Today’s WFMW is a themed edition. The topic? Kitchen organization.
Good thing I am an expert at that! Oh wait, no I’m not.
I was actually just complaining about this with my co-workers yesterday! The way our house is laid out, when we enter through the garage, after a few brief steps through the washer/dryer area, we enter into the kitchen. You know what that means – the kitchen is the dumping grounds for everything… backpacks, mail, jackets, you name it.
In addition to the daily things that are dumped, I often feel as though we are drowning in a sea of papers. And they are all on the kitchen counter. And even when I go through it and throw away what I can, there’s still important stuff that probably shouldn’t end up in the recycling bin – so where should it go?
This quandry is why I was excited to read this article in Woman’s Day magazine. The article is called “Organize Your Top 5 Trouble Spots,” and while I definitely have those five (and more) trouble spots, the ideas for the kitchen really caught my eye.
Here’s an excerpt (Remember, it’s from this article in Woman’s Day – I didn’t think this up on my own).
The Kitchen
Old way: The countertops aren’t just for food prep, they’re for paper prep too. “Everything gets done in the kitchen—bills, homework, birthday invitations, classroom forms—all while meals are being prepared,†says Heidi Karpa, broadband host for HGTV.com’s KitchenDesign. “The best thing you can do is give all that paper a new place to call home.â€
New way: Turn one of your kitchen cabinets into the Household Nerve Center. Stock it with mail and other paperwork that used to clutter your countertops.
How to organize: “Pick a cabinet and empty it,†says Karpa. Then install a bulletin or magnetic board on the inside of the door. It’s the perfect place for phone numbers, schedules and need-to-see papers.
On the lowest shelf, place stackable boxes, labeled by name for each family member. This acts as a delivery center for permission forms, reminders and mail. On the second shelf, corral must-have items: pens, pencils and scissors go in a mug, bills in a letter holder, stamps in a see-through plastic container. On the top shelf, place a plastic-sheet binder of important papers, labeled on the spine, alongside directories and phone books. Use bookends to keep everything upright.
Not allowed: Schedules, papers or forms that you also have on your computer. You can always look at the digital version as needed.
I love this idea. And I absolutely intend to do it. And when I eventually do, I am sure it will work for me.
For other tips on kitchen organization, head over to Rocks in my Dryer!
Do you have other tips for me? Leave a comment… I need all the help I can get!
Wow! That is a really great idea! I can’t believe it never occurred to me. Now if I could only decide on what cupboard I could spare!
When you enter our front door, you are standing smack dab in my living room beside the entertainment wall. So the entertainment system top became our dumping ground for papers.
When we wallmounted our TV, I began to ponder how to improve this problem spot. Two trips to IKEA, and one trip to Target later things are much better. We bought a furniture piece that was actually designed to be a dining room buffet to go on that wall under the TV (which is mounted about 4 feet above the floor to keep toddler hands off). It is perfect because it is closed storage with two cabinets and 6 drawers. One drawer holds office supplies. One drawer holds food coupons, phone books, flashlights and lighters (for candles). The drawer closest to the front door is the mail bin. I bought three bins that fit side by side in the drawer. One holds bills, one holds things to read/file and the other holds junk mail that needs to be tossed or shredded. It has worked fabulously. When the mail comes, we know just where to put it, and just where to find it later without having to sort through all the crap.
One cabinet holds DVDS and other media items. The other cabinet and two drawers are for B’s books, art supplies and small toys. I’m not sure yet what the last drawer should be for yet.
Now if I can just figure out how to get my DH to put his shoes somewhere else than on the floor by the front door….
Thanks for sharing…. I’ll visit the site too..
have a nice day to you
I definitely need to print this out and use these tips! My house is set up the same way – enter through the garage/walk past the washer and dryer/enter the kitchen. Ergo, the kitchen is a big ol’ mess.
I intend to implement this idea, too!!
Our kitchen is no where near the garage and yet it still is the dumping ground! Since we have no cabinets to spare, but a handy little built in desk thingy, that is where our ‘nerve center’ is. But I LOVE this idea!
Good ideas, thanks.
I got a decorative box that matches my kitchen and put my household binder in there and dividers behind that with different things that accumulate. ex. receipts, recipes I want to try, and one for each family member. In front of everything I have a mug tucked down in there for scissors and pens and that kind of leaves a good spot next to it where I can stash any little things I don’t know what to do with like post its.
Oh and it sits out on my counter.