Storage and Organising Solutions for your Kitchen and Utility.
Storage is something that comes after everything else, so if you are here before you have decluttered, Go Away! You cannot organise your way to an easy life, declutter first.
(For Blogs on Decluttering your kitchen try:
https://www.thetidycoo.com/single-post/organising-your-food
https://www.thetidycoo.com/single-post/clear-your-kitchen
https://www.thetidycoo.com/single-post/top-tips-for-kitchen-organisation)
Cleaning Caddy
Joseph Joseph used to do the most excellent cleaning caddy that had a built in bucket, but alas they no longer seem to do it. I like having my cleaning things in a caddy because it makes it easy to pull out and use and keeps it corralled together.
https://amzn.to/3h5d34G is a similar a product as I can find, although it doesn’t have the wonderful extra bucket that mine has. Sorry!
Buckets
On the subject of buckets though, I love my collapsible one that I use for all purposes – it hangs on a hook rather than taking up extra space.
Back of the door shelves
Back of the door storage is useful in the kitchen. I have one on the understairs cupboard which I use for storing all sorts of things. I bought mine from Aldi, but they only have them on sale occasionally, so this is similar to the one I have:
Wire racks
In kitchen cupboards, it is really good to make use of the extra height that you get. I have these wire racks that put in an extra shelf:
Shelf risers
And also these risers that mean that you can see what is at the back more easily:
Baking racks
Just like folding clothes into drawers in the bedroom, it is useful to be able to pull baking trays out of vertical storage rather than from underneath each other. I have a rack like this that all my baking trays are in:
Drawer Dividers
It is useful to be able to divide up some of those bigger kitchen drawers and it can be hard to find drawer dividers that actually fit kitchen drawers! Therefore, this divider set can help, but only if you don’t overload it!
Wire baskets
Wire baskets are often a nice solution to corral things together:
Knife storage
I prefer to not grapple round in drawers like I’m apple bobbing in a piranha tank, so my knives are in this knife holder:
Lazy Susan
I love a good Lazy Susan to make it easier to reach things at the back of cupboards. I have this one in my kitchen cupboard:
Fridge Caddies
Caddies in the fridge are SO useful. My fridge is divided up by different size ones that make it super organised and means that we don’t waste much food. I got mine at Aldi, but again, they do not always have them, so these are similar. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, MEASURE! Some fridges are much deeper than others, so can take a longer length.
Decanting
I have a lot of my things decanted – I like to do it for freshness and to see how much I have. I write on the label use by date. I’ve used Kilner jars for most of it, with hand written chalk labels. I preferred to use the square-ish ones as it is a more efficient use of space than the round ones. I worked out what height would best fit in my cupboards and I also spent time working out which size jar took which size package so that I could decant an entire pack into a jar.
https://amzn.to/3UvBgij Jars - can be bought in lots of different sizes
These are the Chalk Labels that I use for them. I like these labels because I can change what’s in the jar as things fall in and out of use.
https://amzn.to/3Fp99gr Chalk Labels
Although we use Kilner jars for these dry goods, they are not always brilliant when you have something stickier as it can be hard to get the stuff out from round the top. Which is where these rather brilliant Wex jars come in! We use them for things like stock paste and pizza sauce which we make from scratch.
Freezer Storage
For storage in the freezer, I prefer plastic. I like the Sistema boxes because they stack easily and seal well.
As a by-the-by, in the freezer you can use empty plastic milk bottles to store things like peas and sweetcorn.
For a Full Free Downloadable Guide to Storage, head here: https://www.thetidycoo.com/product-page/the-tidy-coo-guide-to-storage
**** If you buy through the links on this page, I may get a referral fee at no extra cost to yourself. However I have not been paid to write this blog and I have only included solutions that I have used myself, either in my own home, or with clients. ****
