How to organize small appliances in a small kitchen – 6 Easy to follow steps

Not everyone is blessed with an endless row of cabinets and bottomless storage spaces in their kitchen. That is why we have created this step-by-step guide on how to organize small appliances in a small kitchen. It’s all about optimization. You need to know what you have, know what you need, know what you don’t need and get the most storage utility from Each storage space.

Follow this step-by-step guide to work with what you have and optimize your kitchen for the most seamless and convenient cooking experience that you can get. Good luck, and happy cooking!

If your looking to give your kitchen a new look, try checking out our articles on how to repair chipped paint on kitchen cabinets or how to remove kitchen faucet without basin wrench.

Why is my kitchen so cluttered in the first place?

Kitchen appliances and utensils are big, they take a lot of space. When stored haphazardly and in an untidy fashion, these appliances tend to take a lot more storage space than they actually need. Imagine the standard Tupperware box. You can store them in one of 2 ways,

• Stack them on top of each other with the lids closed
• Place them in each other in, like a Russian doll

The first method is very convenient, as you can quickly grab the Tupperware box that you need very easily. It needs a lot of storage space though, as the empty Tupperware boxes take up a lot of space that can’t be utilized.

The second method is a little less convenient. Imagine that you need the smallest Tupperware box, then you would have to open every single box to get access to the box that you want. That would take quite a bit longer and more effort than compared to the first method. However, the second method offers a significant advantage when saving space. Since the empty space inside the box is being utilized, the Russian doll method takes only a fraction of the space compared to the first method.

So, there is a clear trade off between convenience and storage space.

How to choose between convenience and storage space in the kitchen?

OPTIMIZATION. That’s how you solve this problem. If we look at the previous example of Tupperware, imagine that you need the second smallest box most often, and the other boxes every once in a while. In that case, store the boxes in the method outlined below,

You could even optimize this even further. Since you need the smallest and largest boxes less, fill up the empty space inside those boxes with more stuff that you don’t need that often such as measuring cups for baking (if you don’t bake often) and so on.

How to organize small appliances in a small kitchen?

Follow the steps below to get the a convenient, organized and clean kitchen.

Step 1

Write down everything you have. Have 2 large pans? Write it down. Have 2 small pans? Write that down too. Have 8 Tupperware boxes that you have no idea how you got? Write that down as well.

To truly organize everything that you have in your kitchen, you need to know what you have first.

Step 2

Organize the list in terms of frequency on use. Use that coffee maker every day? Then it goes on top of the list. You bake once or twice a month, only if you feel like it? Baking tray and measuring spoons go into long-term storage.

Step 3

Get rid of the things you don’t use at all. You have a rice cooker, but you don’t really cook rice? Get rid of it. You have a Coffee maker but you prefer tea? Get rid of it. If you don’t need it at all, get rid of it.

As for what you are going to do to get rid of things, don’t toss it in the bin. There are other ways to dispose of perfectly functional things that you don’t need,

• Sell it off
• Give it to a friend
• Donate it to somewhere that would use it (perhaps a kitchen for underprivileged and homeless children)

Step 4

It’s time to create a plan on how to organize things. Of the most useful things on the list, separate out the ones that you use on a daily basis. Keep those items as close to the respective work station as possible. 

The knives, knife holder, chopping board, and other cutting equipment should be near the chopping station. The chopping station itself should be somewhere near the sink (so you can quickly wash knives and equipment after you are done using them) and the stove (so you can toss chopped up ingredients straight into the hot pan).

The dishwasher, dish rack and mug/cup racks should be near the sink. This way, all elements of the washing station are together. Have a towel rack with a towel nearby as well, so you can dry your hands quickly after you finish washing.

The cooking station should have the stove and the within near each other. There should be a spatula holder somewhere near the stove.

Other appliances that you need every day should be out on a counter top, where you can easily reach them. An example of this could be a juicer (if you need that fresh smoothie every morning) or a coffee maker.

Things you use once or twice a week go inside the cabinets or nearby storage. This could be that blender or spice grinder. These are basic items that you need, but not all the time.

Finally, everything else goes into long-term storage. These are things that you don’t think you will need very often. This may be that 8^th Tupperware box without a lid or that handheld blending stick that you got as a wedding gift but never used.

Step 5

Now that you are done planning, its time to implement that plan. Create all the relevant work stations and place the items/ appliances where they belong. This may be time consuming based on how large your kitchen is and how many items you may have, but its worth it, we promise.

Step 6

Stay on the lookout for multifunctioning appliances. These are things such as that blender that doubles as a meat grinder and pasta maker. It could also be that spice grinder that comes with a juicer attachment as well.

Getting these multifunctional appliances have 2 advantages,

• One multifunctional appliance is cheaper than multiple different appliances
• One multifunctional appliance takes a lot less space than multiple appliances

FAQs on organize small appliances in a small kitchen

Does it matter if my kitchen is messy?

Yes, it does. Having and maintain an organized kitchen will save tons of time. The hour or so that you will need to organize your kitchen will be recovered by the massive amounts of time you will recover over the course of your life time due to using a tidy kitchen and always knowing exactly where each item is located.

Not only will you experience reduced search times, the organized work stations will help improve workflow, making it meal prep time and meal cook times drastically shorter.

Should I get kitchen cabinets?

If you don’t already have them and can afford them, yes, you should. Kitchen cabinets offer a significant amount of utility when it comes to storage and can help declutter a kitchen. Furthermore, the aesthetic appeal of kitchen cabinets is excellent, especially if well designed and painted.

Take a look at our guide on How to calculate linear feet for kitchen cabinets if you need to take measurements for your kitchen cabinet plan. If you already have cabinets but they have gotten a bit shabby over time, check out our guide on How to repair chipped paint on kitchen cabinets.

Final thoughts on How to organize small appliances in a small kitchen

We made this guide because we understand that not everyone has a large kitchen where they can easily store all their kitchen gadgets and appliances. In this guide, first we took a look at why your kitchen is messy in the first place and how to optimize for space vs convenience. Then we took a look at the step-by-step guide on how to organize small appliances in a small kitchen.

Finally, we looked at some queries that you may have, such as whether or not it really matters if your kitchen is organized and if getting kitchen cabinets will really help with storage. We hope you have found this guide useful and are on the way to getting a fully organized kitchen. Good luck, and happy cooking!

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