To state the obvious, what to store in your small kitchen depends on just how small the kitchen is. Ideally you’d like to put everything related to cooking and eating, as well as kitchen cleaning, nearby. And in a larger kitchen you might even have room for non-kitchen items if that’s a good use of your space. But those options can disappear when your kitchen is tiny. Here are some guidelines as to what you can and can’t live without in your kitchen.
What to Store In a Small Kitchen Checklist
___ Everyday basic cleaning supplies. Keep the one or two products you use a lot, like disinfectant wipes and dish soap, under (I like this bucket for under the sink) or on the sink. Also keep a sponge, dish towel, and rubber gloves handy. You don’t want to be running into the hall for them all the time.
___ Pots, pans, and other cooking tools you use regularly. If you can’t fit them all, consider downsizing your collection. But don’t think you have to put everything in the limited storage provided; in many cases you can add your own storage options to walls or ceilings. Here’s how to organize your kitchen cabinets.
___ Dishes, flatware, and cups and glasses you use all the time.
___ Pantry items you use in cooking all the time, like pepper or olive oil. Here’s how to organize your kitchen pantry.
___ Anything else you use in your kitchen constantly, like paper towels or an apron. These usually don’t need to take up space on your countertop – think about a dispenser that attaches to a wall, or a hook.
What To Maybe Store in a Small Kitchen
___ Weekly or less-frequently used cleaning supplies. If you have anywhere else to put them, you don’t have to clutter up your kitchen with a mop or boxes of heavy-duty cleansers.
___ Rarely used cooking tools. Again, if there’s a closet or other room where you can put an ice cream maker or other “special occasion” items, stash it there instead of using valuable kitchen space for it.
___ Non-perishable food you don’t plan on eating for a while. If you only have one or two cabinets, don’t waste space by putting all your canned goods in them. Assuming you have storage space elsewhere, then create a place for this type of pantry item there instead. A box in the hall closet or basement would work.
___ Cookbooks. It’s nice to have them right there in the kitchen, but if you don’t have the space for them, they might have to go on a bookshelf in another room. It’s not too inconvenient to bring a book into the kitchen as needed. This also goes for large recipe boxes.
___ “Kitchen” things that are really more like souvenirs, such as wacky drinking glass with restaurant logos on them, or decorative plates. Unless you’re actually eating and drinking from them, put them on a shelf elsewhere or give them away.
___ Extras, like bulk purchases of paper towels or paper napkins. My parents’ house has an odd shelf along the basement stairs – a great, unintended storage spot for things that don’t need to be in the kitchen.
___ Stuff you’re saving that might be useful one day. Plastic takeout containers can be useful if you have enough kitchen cabinets to hold them. But if your kitchen is the size of a postage stamp, that potential usefulness is overruled by the precious space they’d take up.
___ Vases of flowers and other pretty, nonessential (and/or fragile) items. Put them in rooms that see less bustle than the kitchen.
___ Items that belong in other areas. It’s one thing to keep a coat tree in your kitchen if the room is large, but with a small kitchen, you’ll have to put it in the hall or living room.
One note:
Some of the above tips assume that although your kitchen is small, you have some other storage accessible to you. If your small kitchen is in fact part of an equally small apartment, then that might not be the case. That’s when you have to really look at going minimalist with your kitchen supplies.
And another note:
If you never cook, you can store whatever you need to eat prepared foods or take-out and use the rest of your small kitchen for, well, anything. Just remember you will still need to clean it, so keep a few kitchen cleaning products in easy reach.
Small Kitchen Organization Series
Everything you need to know to organize a small kitchen.
What to Store In a Small Kitchen Checklist
___ Everyday basic cleaning supplies. Keep the one or two products you use a lot, like disinfectant wipes and dish soap, under (I like this bucket for under the sink) or on the sink. Also keep a sponge, dish towel, and rubber gloves handy. You don’t want to be running into the hall for them all the time.
___ Pots, pans, and other cooking tools you use regularly. If you can’t fit them all, consider downsizing your collection. But don’t think you have to put everything in the limited storage provided; in many cases you can add your own storage options to walls or ceilings. Here’s how to organize your kitchen cabinets.
___ Dishes, flatware, and cups and glasses you use all the time.
___ Pantry items you use in cooking all the time, like pepper or olive oil. Here’s how to organize your kitchen pantry.
___ Anything else you use in your kitchen constantly, like paper towels or an apron. These usually don’t need to take up space on your countertop – think about a dispenser that attaches to a wall, or a hook.
What To Maybe Store in a Small Kitchen
___ Weekly or less-frequently used cleaning supplies. If you have anywhere else to put them, you don’t have to clutter up your kitchen with a mop or boxes of heavy-duty cleansers.
___ Rarely used cooking tools. Again, if there’s a closet or other room where you can put an ice cream maker or other “special occasion” items, stash it there instead of using valuable kitchen space for it.
___ Non-perishable food you don’t plan on eating for a while. If you only have one or two cabinets, don’t waste space by putting all your canned goods in them. Assuming you have storage space elsewhere, then create a place for this type of pantry item there instead. A box in the hall closet or basement would work.
___ Cookbooks. It’s nice to have them right there in the kitchen, but if you don’t have the space for them, they might have to go on a bookshelf in another room. It’s not too inconvenient to bring a book into the kitchen as needed. This also goes for large recipe boxes.
___ “Kitchen” things that are really more like souvenirs, such as wacky drinking glass with restaurant logos on them, or decorative plates. Unless you’re actually eating and drinking from them, put them on a shelf elsewhere or give them away.
___ Extras, like bulk purchases of paper towels or paper napkins. My parents’ house has an odd shelf along the basement stairs – a great, unintended storage spot for things that don’t need to be in the kitchen.
___ Stuff you’re saving that might be useful one day. Plastic takeout containers can be useful if you have enough kitchen cabinets to hold them. But if your kitchen is the size of a postage stamp, that potential usefulness is overruled by the precious space they’d take up.
___ Vases of flowers and other pretty, nonessential (and/or fragile) items. Put them in rooms that see less bustle than the kitchen.
___ Items that belong in other areas. It’s one thing to keep a coat tree in your kitchen if the room is large, but with a small kitchen, you’ll have to put it in the hall or living room.
One note:
Some of the above tips assume that although your kitchen is small, you have some other storage accessible to you. If your small kitchen is in fact part of an equally small apartment, then that might not be the case. That’s when you have to really look at going minimalist with your kitchen supplies.
And another note:
If you never cook, you can store whatever you need to eat prepared foods or take-out and use the rest of your small kitchen for, well, anything. Just remember you will still need to clean it, so keep a few kitchen cleaning products in easy reach.
Small Kitchen Organization Series
Everything you need to know to organize a small kitchen.
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