“7 Ways to Organize Your Kitchen for Back-to-School” is a Guest Post from Hank McKinsey
For many families, the kitchen is the hub of the home. Whether it’s eating, entertaining guests or cramming for a history test at the kitchen table, this room of the house is often heavily used. Since so much time is spent here, it is important to have this space clean and properly organized to ensure the comfort of your family and friends.
Even if you have a very small kitchen, there are ways to make the space work for you and your needs. Here are a few tips on setting up your kitchen for the best flow:
1) Maximize Wall Space 
Kitchens often have funky little stretches of wall under the cupboards or elsewhere. You can utilize these spaces by hanging hooks, racks or rods to store extra kitchen items, such as hand towels, aprons or pots and pans. Wall space can be especially helpful if you have a very small kitchen. Consider hanging shelves with attached hooks for extra function.
2) Use Shelf Organizers
Need extra cupboard space, but don’t have the cash, time or desire to renovate? Consider adding shelf organizers. Most hardware or home goods stores sell systems that can be installed easily right into the cupboards you already have. These are especially helpful if making school lunches is one of your daily tasks. By keeping the aluminum foil, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, napkins, and brown paper bags organized and in a central location, your lunch supplies will be easier to see, access and put away so you can spend more time with your family and less time making school lunches.
3) Use a Lazy Susan
Use a Lazy Susan to store condiments in the fridge or spices and baking items in a cupboard. This kitchen tool will help keep your countertops clear of rogue pepper shakers and your cupboards organized and easily accessible. Additionally, you will save time since you can access items stashed in the way back without having to unload everything out of the cupboard or fridge first, only to have to put everything back away a few minutes later.
4) Store Utensils in a Central Location
Make efficient use of your counter space by adding a stand up container to store all of your mixing spoons, spatulas and tongs. You can easily grab your sandwich spreading knife right when you need it, instead of digging through a stuffed drawer of forks and knives looking for the right one. But don’t just opt for any container! Since this will be positioned on the countertop for all eyes to see, a stylish or personalized utensil holder like the one found here can act as a nice decorative piece, especially if you’ve recently moved into a new home.
5) Doors Equal More
Use an over-the-door storage organizer in your pantry to maximize its total capacity. Opting for one that is transparent in color, or one made of a wireframe, will help reduce the time spent searching for a particular item. These are especially great for storing children’s snacks during the school year. Right after dinner, ask your little ones to go to the pantry and select two snacks that they would like to eat for lunch the next day. Not only will this help save you some time making lunches, but it will also ensure that your kids cannot complain that they didn’t like what was packed for them!
6) Store Items by Usage
It is important to arrange your kitchen and dining ware by how often you use each piece. It doesn’t make much sense to keep your fine china or other rarely used items in a centrally located cupboard, and every day plates and glasses stored on the top shelf. Likewise, it is advised to keep lunch boxes, sippy cups and other plastic snack containers low to the ground so they are easily accessible by children.
Bonus: If your kitchen lacks cupboard space, consider purchasing pots and pans that are all the same color. Choose a vibrant red, orange or blue for an extra pop of color and store them on an open shelf to help liven up your eating space.
7) Basket Case
Tupperware is both a blessing and a curse – particularly keeping the lids organized. A quick and simple solution: invest in a Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid set. You won’t have to worry about misplacing a tupperware lid again, as these lids can snap together for easy storage, or can even snap on to their corresponding base. These are great for kids’ snacks or leftovers for Mom and Dad. Since they are microwave safe, your husband or wife can easily take one with them to work for an inexpensive lunch the next day.
To help in getting your kitchen organized for back-to-school, we are offering a $50 Cash (Visa) Gift Card as a giveaway!
Enter via the Rafflecopter link below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
For more back-to-school content on Mami of Multiples, visit http://bit.ly/momeducation
Happy Organizing!
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Hank McKinsey is a S.A.H.D. to two wonderful and wacky Malteses – Digit and Poppy. He is lifestyle how-to blogger (HomeByHank.com) based out of Clovis, CA. Aside from blogging, his interests include playing tennis with his wife, adventure novels and cooking. Follow him on Twitter (@HomeByHank) to see what he’s up to.
Latest posts by Hank McKinsey, Author of HomeByHank.Com (see all)
I never thought about putting a lazy susan inside the fridge – great idea!
I am an email subscriber of M.O.M. since 2012 and I have always enjoyed all the helpful tips and resources.
I have liked the giveaway post and the MOM Facebook page. Thanks again!
I found the tip about using a Lazy Susan in the refrigerator helpful.
My favorite posts are your travel posts.
I liked the Facebook post announcing this giveaway and I shared on pinterest–http://www.pinterest.com/pin/400046379373592819/
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I like the suggestion to use shelf organizers. That would help me to find things more easily. I enjoy your reviews and of course, the giveaways.
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It was helpful learning about the Easy Find Lid.
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Like the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/mamiofmultiples and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted on the Facebook Page.
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Store Utensils in a Central Location is one helpful tip. I like this post. http://www.mamiofmultiples.com/2014/06/26/adventure-and-family-vacation-fun-at-the-florida-space-coast/
I found helpful to know that it is important to arrange your kitchen and dining ware by how often you use each piece.
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All councils will be me very useful to be able to take advantage of small spaces of my house. And the section that I like is: Latinos.
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What I found helpful about the post was the amount of information and the pictures. The category that I most enjoy on the Mami of Multiples site is the review category. Thanks for the giveaway!
I did this: Like the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/mamiofmultiples and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted on the Facebook Page.
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Found the shelf organizer interesting and helpful. I enjoy the entertainment section/category.
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I Liked the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/mamiofmultiples and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted on the Facebook Page. (Alyce Poalillo)
I found the whole thing very useful – it is interesting to think about how much space I really have if I were just to do some things differently. I like the giveaways on the blog and I like things like this – things that can be applied to people without children
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I liked the giveaway post on Facebook and I am now following you on google+
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I found helpful to know that it is important to arrange your kitchen and dining ware by how often you use each piece. I like your entertainment posts.
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I did this: Like the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted on the Facebook Page.
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7) Basket Case always losing lids and the giveaway section
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I did like these both Like the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/mamiofmultiples and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted on the Facebook Page.
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I love learning more about organization. I’ll be looking for that door organizer thing. It looks like something I could use in my pantry.
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These are all great ideas. Thanks for the tips, as a professional cook I found them all very helpful.
1. I had NEVER thought about using a lazy susan in the refrigerator! What a fantastic idea!
2. I enjoy the giveaways category (obviously — who doesn’t like something for free), but I also enjoy your food category!!
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I Like the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted on the Facebook Page
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I found the storage tips useful. I like your inspiration section.
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I liked that this would help me get organized especially the tip Store Utensils in a Central Location..I usually keep mine in a drawer where I have to search for the utensil I want..This would be so much easier. I most love the beauty and giveaway categories 🙂
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Store items by usage makes sense; I like the promotions.
I love the doors equal more idea. I never think to use that space. I also love your giveaway section.
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I have liked the giveaway post on your Facebook page under Natalie Yarbrough.
I found the tip to maximize wall space the most helpful and I love your food section of your site the most.
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I love the tips for kitchen organization. I need to get one of the lazy susans.
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I use a lazy susan in my cupboard for spices but I never thought of using one in the refrigerator. Great idea.
I enjoy all the helpful tips you have for organization and time/money saving.
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Liked both the Mami of Multiples Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/mamiofmultiples and “Like” the Back-to-School Kitchen Organization giveaway posted there
The tips are great. I already use some of the tips to organize the kitchen.
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I like the suggestion to maximize wall space.
I like the organizational tips. I like the beauty section best.
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I liked the Lazy Susan in the fridge tip… never thought of it, but it would help us organize! Also, I really enjoy the education category on your blog.