There seems to be no end to the useful kitchen gadgets that line the shelves of every retailer…with more coming out every year.
And many of those same items are lining the countertops of homes across the country! Who knew cooking a meal could take up so much space?
If small kitchen appliances are taking over your countertops, you’re in luck; the following tips for storing your small kitchen appliances could be just what you need to finally recapture your workspace!
1. Discard
Don’t keep any appliances you don’t use.
Either give them away or have a garage sale.
Discard anything that isn’t functioning properly unless it can be repaired. But the question is, will you get it repaired?
Many small kitchen appliances are relatively inexpensive, so buy a new one. Frugal? Take a look at garage sales, tag sales or estate sales to see if you can find a replacement, but make sure you don’t buy someone else’s broken items.
Tip: When you discard an appliance, don’t forget to get rid of the attachments as well (unless you know you can definitely use them with your new appliance)
2. Designate a space
If you have the room, set aside a space for your small appliances.
Be creative when it comes to storage.
Make sure you look both high and low and don’t forget to take advantage of your wall space.
Add some more shelving, and/or check the space between the upper cabinet and the ceiling for a possible storage space (often overlooked).
3. Organize
You should organize appliances in your kitchen in a way that makes sense to you.
Ensure you can easily reach the appliances that you use most often while those less frequently used should still be accessible, but can be stored in a less convenient location.
For example, if you use your coffee maker every day, then you’ll probably want to use the countertop. Rarely used items such as that turkey fryer you use every Thanksgiving, can be stored in another area of your home such as the garage or laundry room.
4. Keep items together
Small appliances often have interchangeable parts that can get tossed around, becoming a cluttered mess.
Store both the appliance and its many parts together.
For example, if you opt to store your food processor in a cabinet, store it in a basket together with its accessories for a neat storage solution.
In case of a large item too big to fit in a basket, storing it together with a small basket of parts next to it works well too.
5. Size matters
Tall or short?
Start your storage search with your tall appliances, such as your standing mixer or blender.
Cabinets are not always large enough to accommodate such tall items, so use the height of your item to determine where you’ll store it.
6. Create storage
Don’t have any countertop or cabinet space available?
You might be able to repurpose a piece of furniture for storing small appliances. It is easy to create plenty of storage with a freestanding pantry or china cabinet that also looks great in the room.
7. Slide-out drawers
Finally, consider adding some aftermarket drawers if you don’t already have them in your cabinets.
Not only will it keep you from digging around in the back of the cupboard to locate your favorite appliance, but your back will appreciate it too!
Check out these organizing tips:
Small Kitchen Appliance Organizing Ideas
