The kitchen can be one of the most difficult parts of the house to organize and keep organized. Many people arrange things neatly only to find that, through the course of a normal day, things have become unorganized and strewn about again. It seems like an almost impossible task to keep the whole kitchen area tidy, let alone organized. There are a few things that you can do in order to organize your whole kitchen better, one area at a time.

There are five basic areas in any kitchen, and each should be kept as separate as possible in order to remain organized for as long as possible. Each area should be separately organized to keep things in their proper place. Each of these basic areas should have a workstation set up accordingly, with station equipment located near the center of the area. This will make it easier to perform essential job duties, and will help everyone in the family remember where things go.

The cleaning area is the hardest area to keep clean because it sees such a wide variety of traffic. Dirty dishes entering and exiting, water being run and drained repeatedly, food rinsed or drained, trash tossed and emptied, and the list goes on. The cleaning area should be kept as germ free as possible, and the necessary equipment for this area should be kept clean as well. This includes the sink, trashcan, dishwasher, soap, rags, sponges, and similar items.

The food preparation area sees less overall traffic but more germs perhaps than any other area. This area is the part of the kitchen that comes into contact the most with food and food items. It includes the counter-top, mixing bowls, blender, measuring cups and/or spoon, and like items. These are often the easiest to organize, as many are stackable or fit one inside the other.

The food storage area is the simplest to keep clean and easy to organize. It includes the refrigerator, Tupperware (and similar brands) containers, canned foods, pantry, et cetera. Put lids on all containers stored in the refrigerator, and, for those that have no lids, wrap with cling wrap or tin foil in order to prevent leaking.

The serving area should always be clean, as it will rarely be exposed to contaminated items. Keep this area organized by stacking like items neatly and keeping similar items grouped together. The serving area consists of dishes, linens, candles, flatware, glasses, and related items. Use drawer separators to keep flatware separated and candles grouped together. Keep glasses that are similar in the same cabinet, being careful not to stack glasses on top of each other to avoid breakage.

The cooking area may not see as wide of a variety of traffic, but quite likely sees more overall traffic. Just about every member of the family tall enough to reach the refrigerator has contact with the cooking area, and that makes it a haven for many different kinds of germs and clutter. The cooking area includes pots and pans, the stove, microwave, toaster, and related items. Keep pots and pans organized by stacking them from largest (bottom) to smallest (top), one inside the other, with coordinating lids nearby. Keep all items clean and sanitary, especially the microwave.

To keep movement to a minimum, the kitchen should be organized into a triangle shape. Using this method, all items will be easily within reach in a few short steps, minimizing the chance for messes or injury. You should keep a watchful eye on your motions from one area to another. Range of motion should take you from stove to sink to refrigerator areas, in any order, with ease. These areas should always be kept obstacle free to avoid tripping. Keep animal food and water dishes, garbage cans, and similar items away from these three areas especially. Consider placing the garbage can under the kitchen sink, in the pantry, or in a nearby utility room if possible. Place animal food and water dishes in a utility room or beside a pantry (beyond range of any door or walkway.

Organizing the kitchen is simple, but can be time consuming if not done frequently. Watch the expiration dates on non-perishable food items. While most people see non-perishables as never going bad, they do, and should be thrown away past their expiration dates. Group similar items together to monitor what you have and what needs to be replaced to avoid stockpiling items. Get rid of things that have gone bad, look rancid, stale, old, or hairy.

Keep in mind some basic principles of how long certain foods stay edible:

%uF09F 3-6 Months: Cereal, flour, and dried herbs
%uF09F 6-12 Months: Pasta, spices, grains, legumes, and condiments
%uF09F 2-5 Years: Canned foods

Keeping things organized will save time and money in the kitchen. Being able to find what you have so that you know when you need more (and when you do not) will save you money at the grocery store and save you from throwing unused expired items away later. Avoid stockpiling in the kitchen no matter how tempting the sale. Buy only what you need and for amounts of time that are feasible. There is no need to buy enough canned vegetables to last for two years just because they stay good for that long. Buy enough to last your family one month at a time to keep things organized.