5 tips for an easy kitchen upgrade
Racks, drawer organizers and a good cleaning can help make it happy again
Cooler, shorter days have sent us back inside where we’re faced with the results of a summer of great weather.
Too full, disorganized cupboards and closets, near-empty jars in the fridge, and appliances we always meant to come back and clean are now getting our attention. So consider a kitchen overhaul as winter approaches and the heart of the home again gets busy.
Here’s a roundup of cheap — mostly free — tips for inspiration. If they sound like nobrainers, well, maybe they are. But who couldn’t use an easier life right now?
1. Do a deep cleaning. Put on some dance music and see how much pent-up aggression you can work out. Do all the crummy jobs: Get in the corners; clean the grease off the tops of the cupboards; pull out the stove and the refrigerator. Getting rid of that blanket of dust on the fridge motor will make it function more effectively, too.
2. Rearrange your refrigerator. Yes, clean it and throw out the long-expired condiments. But then, take a look at the shelves. If you’re always looking for a for the milk, consider reconfiguring them.
3. Rethink your drawers and cabinets. Where else could you put those tongs that make the
drawer jam every time you open it? How about employing a little-used vase as a utensil bucket so you don’t even need to open the drawer? Consider how shuffling what you have in your cabinets could streamline your movements around the kitchen.
4. Engage in some gentle KonMari. As you reorganize, think about what you have and whether you really need it — if you can shed it, get rid of it.
Note what’s worn out and needs to be replaced. If you can afford to replace that dull can opener, do it; if not, put it on a list for down the road.
5. Invest in a few organizers for convenience. Meal kit companies send produce in small cardboard boxes (think shoebox), which can be used to keep onions, potatoes and other root vegetables in a dry cupboard. Should something rot in there, it can easily be discarded and replaced.
Hooks, hooks, lots of hooks — consider magnetic ones, 3M Command hooks that stick on with double-sided tape, or racks of hooks for the back of closet doors.
A bin for pot lids will stop them from spilling over cabinet shelves and crashing out onto the floor. A plastic-bag organizer will do the same (although there’s no crashing wit bags) and many can be installed with double-sided tape in about three minutes.
Arack for plastic wrap and foil will clear out valuable space in a drawer. These racks are a good way to make use of dead wall space or the insides of doors.