Kitchen & Laundry Room Organized

Well, I finally got the kitchen cabinets all cleaned out and organized.  I found once I started sorting through everything it was a little easier to get rid of things I didn't need anymore.  I managed to actually sell a few pieces and donated the rest of the items.  Before I started filling up the cabinets, I did put some thought into where was the best place for each item based off of our habits and needs.

For example, I do most of the prep work like chopping at the kitchen island, so moving the knifes to a drawer over there made the most sense for us.

The knife organizer was purchased at The Container Store last year and I am still in love with it.  It has been a tremendous help to have all the knives and other cutting tools in one drawer.  The drawer right next to it holds all the other kitchen gadgets.  A drawer that used to hold utensils, now holds our drink accessories and tools, which you can see in the top right picture above.  As for the utensils, I put them right next to the stove in an utensil holder so they are all in one place now.

One of the things I am most giddy about is my new spice drawer.  All of our spices used to be in a cabinet and it was seriously becoming the black hole of spices.  I have been searching for some time now on how best to organize all of our spices, but I knew I did not want them on the counter.  I really, really wanted them in a drawer, but was having trouble finding ones that would fit until I found some inspiration on A Bowl Full Of Lemons.  I snatched up the same spice jars on Amazon and got to organizing as soon as they arrived.  I also found a free printable through Pinterest for the spice jar labels.

I put the spices in the drawer to the left of the stove and then all the measuring spoons and cups in the really small drawer to the right of the stove.  There are a few spices I buy in bulk, so I put those in the old spice cabinet.

Although, I cleaned out and organized all the cabinets I decided to only post pictures of what I thought were the highlights and displayed some practical organizing tips.  I purchased this bakeware organizer on Amazon about 6 months ago and I am not sure why I didn't buy it sooner...I love how it neatly displays our baking sheets.

I also purchased a few clear command hooks and strips to hang my pot holders...although I should probably purchase some new pot holders since these are looking a bit shabby!  I have the other pot holders on another hook on the cabinet door where I store the pots and pans.  Both of these cabinets are right next to the stove/oven.

Although organizing the tupperware isn't the prettiest, I wanted to share how I was able to hang the strainer with a command hook.

I used the same hooks to hold the cutting boards on the inside of the cabinet doors of the kitchen island.  So now I have the knives and cutting boards all located at the kitchen island!

We downsized a few of our glasses and coffee mugs and were able to fit all plates, bowls, and glasses in one cabinet.  And in the other cabinet, I put all of our plastic plates, cups, and bowls, which are mainly used by the girls.

That pretty much highlights the kitchen, but I wanted to share with you how the laundry room turned out.  A few years ago, my husband put cabinets above our washer and dryer and made a shelf to go right above the washer and dryer.  They have both been a tremendous game changer for that area, but were never used the best.  Last spring I changed out the majority of our home cleaners to natural cleaners and I am still in love with it all.  Because of that I was able to make one cabinet all cleaners and cleaner products, which has left the other cabinet completely open for future use!!

So the cabinet on the left side holds all the supplies to make the natural cleaners and the one of the right is empty for now!  On the shelf, it holds a laundry cheat sheet that I framed as well as my homemade laundry detergent in the yellow bin.  Then I have a bowl for loose change, some clothespins and a little cup for chalk (which is used on our chalkboard menu).  The empty bin labeled 'dirty' is for the used microfiber rags that I clean everything with.  Then last but not least, are my little collection of Food Network magazines.

So, how are you guys doing on the home organizing challenge??  This week is the pantry, so I will be cleaning and purging that next!!

With much love,

Kristin