Kitchen appliances tend to take up a lot of space so say ‘No’ to storing them on your countertops unless you use them daily like a coffee maker.
Instead here’s how to organize kitchen appliances in 2 easy steps:
Step 1 – Get sorting
Pull out all your appliances and put them into three piles – regular use, infrequent use, hardly ever used. Any that no longer work should not even make it into a pile, but should find the quickest route into the trash.
Appliances that are hardly ever used should be tossed or donated (consider Freecycle.org) especially if they are 1-trick ponies like waffle makers.
If you are struggling with this step, have a ‘Use it or donate it’ month, where it gains pride of place on your countertop and you make an effort to use it. If you don’t use it in the month, you know the answer – get it out of there. If you do use it, then great, it’s earned it’s right to take up cabinet space.
Step 2 – Find them a home
Designate a cabinet for appliances – lower cabinets are best for these typically heavy and bulky items and then you can keep upper eye level cabinets for food. Treat yourself to some slide out organizers to give easy access to the appliances stored at the back of the cabinet.
Regularly used appliances should be stored at the front of the cabinet with those used infrequently being at the back. Use twist ties to keep the cords in order before storing and keep small attachments in labeled zip loc bags.
Don’t forget the dead space above upper cabinets if you need more space for seldom used appliances. Store them in attractive baskets up there to keep the overall look of your kitchen uncluttered.
Alternatively keep appliances in a garage or basement or invest in a countertop appliance garage. These are interesting kitchen organization ideas that typically sit in the corner of your countertop and have a roll down door to keep appliances out of sight.
I’d love to hear how you go about organizing kitchen appliances. Please leave me a comment.
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Photo credits: wheredidyoubuythat.com.
Great tip about giving an appliance a one month trial on the counter top. There are a few gadgets I am going to try that tip on including the herb mill that I don’t think I have ever used and a soup pan that it so big I can hardly lift it.
It would be even better if I could resist buying these things in the first place but they all seem like such a good idea at the time…
Many of my seldom used appliances are seasonal items. Blender for smoothies in the summer, Slow cooker for hearty meals more for winter, food processor comes in handy for chopping veggies for holiday dishes, and hot air popcorn, which I enjoy more than the microwave stuff, I eat occasionally. I hide them away on the top shelf of my coat closet. Often items like this would be costly to replace if you need or want them in the future, and since cooking and eating together are a favorite family & friends pastime, I’d rather purge other household items around the house, if I can. I simply use that space for the small variety of appliances I have, so they’re conveniently available when I need them.
Don’t get me wrong, keeping down clutter is very important to me. But some household appliances are like spices, you might not use them at every meal, but when you need it for a recipe you want to know it’s there.
Hi Trina
Thanks for your comment. It’s a great idea to keep those appliances that you still want to hang onto but don’t use often around the house in other places if you’ve got room and can remember where you put them!
Chloe
Awesome appliances! I have so many appliances, I have no idea where to begin… This article has helped me put appliances in the best possible spots. I no longer need to break my back bending over and trying to find certain appliances stuffed away.