You know the drill. You move stuff over on the counter so that you can prepare dinner. You get out the ingredients and then you move stuff away from the sink so that you can rinse and chop vegetables. The sink is full of breakfast dishes but they can’t be loaded in to the dishwasher because it is clean and full from yesterday. You’d unload it but it just takes too much time.
Isn’t cooking in a cluttered kitchen like juggling eggs? Unload the dishwasher so you can empty the sink of dishes so that you can wash and clean veggies and meat. Clean the counter off so you can prepare the meal. Finally you are done. Oops! Now there isn’t anyplace to sit because you moved all that “stuff” to the table!
Reclaim the kitchen. After all, it will soon be chilly out and we’ll be indoors more than ever. Use these check list of eight items to get things into the right place. Don’t forget, love it, use it or need it or out it goes!
Eight Signs You Have an Orderly Kitchen!
_____ My everyday dishes are located near the dishwasher for ease in unloading.
_____ My knives and cutting boards are near the sink where I rinse veggies and meat.
_____ Drinking glasses are near either the sink, or fridge, but close to the dishwasher.
_____ It might be a rare occasion, but when I bake I can find everything because all my baking items are stored together.
_____ I would not need to panic if a guest pulled out a dish from the back of the fridge and started to eat it. Neither the food nor the leftovers are out of date.
_____ The items on my counter are either used EVERY day or they are really there for home décor. (No, the week’s mail does not count as either item.)
_____ I have all my food items in one area and they are sorted by like kind. (Rice together, soups together, breakfast foods together and so on.)
_____ I have a fire extinguisher, it is up-to-date and I know how to use it.
Make Your Space Work for You
You have two choices in the kitchen. You can use your space so that it makes you do a lot of work finding things OR you can make your space really work for you. Here is a simple cabinet addition that really makes this space work.

Author's Bio: 

Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s advice has been seen in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the Association of Food Journalists. You’ll find her E-guide, “Dancing to the What’s for Dinner Blues” and other organizing tips at her website www.organizerightnow.com