7 Easy Ways to Make Your Kitchen Better

So much time is spent in the kitchen that it can quickly become a disorganized, messy room in a matter of minutes. Your kitchen is functional--it works--but imagine how much time and effort you would save if things were more neat, organized, and easy to find? Small, inexpensive changes to your kitchen can make a world of difference. Add a few things, get rid of a few others, and create some extra storage space in your kitchen for those neat dishes or kitchen gadgets you were eyeing online.

Reorganize Your Stuff

Find better-suited places for all of your kitchen materials to live by reorganizing your kitchen. Take a few minutes to analyze the space you have, all the stuff you have, and think about finding the best place for everything. For example, the silverware might fit better in the long, skinny drawer than the drawer it’s been in for years. The water glasses may be more advantageous near the fridge, where the water dispenser is---while the coffee mugs may be better suited near the coffee maker. Put items where they fit, as well as where they are the most convenient.

Line Drawers and Cabinets

Find liners for drawers and cabinets at your local hardware store, home décor store, or even the dollar store. After lining your cabinets and drawers, they will be much easier to keep clean and the liner can add some fun and funky designs to the inside of your kitchen storage spaces. The design and quality of the paper or rubber lining isn’t super important, as long as the liner wipes clean easily in case of spills or dusty months. Measure the width of your drawers and cabinets and cut the paper to fit those dimensions. Most liners are adhesive or rubber, so that they will set snugly and don’t move around much, if at all.

Get a Rug

Add a rug or two to your kitchen floor to bring some pizazz and coziness to the space. Get small rugs, as they are easier to clean. You can shake small rugs outside to get them clean, or to toss them into the washing machine. Try placing one in front of the kitchen sink for extra cushion for your toes while doing the dishes. Long, skinny rugs work well in areas between counters and cabinets, while large rugs will add a pop of design to any big, open spaces.

Hang a Pot Rack

Create a lot more storage space in your kitchen by moving all of your pots and pans to a hanging pot rack. Pot racks are mounted to the ceiling and open up a lot of space in cabinets that would have otherwise been used to keep pots and pans. After installing a pot rack, all of that extra space can be used for kitchen appliances, dinnerware, or food storage.

Store Pantry Items

Move pantry items such as pasta, beans, flour, nuts, and sugar into clear glass containers for everyday storage. When storing these items in clear containers, not only are they super easy to find, they are kept fresh by being tightly sealed. Your new pantry storage containers will keep things neat, organized, and easy to clean.

Use Towel Racks

Instead of hanging your dish towels over cabinets, on the fridge handle or on the stove, buy a few towel racks to keep your towels neat, clean, and dry. There are many kinds of kitchen towel racks available, depending on how much space you have and your kitchen’s design. Some towel racks can be mounted to the wall, while others have hooks so that they can hang on cabinets. Adding a few towel racks will tidy things up a bit and actually help the towels dry better.

Get a Spice Rack

Mount a small shelf on the wall to store your spices and herbs. This will clear a bit of space in your cabinets and give you a good reason to throw away those old spices you never use. Choose a spice rack with multiple shelves to store containers of different heights and sizes.