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I wanted to share the best kitchen organization hacks I’ve started using, which have made my life so much easier and efficient.
Let me start by saying that when I bought my house, I wasn’t really into cooking. So, things others might consider essential for a kitchen weren’t even on my radar. Once I moved in and started using my kitchen, I realized how poorly set up it was. Fast forward to today, and I’ve learned so much about organizing and the products that can help with this.
After a house fire left us living elsewhere while repairs were being made, I saw an opportunity to fix all the things that had bothered me about my inefficient kitchen before moving back.
My biggest pain point was the pantry. I could never find what I was looking for, which led to frustration and pulling everything out to locate an ingredient. Imagine coming home from work, trying to prepare a quick family meal, and spending 20 minutes searching for a box of onion soup mix—it was infuriating.
The problem wasn’t the pantry itself but the deep shelves, which made it impossible to see what was in the back without moving other items. When deciding on ways to improve kitchen efficiency, this was my top priority. However, I didn’t want to spend a fortune on custom shelving. Enter my wonderful partner, who said, “Oh, that’s easy.” He modified the existing shelves by adding drawer slides and small sidewalls, and AAAH (cue angelic singing)—it was life-changing! Now, I can simply pull out a shelf and see everything at a glance.
I also streamlined the pantry organization by grouping similar items together. Now, if I need soup, I just pull out the shelf with all the soups—no more scavenger hunts for onion soup mix!
The upper cabinet in my pantry was another underutilized space, mainly because I’m not tall, and even with a step stool, I couldn’t see inside. My solution was installing wire basket pull-out shelves, which I found on Amazon and installed myself. These baskets not only maximize space but also allow me to see everything without climbing up. I loved them so much that I installed them in two base cabinets as well. Now I don’t have to pull out every pan to find a specific one, and I always know where my sandwich maker is. These have been total game-changers for me.
Spices were another pain point. I have so many that they were scattered across different storage spots, making it nearly impossible to find the one I needed. I solved this by centralizing my spices around the stove. I added magnetic shelves to the side of my above-range microwave for easy access, used a tiered organizer inside the cabinet above the microwave, and installed a pull-out spice rack in a filler space between the pantry and stove.
The pull-out spice rack was installed during countertop replacement, and while it’s handy, it was expensive. I found mine on eBay for about a third of the retail price, and even then, it felt pricey.
Another problem area was our corner wall cabinet, which was essentially a black hole for kitchen items. I added a corner lazy Susan, which has been a huge help. No more lost water bottle lids or forgotten items in the back!
I also purchased an extendable shelf organizer to create more vertical space in one of my cabinets. This allowed me to store bowls above plates and freed up space for my baking pans. Previously, all my baking pans were stuffed into a blind corner cabinet, which was my final and most frustrating issue to address. To access anything, I’d have to crawl on my hands and knees into the cabinet.
I loved the Rev-A-Shelf solution but the price was out of the question. After some searching, I found an equivalent on eBay, and it’s incredible.
Now, I open the cabinet door, and the entire shelf pulls out, giving me easy access to everything that was once impossible to see. It’s truly awesome.
Is there something you found that made your life better when organizing your kitchen? I would love to hear your feedback I am always looking for ways to streamline and make things more efficient.
Now that you can get your kitchen easily streamlined, you should check out my cake recipe which I believe you will truly love.
