Kitchen & Bathroom Organization Tips & Ideas
If you’re apart of my life, you probably know that I like to have a clean space, and a big part of that is organization! When everything actually has a place, it makes it easier to clean up without getting stuck with a pile of clutter that you don’t know what to do with. Instead of cramming that stuff in a junk drawer or a closet somewhere, let me help you with some organization tips for your kitchen and bathroom.
I’m starting with these two areas of the house because, at least for me, they’re the ones that are constantly needing to be cleaned and maintained because so much time is spent prepping and using things in these two areas.
Kitchen
Do you ever feel like you walk out of a clean and tidy kitchen only to walk back in five minutes later to a pile of dishes in the sink, some sauce spilled on the stovetop, and spices sprinkled on the counter? Or maybe you open your fridge and think to yourself, man, I really need to clean that out…
That pizza box you shoved on top of all the other things in your fridge might not have been the best idea, but to combat the clutter (and make things way easier to grab and put back) all you need is a few of these fridge organizers.
I hate when I’m reaching for something at the back of the fridge and I have to either maneuver over things without knocking them over or pull out everything that’s in the way just to get to one thing that got pushed back there. But with these containers, you can easily grab them, use what you need, and slide it back in. Plus I always have a bunch of things like tortillas, flatbreads, etc. that I stick in one of the containers so they aren’t loosely splayed out.
Make sure to also take advantage of your fridge’s built in storage compartments. I use the smaller pull-out drawer for snack-type things, and the ones at the bottom for my fruits and veggies.
I use the same containers for my freezer. I don’t have much in there but since the only meat I really eat is seafood, I usually have packed filets of various fish and bags of frozen shrimp. Those things are impossible to stack neatly, so I toss them all in a container to keep them under control. I also do this with my smaller bags of frozen fruit that I use for smoothies.
Tip: Grouping similar types of food together makes them quicker to find and helps you to put things in places that actually make sense!
I don’t have a pantry, so all my non-refrigerated food lives in one of many cabinets or drawers. Again, a big part of keeping things looking tidy, while also making things much easier on you, is to use containers. I store my breakfast items in a cabinet above my kitchen sink. Since I’m pretty short, keeping the smaller packets in a plastic bin (I already had this lying around so I thought I’d put it to use) helps me be able to reach everything since I can bring the whole bin down instead of trying to get on my tip-toes to see what I’m reaching for.
The hardest part of the kitchen for me is trying to make my food storage containers look reasonable! It would probably help to buy all matching containers, but for now I’m working with what I have. I think trying to keep the same shaped and sized containers stacked together makes the cabinet look neater, but this is still a work in progress for me.
Tip: Keep the things you use the most in reach, no need to make things harder on yourself just for looks!
My snack drawer was actually a mess, before I decided to organize it, because of the amount of small bars and packets that end up in there. I used another one of those InterDesign bins to contain all my bars, took the lid off a cheap plastic food storage container for my supplement packets, and a little camping mug to keep some other things (in this case, cough drops because I’m currently fighting off a cold…).
Again, the easiest way to appear more organized is by making your things match. I try to put all of my spices in these empty glass spice jars so they look nice and uniform. I like having my spices in a drawer rather than a cabinet because you can see them all at once instead of searching for what you need. I use the larger drawer below for appliances that I don’t use everyday, like my juicer and my mixer, along with some other baking supplies.
Tip: Since you’re looking down from the top, writing the names of the spices on the lids will save you time and frustration, you could even use a labeler for this.
When I moved into my place, I think one of the first things I bought was drawer organizers because my kitchen has a bunch of really wide drawers and I knew I didn’t want to have things clanging together and sliding around every time I opened or shut a drawer. I like this utensil organizer because each compartment has one of those soft-grip mats to keep everything in place and it has plenty of room. I also keep a set of measuring cups and my larger spices in this drawer, because they fit well and fill the extra space in the drawer.
Tip: For an easy way to make yourself look more organized, spring for a matching flatware set instead of using those mix-matched ones you’ve randomly accumulated throughout the years (mine are the Cloud-Dipped Flatware set from Anthropologie).
I love Mason Jars, they have dozens of uses and you can get packs of jars without shelling out too much. I keep my blender on my counter—because I use it every morning before work—and keep these jars filled with chia seeds and cacao nibs next to it so my morning routine can be as seamless as possible. I also use these jars to store nuts and to divide my batches of juice into single servings that I can take on-the-go.
Tip: If you don’t have enough storage space, turn your functional items into part of your decor like I do with my cutting boards.
It’s nice to have things like wooden spoons, spatulas, and measuring spoons within reach when you’re cooking, so why not have a cute utensil holder for your collection?
I’ve always stored my recycling in paper bags that would overflow until I remembered to actually empty them into my recycling outside. It was such an eye-sore. I needed a solution for this so I decided to upgrade to something that’s actually pleasant to look at—you can’t even tell that the one on the left is filled with empty glass bottles and jars and the one on the right is filled with broken down boxes and lidless plastic containers. Sometimes you just have to get creative! These ones were from the Target Hearth & Hand collection, I don’t see the white ones anymore, but they do have the same storage boxes in silver.
Coffee Bar
This might be the most important part of my kitchen, because it keeps me fueled and functioning. I built a little hanging mug rack to house some of my ever-growing collection of mugs and picked up this console table at Home Goods a few years ago. The cubby with small wire baskets keeps my teas organized, and on top of that I keep my coffee grounds, cinnamon, cocoa, and sugar in some more Mason Jars (the cinnamon and cocoa ones have shaker tops). My coffee maker is the Ninja Coffee Bar—and it does everything from hot or iced coffee, to shots and it makes multiple sizes of single or multi-serve. Down below, I keep a basket filled with some other coffee essentials, my grinder, electric kettle, and some travel mugs.
Tip: Buying a console table with a shelf on the bottom gives you extra storage space—without having to put things on the floor.
Hidden away in my drawers are some more bags of tea, hot cocoa packets, straws (don’t worry they’re biodegradable paper straws!), and random race things like Gu and electrolyte tablets.
Laundry Room
So my “laundry room” is really just an off-shoot of my kitchen and all that’s there is my inset stacked washer and dryer, I added this bookshelf to help hideaway some of my cleaning supplies (and as an excuse for more plants since this there’s a window over here).
Tip: A clutter-free bookshelf is a pretty (and happy) bookshelf. Don’t over-do it, but do sprinkle in things that just make you happy to look at alongside your functional items.
Bathroom
My bathroom is pretty narrow and has no counters, but I’ve managed to make this a non-issue with the help of a few things like this cart where I keep my face and bath towels conveniently rolled up and stacked in, my make up organizer, and a bunch of pretty makeup bags.
Tip: If you have things you want to store but don’t want them taking up space in your cabinet or sitting out on your counter, tuck them away in pretty makeup bags. The ones on the bottom of my cart are filled with first aid supplies, single use shampoos, conditioners and other items for guests, and some of my lesser-used makeup products.
Since this is really the only cabinet I have to store things in the bathroom, it’s important to keep it manageable so I don’t spend my whole morning looking for a bobby pin. I keep all of my hair tools in a wire basket that I turned on it’s side—I don’t want my curlers or straighteners singeing the cabinet. Next to that I have a white drawer that I keep some beauty items in, it also gives me another shelf to put my toothbrushes and a makeup pallet on top. On the bottom shelf, I keep an stack of folded towels, my bathroom cleaning supplies (in a re-purposed L Organic container to keep them from being knocked over), and a wicker basket to hide thing like chargers, a hair brush, lotions and a steamer.
Tip: If you have a deep cabinet, use the space in the back to store things that you rarely use. That way they’re out of the way, but you can still get to them by pulling out a basket or sliding aside some towels.
Having a drawer you can pull out is so useful because you can actually use space all the way to the back. I keep my cleansers, lotions, bobby pins, and cotton swaps in here for easy access
Tip: Re-purpose things with nice packaging to use for storage or display. The copper tray I’m using is actually just the lid to that L Organic container that I put my cleaning supplies in, the green body lotion container holds my cotton swabs, and the white face lotion container is filled with bobby pins.
I keep all of my makeup in this copper and glass vanity organizer. It has the perfect amount of space for all of my essentials and I can fit it on the storage cart I have in my bathroom or place it on my sink when I’m getting ready.
Again, I really don’t have any sort of a counter around my sink, and I like keeping the area clear anyway. Aside from my soap, micellar water, and fragrances, I also have a glass geometric holder that I put my hair elastics in. It is convenient that my mirror has a small shelf where I can keep a few things. I really like this rose gold beauty sponge holder—it seems kind of extra and silly but it keeps your makeup sponge from getting nasty because it actually lets it dry out properly.
Tip: In the bathroom, you might be tempted to cram as many of your “essentials” on the counter as possible because—ease-of-access—but trust me, it’ll actually make things faster if you know where things are instead of having five different types of lotion and ten shades of lipstick to sort through on your counter.
Since my bathroom storage space is limited, this over-the-door racking is really helpful to have. I mostly keep things like face masks, body scrubs and cleansers (and even more beauty products).
I hope you found something useful that you can try in your own home! Organization can be a toughy, especially if you’re just starting out. Take it one area at a time!
