What should I not store in kitchen cabinets?

While there aren't many hard and fast rules for what you should and shouldn't store in your kitchen cabinets, there are a few things to consider. First, avoid storing anything too heavy in your upper cabinets so you don't risk them falling off the wall. Additionally, your cabinet space is best used for items that can benefit from the organization—things like small appliances or rarely-used entertaining pieces are typically best stored on your countertop or in a nearby pantry.

What should I do first when organizing kitchen cabinets?

When organizing your kitchen cabinets, start by purging anything you don't use regularly, including dishware, entertaining pieces, and small countertop appliances. From there, decide how you're going to group your remaining pantry supplies and dishware and where to locate everything logically in your kitchen. It's also a good idea to invest in organizational tools (such as a flatware divider or pot rack) that will help calm any chaos within your cabinets and allow you to maintain organization.

What should I store under the kitchen sink?

What you store under your kitchen sink is entirely up to you, though it is a popular location for cleaning supplies. Avoid storing anything below the sink that is susceptible to water damage if your basin or pipes leak. If you do choose to keep cleaning supplies or other chemicals below the sink, it's important to make sure they're secure and out of the reach of small children.

22 Tips for How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets

Slide-Out Kitchen Cabinet Shelves

organized kitchen cabinet drawers — John Granen

If items tend to get lost in the back of your shelves, this method for how to organize kitchen cabinets will solve your problem. Trade out fixed cabinet shelves for ones that effortlessly slide out. With sliding shelves, you can see and access items at the back as easily as the front. A shallow lip around each shelf keeps supplies from falling off.

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Narrow Kitchen Cabinets

Make a sliver of space beside the range more functional for storing your favorite flavoring ingredients. Add a pullout rack inside the door as a kitchen cabinet spice organizer. If you have more room, install a turntable ($20, The Container Store) on one shelf to spin bottles of oil and vinegar into view. Decant other foods and spices into clear or labeled containers for quick inventory and easy stacking.

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Glass Kitchen Cabinets

green kitchen cabinet glassware display — Kritsada Panichgul

Glass-front doors put cabinet interiors on display, so you'll want to make sure these areas are neatly organized. First, edit down your dishware collection to avoid overcrowding the cabinets. Arrange pretty plates and bowls into stacks and line up mugs in neat rows. Consider storing bulky or unattractive items you'd rather not display, such as large stock pots, in a different location.

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Kitchen Cabinet Recycling Zone

You're more likely to recycle when paper, plastic, and glass bins are easily accessible. Stow these containers neatly inside cabinets near the kitchen cleanup zone. These pullout cabinets feature cutouts sized to hold plastic waste receptacles that are easy to lift out and empty when needed.

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Food Cabinet Organization

When deciding how to organize kitchen cabinets where food is stored, it's best to sort everything by category. For example, keep favorite snacks on a cabinet shelf easily within reach of all family members. Dedicate another space for breakfast items like cereals and pancake mix. To boost organization, add printed labels and use baskets to corral smaller loose items.

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Kitchen Drawer

Add an insert or drawer divider to keep items from rattling around. The various compartments help maintain order, so you quickly spot what you need. Fit small containers between dividers when you have especially tiny objects to round up.

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Kitchen Sink Cabinet

cleaning supplies under sink — Ann VanderWiel Wilde

Trying to figure out how to organize cabinets under the kitchen sink with intrusive plumbing pipes, the sink bottom, and pullout hoses can be particularly challenging. Choose stackable or sliding acrylic or wire shelving that fits beside and below the sink U pipe to maximize the available space. Add storage bins, shelves, and hooks inside doors for more space. To boost storage, look for a kit that transforms the false drawer fronts on the front of the sink cabinet into tilt-out bins for stowing kitchen sponges and scrubbers.

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Cleaning Supply Cabinet

kitchen cabinet cleaning supplies — Jacob Fox

Most of us think of stashing cleaning supplies under the sink, but larger tools won't fit in that tight space. A vertical cabinet stores stick brooms, mops, and related cleaning supplies.

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Dishes in Kitchen Cabinets

white kitchen with open storage slots for dishes — Marshall Johnson

Piles of heavy dishes make it difficult to grab anything except the topmost item. Instead, outfit a cabinet with a plate rack ($10, The Container Store) that allows you to store dishes vertically for easy access. Doing so lets you pull out the necessary plates without sorting through the entire stack.

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Kitchen Pantry

A walk-in or reach-in pantry with plenty of shelf space is a luxury, but you still need to know how to organize kitchen cabinets like these to support all the cooking and entertaining you do. Group like ingredients and products on labeled shelves to make it easy for anyone in the family to find or replace items. For example, dedicate pantry zones for paper products, canned goods, cereals, and baking supplies.

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Open Shelving

white kitchen sink open with cabinets and shelving — Robert Brinson

Take advantage of vertical wall space with open shelving that extends to the ceiling. Open shelves let you display your prettiest kitchenware while making everything easy to spot and grab or put away. If you don't want to tear out existing upper cabinets but like the idea of open shelves, remove a few doors and paint cabinet interiors to set off your belongings.

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Wine Bottle Organizer

colorful kitchen linoleum flooring — Stephen Karlisch

While some wine lovers need a full cellar to house their bottle collection, most of us are content to keep a few favorites on hand. A clever method for how to organize kitchen cabinets for wine storage is to add a wine bottle holder insert. You can also retrofit an existing cabinet by removing the door and adding an insert ($185, Home Depot).

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Pots and Pans

A deep drawer is a smart organizing idea for pots and pans near the stovetop. You can also use drawers to hold dishware by adding dish divider dowels ($119, Wayfair) to keep plates, bowls, and saucers stacked tightly in place. Make sure the drawer is equipped with quality sliding hardware that can hold the weight of dishes when the drawer is fully extended.

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How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets

Various dishes, cookware, and utensils require different kitchen cabinet organization ideas. Without a specific method for how to organize kitchen cabinets, they can end up looking like a jumbled mess. Learn how to solve some of the most common kitchen cabinet problems with these easy solutions.

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Slide-in Storage

You'll need a place to store cutting boards, cookie sheets, muffin tins, and other items that stack neatly on their sides. Choose a cabinet near your prep zone and add dividers that allow these items to stand on end. Removing the cabinet door makes them even easier to access.

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Food Storage Containers

Kitchen cabinet organization — Cameron Sadeghpour

Prevent an avalanche of food storage containers every time you open your cupboard door. Divide your stash of plastic into stacks of containers and lids. Stacking containers into each other like nesting dolls and storing them in a larger tray is a space-saving option for how to organize kitchen cabinets. Lids can also be gathered in containers.

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Tiered Kitchen Cabinet Organizer

Most kitchen cabinets include just one or two shelves, which often doesn't help when figuring out how to organize kitchen cabinets. Add a shelf organizer ($9, The Container Store) to bring order to pots, pans, skillets, and lids. Organizing all lids together allows pots to rest inside each other. Use another storage container for lids.

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Kitchen Linens

Install shallow drawers for kitchen linens behind cabinet doors to maximize your storage space. Stashing these items in the kitchen ensures they're readily accessible when dinner is ready. Arrange like with like, separating runners, tablecloths, napkins, and more between drawers or with dividers.

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Appliance Garages

appliances in hideaway cabinet — Brie Williams

Kitchens are hardworking spaces, but that doesn't mean you want to keep everything on the counter in plain sight. Install an appliance garage, and you can park your most frequently used appliances behind closed doors. Have a professional electrician add an outlet inside the garage, and you can keep devices tucked away in one place.

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Custom Organization

Get creative when deciding how to organize kitchen cabinets and find solutions that suit your specific needs. Semi-custom and custom cabinets can be outfitted with nearly any specialty hardware to add unique functions outside food and dishware storage. For example, a basic drawer in the kitchen island can be designed to pull out into an ironing board.

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Corner Cabinet Organizer

pantry with canned goods — Alise O'Brien

Small items can easily disappear into the depths of corner cabinets. Add a corner kitchen cabinet organizer, such as a multi-tier lazy Susan insert ($30, The Container Store), to keep items in sight and easy to grab. If you don't need another food storage solution, check out recycling and trash bin inserts to maximize your corner space.

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Kitchen Snack Cabinet

Individual servings of prepackaged snacks can be slippery and impossible to stack. To create an organized kitchen snack cabinet, gather small containers, such as trays, baskets, or bins, to hold similar items in your pantry. You'll also be able to tell at a glance when it's time to go grocery shopping again.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should I not store in kitchen cabinets?

While there aren't many hard and fast rules for what you should and shouldn't store in your kitchen cabinets, there are a few things to consider. First, avoid storing anything too heavy in your upper cabinets so you don't risk them falling off the wall. Additionally, your cabinet space is best used for items that can benefit from the organization—things like small appliances or rarely-used entertaining pieces are typically best stored on your countertop or in a nearby pantry.
What should I do first when organizing kitchen cabinets?

When organizing your kitchen cabinets, start by purging anything you don't use regularly, including dishware, entertaining pieces, and small countertop appliances. From there, decide how you're going to group your remaining pantry supplies and dishware and where to locate everything logically in your kitchen. It's also a good idea to invest in organizational tools (such as a flatware divider or pot rack) that will help calm any chaos within your cabinets and allow you to maintain organization.
What should I store under the kitchen sink?

What you store under your kitchen sink is entirely up to you, though it is a popular location for cleaning supplies. Avoid storing anything below the sink that is susceptible to water damage if your basin or pipes leak. If you do choose to keep cleaning supplies or other chemicals below the sink, it's important to make sure they're secure and out of the reach of small children.