “center” ideas or questions and even comments on our Facebook page.