Ten "Next To" Great Kitchen Organizing Tips
By Lea Schneider, Professional Organizer

  Home Page   |  Recipes  |  Diet Recipes  |  Dinner Party Menus  |  Food History  |  Culinary Dictionary  |  Diet, Health & Beauty

Lea Schneider is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Association of Food Journalists.

Lee provides hands-on organizing and organizational consulting through her company, Organize Right Now, at www.organizerightnow.com, and her favorite project is the kitchen.

Ten "Next To" Great Kitchen Organizing Tips
Check out all of Lea Schneider's helpful home and kitchen columns at Organize Right Now.
 

Some organizing rules takes "next to" no effort, like this one:

Put items you most commonly use next to where you commonly use them

I call this the "Next To Rule. Sounds easy - and is easy – yet it is hard to explain why we spend an awful lot of time hunting and looking for things. To remedy that, I’ve rounded up the top ten “next-to’s” for your kitchen.

(1)  Coffee next to coffee maker - Add filters, scoop, creamer, and sweetener to that list.

(2)  Trash bags next to the trash can - If you aren’t prone to leaky wet trash, then they can actually be stored in the bottom of the trash can, hidden by the clean liner.
 

(3)  Dishwasher soap next to dishwasher - Get a plastic basket to hold your dishwasher soap, liquid dish soap, and scrubbing pads. It will all be where you need it and the basket will keep your cabinet floor clean.
 

(4)  Baking powder and baking soda next to flours - I’ve not seen much call for them without flour.

(5)  Pen, paper and calendar next to the phone - We shouldn’t be surprised when we actually have to take a message.

(6)  Measuring spoons next to the measuring cups - If you need one, you pretty much need the other.

(7)  Beater blades next to the mixer - Put all the parts in the same location. Don’t hunt for some in this drawer and others in that drawer. This applies to anything with parts.
 

(8)  Grill brush next to the grill - It’s a lot easier to clean if the brush is at hand. While you are at it, put some cooking spray made just for grills out there to. No wonder food sticks if you have to run back inside to find it.
 

(9)  Potholders next to the oven - Sounds simple but we’ve all made the unsafe move of grabbing the nearest dish towel. Not only might you get burnt but you might start a fire as the towel dangles down onto oven or stove burners.
 

(10)  Paper towels next to the sink - Unless, of course, you really don’t mind mopping the floor because someone had drippy hands as they went to reach for the towels and then turned around and walked in the drips.