Eight Ways to Free up Space in the Kitchen
According to one survey, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen —about 400 hours a year, which is more than an hour a day. It’s more than just cooking – it’s making coffee, snacking, socializing and connecting with friends and family. Since we spend so much time in the kitchen, it’s no surprise that we fill it with a lot of stuff; While you don’t need much to have a simple and functional kitchen space, we love our gadgets (even the frivolous ones ). As a result, kitchen counters become overcrowded, sometimes forcing us to cook in unusual places.
There are simple things we all do to free up counter space, like using extra space above cabinets or even remodeling our kitchen with storage in mind. But there are some really smart and easy ways to reclaim more of your counter space without a full remodel or renovation, while still maintaining the functionality and efficiency of your kitchen. Here are eight ways to maximize your workspace that will also make your kitchen look better.
Finnish cupboards
America gave the world jazz, and Finland gave us astiankuivauskaappi . These dish drying racks remove the dish rack from your counters, allowing you to place wet dishes in the rack above the sink (or in a bowl or towel, although this reduces the efficiency level since they still take up counter space). The open bottom allows dishes to dry in place, meaning you can skip towel drying and reclaim valuable counter space. It’s hard to find ready-made china cabinets in the US, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can make one of the available cabinets yourself. You can also try some similar solutions, like this over-the-sink drying rack , which will at least clear up the mess on your counter.
Apron pendant
An apron is an untapped resource for storing things that might otherwise sit on your counters. This could be as simple as a magnetic strip for knives and other cutlery, adhesive hooks for temporary (and renter-friendly) hanging, or a more durable and permanent solution like this kitchen board . Any wall storage you choose will free up space on your counters.
Sockets for drawers
One way to keep your counters clean is to remove all chargers and plugged-in small appliances and place them in drawers with outlets . All you need is a plug somewhere behind the bottom cabinet drawer, and you can install an outlet in the back of the drawer quite easily. This allows you to move a bunch of stuff that would normally hang on the countertop next to outlets into drawers where the clutter won’t bother you (as much).
Sliders
Placing small appliances on sliders like these and moving them into cabinets or otherwise inaccessible counter spaces can help free up some usable space while keeping your appliances within easy reach. You can also harness the magic of sliding by installing drawers in your lower cabinets . If you have an outlet in a lower cabinet, you can store small appliances in a drawer and put away the toaster or blender when you’re done using it.
Shelf risers
Sometimes solutions are so obvious that we overlook them—like shelf supports, for example. A set of cheap expandable risers can double the storage capacity of your wall cabinets, allowing you to clear a ton of stuff off your counters without having to tighten a single screw or replace a single cabinet piece.
Burner caps
One way to free up counter space is to install a cover over the stove and/or sink . They’re removable, so you’ll have more counter space while you’re cooking, but still be able to use the stove and sink when it’s time to cook and clean up. You can have custom covers made if your sink is an unusual shape or size, but even an inexpensive cover will give you several feet of space to work with that you didn’t have yesterday.
Under-cabinet fastenings
Under wall cabinets you can store a variety of things, including small kitchen appliances such as coffee makers , toasters, microwaves , or even can openers and paper towel holders . By removing all that gizmos and hardware from your counters and under cabinets, you’ll free up a lot of work space and help keep it clean and organized.
Storage behind the door
Your closet doors provide many opportunities to clear things off your counters. Hanging door organizers can store a ton of stuff that would otherwise take up space, knife holders attached to the back of cabinet doors can help keep that huge knife block off your counters, and spice racks can do the same for dusty ones. bottles of garlic. salt and cinnamon, which you rarely use.