When you’re short on time, messy cabinets, drawers, and pantries only make the experience of cooking a meal or preparing lunches feel more frantic. We took to Instagram to find the most brilliant kitchen organization hacks that don’t require a lot of time or budget but can make a major impact come dinnertime.
Color code your supplies
Once you go all ROY G BIV on your pantry, you’ll never revert to your old ways. Not only does this look pretty, but it makes it easier for your whole family to find the snack they’re looking for, when everything is organized in clear plastic bins by color.
Make a baking station
Skip the canisters for baking ingredients, which only take up valuable counter space. Instead, designate a low, deep drawer and purchase resealable plastic containers to fit perfectly inside—larger ones for flour and sugar, and smaller ones for brown sugar, powdered sugar, and other ingredients.
Create a space for packing lunches
If you have school-age children, a double-decker drawer like this one makes a perfect station for packing lunches. Stock the top one with shallow plastic containers to hold items like granola bars and other healthy snacks, and store non-perishable sandwich fixings (like bread and peanut butter), along with lunch bags, in the lower drawer.
Install corner drawers
OK, so this one will require a bit more budget and planning than the others. But you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood with this oh-so-clever idea for corner drawers that maximize storage space in an awkward area.
Use back-of-door space
Adding a simple white over-the-door rack ($44, homedepot.com) to the back of the pantry door expanded space in this walk-in pantry. It’s an ideal spot to store items like cereal in clear plastic containers that fit perfectly in the rack. Teach your kids about independence and organization by storing their plates, utensils, water bottles, and more in a low drawer. It’s a great way to teach them how each item has its place, and you can ask for their help in putting items away after washing.
Use pantry risers
The handy little tools known as pantry risers ($13, amazon.com) look like bleachers at a football game—and they’re super helpful for staggering canned goods so you can see what you have, from back to front, without digging through the pantry.
Hide your appliances
Keeping multiple kitchen appliances out on the counter can make even a large space feel confined. If you have the room, consider storing items like your toaster oven, blender, microwave oven, and slow cooker on shelves behind a closed door.
Repackage dry goods
The key to creating cabinets that look this sleek is to remove excess packaging and decant products into different (or sometimes, smaller) containers to create a cohesive look. Using clear, labeled jars (from $10, containerstore.com) for items like spices, coffee and oils creates a streamlined look and makes it easy to see when you’re running low.
Re-purpose magazine holders
Purchase a few wire magazine holders ($24 each, amazon.com) to hold produce like potatoes and onions that don’t require refrigeration. It’s a much sleeker look than piling them in bowls on the counter or tossing produce bags into your pantry. As a bonus, if you can easily see them, you’re more likely to use them.
Go diagonal with dividers
Why haven’t we thought of this before? Installing wooden dividers ($31, bedbathandbeyond.com) at an angle, rather than vertically, in drawers allows you to maximize the space and also include longer items that might not fit otherwise, like rolling pins or large whisks.
