15. The Kitchen Is the Family’s Hub
Kitchens come in all shapes and sizes, but their function is basically the same. This is where you cook and eat and entertain guests. And more often than not, this is where you talk on the phone, take messages, help your children with art projects and homework and play scheduling secretary for the family. Given all those functions, there is a lot of “stuff” that can end up in the kitchen by the end of the day.
One of my first clients hired me to organize her kitchen. Like many of the older homes in my neighborhood, hers was not an “eat-in” kitchen but instead had an area for cooking and a separate dining room where the family ate. She told me that the dining room table was usually filled with children’s toys and art projects by the end of the day and in order to eat, they moved the clutter onto the floor or pushed it to the center of the table. Her story is not uncommon, especially among stay-at-home moms with pre-schoolers. I wanted to help her create a more serene table for the family meals without cramping her family’s easy-going style. The dining room was fairly large so we were able to create zones for the room’s many functions. We added a nice activity table for her children to use. We also used shelves in a corner to store the toys. With the dining room table cleared of debris, we dressed it up with a nice tablecloth and vase of flowers. When we finished, the room finally looked more like a grown-up dining room than a playroom.
Determine all the functions your kitchen serves by using my Room Organizing Worksheet (see Appendices) to answer these questions:
What do I like about my kitchen? It might be that you like the cabinets or the set up or the size of your kitchen. If so, these are things that you won’t have to worry about changing. I believe it helps to focus on the positive so you know it’s not a lost cause!
What don’t I like about my kitchen? A common concern I hear from my clients is that the counter space is cluttered or the cabinets are so full, things fall out every time they’re opened. Or they say there simply isn’t enough space in their kitchen. Sometimes that changes just by paring down to what they need, use and love in their kitchen. Decide what it is that you don’t like and let that be the focus of your reorganizing efforts.
What is in my kitchen now? You can jot down the categories of stuff in your kitchen just by opening the cabinets. And sometimes one category is the biggest problem and it doesn’t even belong in the kitchen! I had one client whose kitchen table was filled with paperwork for a class she was taking. When I asked her where it belonged, she said, “In the office.” So we boxed it up and moved it to the office. Kitchen problem solved. Now it was an office issue. It’s okay to push these off because when you finish organizing the kitchen, you can handle the office.
Absolute of Organizing: Finish one thing before you start another.
What do I want to keep in the kitchen? Make sure your answer to this question agrees with the functions you’ve established. And consider this: Even if you use the kitchen table for projects because it’s the biggest table in the house, you don’t have to store all those materials in the kitchen. Your children can still do their homework at the kitchen table, but keep their pencils, scissors, and glue in a desk somewhere else. When the schoolwork is done, have them put it back where it belongs. Even if you like to sit at the kitchen table to do bills and read the paper, you don’t have to keep them there. Clear it off when you’re finished so the kitchen can go back to its original purpose: a place to cook and eat.
What, if anything needs to be added to the kitchen? And do I need to hire someone? If there are any obvious changes like a new floor or counter, jot those down now. You can come back to this question on the worksheet once you have categorized and purged. Perhaps you don’t have enough room for all your necessities and a new closet or cabinets are needed.
Begin this step by pulling everything out of the cabinets so you can see how much of each category you have. This also allows you to take a new look at the empty space in your cabinets; clean them out and start fresh with a new system.
There may be items that have been buried for years that you didn’t even realize you had. You may find broken items. Or you may realize that your Crockpot has been used only as a place to dump odds and ends! If you have three sets of dishes and two are from the 1960s, maybe it’s time to part with them. Find yourself a complete set of matching dishes for everyday. Decide how many are reasonable for your family. If you’ve still got sippy cups and your youngest is in high school, there’s another item you can purge. Create a box for trash and one for donations, and then move these boxes out of the kitchen and dispose of them once the kitchen is organized.
Now that you have what you want to keep in your kitchen and it’s categorized, think about how to rearrange these items back into your cabinets and drawers. Start with the items that you use every day. Other items like serving dishes, appliances that are rarely used, and entertaining items like a punch bowl may need to be kept in storage if your kitchen is too small. Leave that decision until the end. If you buy food or paper products in bulk, you will probably need a storage shelf somewhere else in the house to keep those items. Below is a list with suggested locations for the various categories:
Of course you have to consider the age of your children and your family habits when determining what’s right for you.
If cabinet space is a problem, make sure you are making the most of yours. There are several products on the market that can help maximize the space you have. Collapsible or stackable plastic storage containers are a great idea. If you have a lot of “head” room in one cabinet you may want to add an under-the-shelf basket to double up the space.
If you can’t reach your mugs, you can install a pull-out mug rack with hooks. A simple wire rack can help you store small plates on top of larger ones in your cabinet. Before you purchase these items, make sure you know which cabinets they are going into and make a list that includes the measurements of the cabinets so you’re sure they will fit.
Counter Tops: The golden rule about counter tops is to only have out what you use every day. There’s no sense in having a coffee maker on the counter if you don’t make coffee every day.
If you’re not a cook, then the cooking utensils can go away in a drawer instead of in a crock on the counter. Also, if you’ve got the space to stash it, then do so. Tuck that dish rack under the sink and put away the toaster oven if you really need the counter space.
Absolute of Organizing: Finish one thing before you start another.
One way to avoid the over-stuffed, unorganized refrigerator is to look at your leftovers when planning a meal. That’s not to say that every night is a “leftover” night (children hate that word). Think of it as a “leftover make over.” Look at the pasta, rice or vegetables you have and think about a new sauce to put over them or how you can toss them into a casserole or soup. It’s a chance to be creative with your cooking. Once you’ve chosen your make over item, also make something new to round out the meal. This will keep the meal fresh. Avoid the habit of making a new full meal every night and then having a refrigerator full of leftovers by the end of the week. If you find you have many leftovers no one eats, you may need to make smaller portions for the next meal.
Another way to handle leftovers is to have a “whatever you want” dinner. Pull out what’s in the refrigerator and place it on the counter in categories. Then let everyone choose one meat or protein, one starch and one fruit or vegetable.
Snacks: Many nutritionists recommend having healthy “ready snacks” like yogurt, carrots, celery sticks or apple slices placed at the children’s level so they can grab them on their own. If you let them know what shelf is theirs, they can decide what food to eat. It only takes a little planning ahead and some categorizing to really have a healthy refrigerator.
Snacks for guests: I have to admit, one of the reasons I like keeping my house organized is that it’s never a problem to have visitors. I love the challenge of finding a snack I can whip up from the food on hand. And if I find I don’t have a lot of one snack, I use a three-tiered dessert stand or a divided serving tray and just put out a little of each snack. You could use three different types of cookies, chips, crackers, fruit, nuts or candy. If you have half a tray of brownies left from the other day, cut them, arrange them on a plate and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar to make them look just-baked. There’s no need to run to the store every time someone comes over to visit. Think about what snacks you like to make and always have those ingredients on-hand.
Once you have set up your kitchen efficiently, you’ll need to maintain the organization.
It’s easy to spend a lot of time in your kitchen, especially if you have three meals a day at home with the children. To cut back on this time, I have a clean-up routine after each meal. I only hand-wash dishes and sweep the floor after dinner, unless there is an exceptional amount of dirt on the floor or dishes in the sink before then. Here’s my clean-up routine:
Once a week, I wipe down the counters and appliances with a disinfectant. During my weekly house cleaning I mop the kitchen floor.
When it comes to the kitchen, just say no to papers. The only papers you should have in the kitchen are:
All other papers should be kept in your home office area.
Keep refrigerator art to a minimum. If you must have photos on the fridge, use a magnetic plastic frame to keep the grease and grime off them. If you hang children’s art, use a clip to keep it from flying off with every slam of the door. I also recommend displaying one piece or art per child and rotating it from time to time. If your refrigerator looks like a scrapbook, it’s time to start a scrapbook!