Home Home Design & Decor Kitchen Design Ideas Kitchen Storage & Organization Keep Your Kitchen Cabinets Organized With These 21 Tips From Experts Create a functional storage system for pots, pans, plates, and more with these tips. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home. Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 30, 2024 Close Photo: Briz Maker / Getty Images Your kitchen cabinets are responsible for holding everything you don't want on display in your kitchen. Because they house so many items—think pots, pans, drinkware, appliances, and even dried goods—kitchen cabinets can quickly become cluttered. If this is true for your kitchen, you likely struggle to navigate your cabinets, whether you're looking for a specific spice or your favorite piece of serveware. To help you streamline this space, we spoke to experts who shared their kitchen cabinet organizing tips. Nikki Bell, professional organizer and founder of Just Us Organizing, a service that offers in-person and virtual organizing assistance. Darla DeMorrow, certified professional organizer and owner of HeartWork Organizing, a commercial and residential organizing service. Jamie Hord, founder of professional home organizing company Horderly, a company that specializes in decluttering, organizing, and unpacking. 15 Brilliant Ideas for Organizing Small Pantries 01 of 21 Part With Duplicates If you haven't combed through your cabinets in a while, chances are you'll have some duplicate items and things you haven't used in a while. Rather than keeping three of four of an item that accomplishes the same task, it's best to invest in just one piece that is high quality. 02 of 21 Consider Frequency of Use When organizing your kitchen cabinets, consider how much you use everything inside them. Pieces you barely ever reach for (like holiday serveware) should be kept in harder-to-reach areas than items you use regularly (like everyday drinkware). 03 of 21 Organize Based on Layout Always organize your kitchen cabinets based on where you will be using your items. For example, things you need for prep should be placed closer to your countertop or other work area. 04 of 21 Use Labels Create labels for each cabinet, so you know exactly what's inside. "You can label the inside of the cabinet shelves, drawers, or any bins you use for containment with bin clip labels," says Jamie Hord, the founder of professional home organizing company Horderly. 05 of 21 Get a Spice Rack Martha Stewart If you keep spices in a kitchen cabinet, the best way to ensure they stay organized is by storing them in a spice rack. Place it in a cabinet near where you prepare or cook food for easy access. How to Store Spices to Keep Them Organized—and Make Cooking Easier 06 of 21 Try a Lazy Susan If you have room for one, a lazy Susan can be very useful for deep cabinets as it brings the contents forward, says Darla DeMorrow, certified professional organizer and owner of HeartWork Organizing. Use it for storing spices or other small pantry items. 07 of 21 Adjust Cabinet Shelves If you have adjustable shelves, make use of vertical space by moving the side pegs in your cabinets to customize shelf height. "Group tall things on one shelf and shorter things on another, and you will recapture wasted space you didn’t realize you had," says DeMorrow. 08 of 21 Elevate With Risers Don't have adjustable shelves? No problem. Instead, place risers inside your cabinets to capitalize on wasted vertical space. "Risers allow you to make two shelves in one space," says Nikki Bell, professional organizer and founder of Just Us Organizing. 09 of 21 Install Sliding Baskets Sliding baskets are easy to install yourself—most products can usually be screwed right into the cabinets. "They are especially great for keeping small things organized in a big cabinet, like keeping sponges in a sliding basket under the sink," says DeMorrow. 10 of 21 Try Vertical Spacers Courtesy of Home Depot Vertical spacers are helpful when storing party trays and platters. "These items typically come in unique sizes and cannot be stacked properly without damage," says Bell. "Dividers allow for easy storage and retrieval." 11 of 21 Consider Over-the-Door Storage Use over-the-door storage for thinner, compact items to maximize cabinet space. For example, you can install a basket to hold your food storage container lids or even the straws to your tumblers, says Bell. But make sure you have proper door clearance first, as you still want to be able to open and close your cabinet doors with ease. 12 of 21 Get Stackable Drawers Another great option if you don't have adjustable shelves, stackable drawers allow you to utilize vertical space while keeping items sorted, says Bell. For example, if you store dried goods in your kitchen cabinets this will allow you to better sort these items by keeping pasta in one drawer, baking essentials in another, and so on. 13 of 21 Opt for Pot Lid Organizers Pot lid organizers will keep your lids in one place, as long as they work for your specific cabinets. "Vertical sorters are easy to use, but they take up an enormous amount of room in a cabinet," says DeMorrow. "Lid organizers hanging inside a cabinet door seem like a good idea, but not all homes have cabinet doors large enough for lid holders. A single slim, sliding basket in a lower cabinet can hold lids upright and is easy to pull out when needed." 14 of 21 Decant Dried Goods Sara Ligorria-Tramp; Velinda Hellen Design Free up space in your kitchen cabinets by decanting foods out of bulky grocery store boxes and into sleek storage containers. "Decanting dried goods allows you to have control over the amount of space that is used," says Bell. "Removing those packages also gives you a universal look." 15 of 21 Nest Pots and Pans Nesting pots and pans is essential for saving space in your cabinets. "You can buy a set specifically made to nest, but what you already own probably nests, too," says DeMorrow. Just try not to nest more than three pots and pans at a time, which makes them harder to reach. 16 of 21 Keep Cleaning Supplies in Bins If you keep cleaning supplies in one of your kitchen cabinets, like under the sink, store all of your products in clear bins to protect your cabinets from spills and leakage. This also makes it easy to pull out of a batch of cleaners and move them to where the mess is, says DeMorrow. 17 of 21 Stack Your Plates Nest your dinner plates to save space in your kitchen cabinets. This also makes it easier to identify how many plates you have in a set, says Bell. 18 of 21 Install an Appliance Garage Andrea Rugg Photography/ Kate Roos Design Tired of appliances taking up too much space in your cabinets or on your countertops? Save room by installing an appliance garage. "An appliance garage creates a great hiding spot for you to hide your everyday appliances like blenders, toasters, and even those big air fryers," says Bell. 19 of 21 Use a Toe-Kick Drawer A toe-kick drawer is a great idea if you have limited cabinet space. "These drawers are perfect for flat items like baking sheets and cutting boards," says Bell. Toe-kick drawers are typically located at the base of the cabinets. 20 of 21 Don't Ignore Over-Cabinet Space Using the area above your cabinets is great for items that are not used often. "These items can be appliances or containers that can double as décor," says Bell. "Be cautious with storing heavy items in this area so that you are not harmed when the item is removed from its home." 21 of 21 Group Like With Like Annie Schlechter Grouping like with like—storing all of your pots and pans together, for example—saves time spent searching your cabinets for one item. When doing this, it's important to think about your specific habits in the kitchen. "In my house, the cinnamon lives with the oatmeal because I use them together so frequently," says DeMorrow. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit