Go Organize: Conquer Clutter in 3 Simple Steps (9 page)

Upper Cupboards

Glasses and Cups Cupboard:
Take everything out. Wipe out the cupboard. Put the glasses in the cupboard next to or near the sink if that is where you usually use them. If you get your water from the refrigerator along with other beverages, put your glasses in the cupboard where they are most convenient to be used and to be loaded and unloaded from the dishwasher. If you don't have a cupboard for glasses only, put them on the shelf above or below the dishes. Be sure you are only keeping the ones you like and that aren't chipped or broken. You are at risk of injury by using chipped or cracked glasses (even if it was your favorite one from your aunt). Throw away those old, ugly, plastic mugs and glasses you don't like and don't enjoy using but you do use them because they are in the cupboard. (These include the souvenir and promotional cups you get from businesses and restaurants.) They aren't going to break, so they aren't going to go away; they can outlast you so go ahead, be brave and recycle them. (No one else will want them either, so don't bother donating them.)

This is premium space, so only keep the amount of glasses that your family uses on a daily basis. Other glasses can go to other shelves considered secondary space. (See page 24 to review premium and secondary spaces.)

Tip:
Do you have the “never-any-clean-glasses-in-the-house” syndrome? Buy different colored glasses for each family member, or put a different colored elastic band around each glass assigning a different color for each user. Ask family members to reuse their glass as often as possible throughout the day. The different colored glasses should help them do this.

Dishes and Bowls:
Take everything out and wipe out the cupboard. Throw away any plates and bowls that are chipped or broken and get rid of the ones that rate 6 and below on the wattage scale.

Stack the dinner plates in one pile, the salad plates in another, and the bowls in another. This is where additional shelves are nice because they eliminate the pain and bother of removing one size of plates to get to another. (See
Extra Shelves in Cupboards
on page 77 for more information.)

If you store your leftovers in plastic containers that had other products in them, such as margarine, cottage cheese, or yogurt, here are some guidelines. Don't use them. Recycle the plastic some other way than by storing food in them because:

 


1. You can't see in them, so often the food spoils before it is used.
   

 


2. They don't stack as well as containers uniform in size, thus taking up more space in the refrigerator.
   

 


3. Some plastics, when heated in the microwave, warp or melt possibly causing harmful chemicals to leach into the food. Older plastics tend to leach increasing amounts of toxins as they age. On the bottom of plastic containers is a number. When you need to use plastic, these are the safer choices to use with food: 1, 2, 4, and 5. Avoid numbers 3, 6, and 7.
   

 


4. These “freebie” types of containers have babies, multiplying and dividing faster than rabbits. If you must use them, make a rule that you will not keep more than five to ten (depending on the size of your family) of them in your cupboards. The other ones go to the recycle bin after using the product in them. They can also be used to store nonfood items.
   

Honestly, do these yellow, white, (ugly) containers light you up on a scale of 7 or above? That is always your criteria when deciding if something is to be kept in your home. I know these containers are free, but it isn't about the cost, it is about how you feel. A much safer and more attractive choices for leftover containers are glass, pottery, crockery, and stainless steel.

Keep dishes that you use most often in the easiest-to-reach places where they are most convenient to use and to put back in the cupboard after they are washed. Move the dishes you don't use daily to secondary spaces. This could be to a higher cupboard. Serving pieces can also go on higher shelves if they aren't used on a daily basis.

Take out all bowls that have lids. (This should include serving bowls with lids and plastic containers you use for leftovers.) Match lids to the bowls. If there are bowls without lids or lids without bowls, put these orphans in a plastic bag. Label the bag “missing bowls/lids.” Keep the bag for one week (the orphans might be in a bedroom or some other place in the house). If matches haven't been found in a week, recycle the bowls and lids.

Tip:
Plan two weeks to thirty days of menus at one time. From these menus, you can make your shopping list, and you will have a nice variety of dinners planned so meal time doesn't get boring. It will save you time and the frustration of wondering “what is for dinner tonight.” It takes the dread out of preparing dinner. There are a lot of preplanned menus available on the Internet that you can use for inspiration.

Over the Stove:
Take everything out of this cupboard and wipe it out. This way you can see what you have. This is such a tricky cupboard because, if you're not tall (which I am not), it is hard to get in and out of this cupboard easily. Do not store things here that would be a magnet for children to get into. If they think there are treats there, they will do their best to reach them and could be burned or sustain other injuries. Store things you might not use very often, such as seasonal dishes, plastic and paper products, wine glasses, pie tins, round cake pans, or vases. You decide what you want to keep in this semi-storage area.

Over the Refrigerator:
Take everything out and wash the shelves. Possible uses for this cupboard include wine storage, cookie sheets, muffin tins, cookie cutters, cake decorating supplies, and other items you don't use often. I recommend keeping a small, sturdy step stool handy to reach things in this cupboard and other cupboards that are too high to get into easily.

Utensil Drawers

Use a utensil holder for your flatware. The holders with a compartment in the back have room for the corn picks, vegetable peeler, measuring spoons, or ice cream scoops. If the holder slides around, use wide, double-stick tape or a nonslip mat under it to hold it in place.

Large utensils can be kept in a nice container, like a crock, on the counter. If you keep them in a drawer, use drawer dividers to separate the spoons from the spatulas, the hand grater and cheese slicer, and other types of utensils. Dividers will keep everything from sliding around and getting lost and jumbled.

If you don't have enough drawers or your space is limited, a utensil rack can be hung on the wall that has hooks attached to it. Using a pegboard is also an option. It can be mounted on the wall and hooks installed to free up cupboard space for cups, soup bowls, and cooking utensils. Pegboard can easily be painted to match your kitchen décor or the kitchen walls. The one thing I caution about using a pegboard is if you hang too many things on it, the kitchen will look cluttered. So if you use a pegboard, limit the amount of items you hang on it.

To create more cupboard space, you can easily install additional shelves by buying removable stainless steel or wire shelves (that are covered in white plastic). These are available at discount stores, kitchen stores, and variety stores. Depending on your needs and cupboard size and shape, there are many types of shelves to increase cupboard space. There are corner shelves, expanding shelves, wide shelves, and narrow shelves. Step shelves look like small stairs. This style of shelf works well to accommodate spices, or canned goods. These will double your cupboard space and make the items placed in the back easier to find.

Keep sharp knives in plastic sleeves for safety and to avoid nicking the blade, or place them in a wooden butcher block made for knives.

If you have space, a drawer could hold baking utensils such as measuring spoons and cups. You also can place these utensils in a plastic container that easily slides in and out of a cupboard. This is effective for someone in a wheelchair or who has limited range of motion.

You have now gone through all of the upper cupboards and drawers in your kitchen. You have taken everything out of every cupboard, cleaned the shelves, and rearranged some things to make them more functional for you. You have used containers to contain spices, baking supplies, and lids. Doesn't it just make you want to open your cupboards and see how nice they look? What a great feeling!

If you live in a small apartment or house and your kitchen is the size of a postage stamp, you can make room for dishes, cups, and glasses by installing different types of shelves on your walls. One shelf should have slots to hold plates. You could store large serving bowls on top of the shelf.

The other shelf should have a flat top and sturdy hooks beneath it. You can place drinking glasses on top and hang mugs on the hooks underneath. You also can install appliances like microwaves, can openers, radios, and televisions beneath cupboards to free up counter space.

Lower Cupboards

Pots and Pans:
Pots and pans are more convenient to use when stored on roll-out shelves or deep slide-out drawers. You can install these shelves yourself or have a professional install them for you. Big-box hardware stores carry them. They are nice because they can slide out so the pans are easier to see and reach. These shelves are particularly helpful for people in wheelchairs. You can use the full space in the cupboard because items in the back of the cupboard are easy to reach when you pull out the shelf.

Donate pans you don't use. Throw away pans with warped bottoms or that have been burned beyond repair. Don't keep any pan you can't or don't use. Remember, look at them and assign them a wattage. They have to be a 7 or above to keep. Nest pans together by size. Keep the ones you use most often towards the front of the shelf.

Lids are often a problem. Here are a few options of what to do to contain them: Turn them upside down on the pans; stack them in a wire, plastic, or rattan basket; or stack them on a metal lid rack that hangs on a door or sits inside a cupboard. Some stoves have a drawer under them; this is a good place for lids.

Under the Sink:
Move hazardous items to “higher ground,” away from children, or child-proof the cupboard by using child-proof locks. Do not put any paper products or other items here that may get ruined from moisture. To increase the space of this cupboard, place a shelf on one side. There are special under-the-sink shelf systems that fit around pipes and add more storage space. A slide-out under-sink organizer can also increase space and accessibility.

In the front, place items together that you regularly use — dish soap, scouring pads, garbage bags, and rubber gloves. Keep items used less frequently (e.g., silver polish, extra soap, floor cleaner, or window cleaner) in a container, such as a caddy or basket, toward the back of the cupboard.

If you opt for the shelf on one side, you can put your trash can on the other side. A slide-out trashcan holder is another option. If you have space in the kitchen, use a trash can with a lid that opens by stepping on a pedal or has a pop-up lid. Use one that is easy to get into so it will be used, and you'll avoid the frustration of having to touch the lid every time to open it.

Bulky Appliances:
Keep only the appliances you use at least every six months. If you have an appliance you would like to use but you never do, start scheduling times to use it. If you never follow through with using it, donate it so someone else can enjoy it. You will never miss the appliance. You will enjoy the freedom of space and the freedom from feeling guilty that you don't use it but think you should. If you are having a hard time deciding if you should keep an item, give it a number on the wattage scale to help you decide. Only keep those that are a 7 or above.

Find a place other than on your counter for your bulky appliances that you do use at least twice a month. If you use a large appliance every day, then it makes more sense to keep it on your counter. Things like a bread maker, toaster oven, juicer, or large mixer can be moved to the pantry, a shelf in the garage, or in a lower cupboard if there is room. An armoire in a nearby room may also make a great storage place. A baker's rack can work as well.