How to Guides

How to Reorganize your Top Kitchen Cabinets in Under an Hour

Organizing top kitchen cabinets can really be a challenge. It’s never pleasant to strain to reach something on the uppermost shelf, or to open the cabinet door and have a stack of plastic containers rain down on you. But there’s no need to dread opening your top cabinets. A few small steps towards more organized upper cabinets can make a tremendous impact on the way you spend your time in the kitchen.

The first step in creating an organized space is to group like items together, so that you will always know where they are without having to search for them. Matching sets of dishes should all be placed in the same cabinet. In any remaining space, try to fit mismatched or complimenting dishes, such as plastic children’s dishes, so that everything will be arranged in a logical and functional manner. Creating this new home for your dishes near your sink or dishwasher will allow for an easy return of dishes to the cabinet.

Next, organize your glassware and other cups so that the most frequently used cups are on the lowest or most accessible shelf. Whenever possible, stack your mugs and juice glasses on top of each other to get the most out of your space. In the even that the mugs don’t stack smoothly, putting a thin, firm object, like a piece of cardboard or an inexpensive cutting board in between the layers of cups will enable them to stand more securely.

Stack your storage containers inside each other, and discard all containers without matching covers and all covers without a mate. Consider purchasing a storage container organizer to keep your containers neat and orderly. These organizers are an ideal way to keep containers and their lids stacked properly and in close proximity to each other, so that you should never have to search for a missing piece.

The same principle applies to stacking cookware and other food preparation items. Pans should be stacked as neatly as possible, with the biggest ones on the bottom. Although it may be difficult to continually remove or replace the bottom pans, laziness will quickly cause a return of the cabinet to its formerly disorderly state. Placing the biggest pans on the top of the stack out of carelessness or haste will likely cause them to be unbalanced, and they may fall when the cabinet is opened, causing damage to the pan or injury to yourself.

When organized properly, upper kitchen cabinets can truly be a pleasure to use. Unlike bottom cabinets, there is no bending and balancing when using upper cabinets. Although it takes some concentration to keep your top cabinets tidy, these motions will eventually become habitual, and you will be impressed to see how your formally cluttered cabinets can remain efficiently organized with almost no effort.