The Organized Mom, Lorraine Brock Offers Sound Advice on How we Can Clean up in the Kitchen!
Is your kitchen due for an organized makeover? Do packs of ketchup and coupons line your drawers? Are bills, magazines and expired medication stuffed in your cupboards? These are all sure signs of a disorganized kitchen and often an incredibly busy person.
Frequently in the rush of life, people put things where they fit rather than where they belong. Over time, clutter accumulates and spreads … taking up more space than if it were organized.
As a mom, I know that the kitchen is where life unfolds in your home. Meals are eaten, discussions are had and plans are made. Because of this, the kitchen becomes the drop spot for many unrelated items in the home.
Allow me to help you get your kitchen sorted, purged and organized by sharing a few secrets that Professional Organizers do every day.
The first step is to group like items together; pens with pens and batteries with batteries and so on. Once you have sorted all the items in the space you are organizing, then it’s time to purge. Get rid of items that are expired or that you no longer use. It’s ok to let items go…you will love the extra space and will be able to see what you actually have.
Next, assign a space for the remaining items you want to keep. Think about how you use each item. Do you use it daily or rarely? Are you the only one that uses it or do the kids need to be able to reach it?
The fun part of organizing is buying cute containers for containerizing your items. You can buy drawer dividers or repurpose items like Velveeta cheese or cracker boxes for drawer organizers. Look for containers that hold items such as after school snacks or lunch items. Labeling always helps, too.
For pantries, first check the inside of the pantry door. If you’re not already using that space, consider wire shelving or even a clear pocket shoe organizer. This will give you additional storage space. Because containerizing is so much fun; often people over spend on cute and fun organizing products that they really don’t need. So, be careful to not just buy something that’s cute if you have no clue where to use it.
Lastly, once the organizing is complete and everything is back in a home, evaluate where everything is located with your family. Make sure each member knows where the new home is for each item. If you don’t, you might find them digging to find what they are looking for; and that might equal another mess.
Just keep in mind the acronym for these steps is S-P-A-C- E. Sort, Purge, Assign, Containerize, and Evaluate.
Lorraine Brock is a professional organizer, family coach, speaker, and founder and owner of “Get Organized!” “Get Organized!” is a professional organizing company in the Dallas, Texas area. “Get Organized!” specializes in organizing and de-cluttering homes as well as implementing systems in the home for better family management.
A popular media guest, Lorraine has appeared on Dallas’ two top morning television shows: Good Morning Texas and Good Day Fox, and has been featured on various radio outlets. She has been hallmarked in many local, regional, and national print and online magazines, such as the Dallas Morning News, The North Texas Kids Magazine, SheKnows.com, and Daily Candy Kids. To get more helpful advice from Lorraine, visit her blog Get Organized!
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