Here are some tips for organizing your refrigerator from a talk I gave at Kenmore Studios in Chicago.
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kitchen organizing
If you have several types and sizes of frying pans in your cabinet, keeping them organized can be a nuisance. They get scratched up when they’re stacked and it’s a hassle to pull the bottom pan out from under all of the others. Here’s a good solution: You can purchase a wire pan organizer like the one pictured below on the right, or you can take a bakeware rack (which is less expensive but may not be quite as sturdy if you have cast iron pans) and turn it on it’s side to store your pans like in the lovely Martha Stewart photo above. Here are links to the Wire Pan Organizer and the Vertical Bakeware Organizer. If you have frying pans that need to be organized, eliminate the ones your not using and try stacking them on one of these. 
The 18″ Turntable by Spintray is a kitchen and pantry organizing staple at Chaos To Order. Listen as Lara tells us from the International Home & Housewares show why she prefers the 18″ Spintray to other turntables and why it’s great for helping to maximize storage space.
Statistics reveal that more than 80 percent of us buy transparent tape for wrapping packages during the holidays. With so many different types of tape dispensers, which one is the most efficient? I like the Scotch Deluxe Desktop Tape Dispenser. It allows you to use only one hand when dispensing tape, you can pull any size amount, sometimes you need long pieces and other times short pieces so the dispensers that pop out the same size every time don’t work as well. I’m using my dispenser heavily during this holiday wrapping time, but it’s also heavily used year around. I have a tape dispenser right at my desk as well as on the counter in the kitchen. I’ve talked about the Scotch Desktop Tape Dispenser in a previous post as well. There are all kinds of uses for tape around the house, especially in the kitchen. Everything from sealing bags to taping a quick note to someone on the cabinet. If your hosting Christmas and are busy wrapping presents and cooking in the kitchen, keep this tape dispenser handy!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and if you’re hosting, today is a busy day. Not only do you need to think about meal preparation, but the daunting task of getting the house in order can be even more overwhelming. Here’s an iPhone app that can save you some time in the kitchen: The Chef Assistant iPhone App from Safeway. It will help guide you through getting the ingredients together and prepping the turkey. Then it turns into a timer while the turkey cooks according to the recipe in only two hours—this will leave you more time for getting the house in order! Remember when organizing to focus only on the rooms where guests will be, do not spend time in other rooms until the main areas have met your organizing expectations. Happy Thanksgiving!
Since I discussed meal planning on Monday, I had to follow up with a Website Wednesday that can make planning any meal a cinch. Allrecipes.com is a terrific resource for any kitchen, whether you’re a fabulous cook or if you haven’t yet figured out how to boil water. First and foremost, when it comes to living simply and keeping less “stuff”, allrecipes.com is the perfect substitute for flipping through dozens of recipe books to find that special concoction. It can help eliminate tons of recipe clutter in the kitchen. If you have an entire cabinet designated for recipes and cookbooks, it’s time to go digital. You can scan and save your favorite recipes onto your computer (our organizers have helped many clients with this task as well), and for any other recipe just search by name or ingredients on allrecipes.com. The site is renowned for its easy browsing of more than 40,000 recipes. You can also opt in as a supporting member and there are even more perks like access to a custom menu planner as well as nutrition information and the ability to create and save your own recipes. There’s even a free mobile app so if you don’t have computer access in your kitchen, you can use your mobile phone to get recipes, it’s called the Dinner Spinner. Check it out, and then go weed out your recipe books!
We love to use the flour Stay Fresh Container when organizing kitchens. It’s one of those must have items. It’s perfectly sized for a standard five pound bag of flour, and flour is one item that must be contained in your cabinets! If you don’t have a container, you know how the flour just leaks out and makes a mess. I love this container because I’m not a big fan of taking your food out and transferring it into different containers, especially in smaller kitchens—too much wasted space. It can can also get confusing when only half the food fits in the container and the other half still has to stay in the original packaging. The other problem is, if you don’t empty the container fully each time you refill, you’ve always got the old stuff at the bottom—yuk. So if you do use containers, make sure they will fit the entire package in its original packaging. Items like sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar are great in airtight containers, but make sure you are careful to buy the right size so you don’t waste space. Try to stay away from the round canisters because round items don’t make the best use of the space either. Check out the Flour Stay Fresh Container at The Container Store, it’s only $3.99—a good deal. They are also having their “Organized Home” sale so you will find some good kitchen organizing items, including the Click Clack Cubes on sale right now.
Here’s a nifty little product that can help to keep you organized in many ways. These tiny Tool Dots are powerful magnets that you can stick on any vertical surface to hold tools, knives, scissors etc… The vertical space on the wall is a great place to keep things visible and accessible. I love the photo below of the scissors for crafters. There is always so much “stuff” around when you’re working on crafts, keeping the scissors on a nearby wall is brilliant. In the kitchen, sharp knives can be placed high up and out of the way of small hands, even kitchen utensils can be tacked up inside a cabinet door for easy access. These terrific little Tool Dots can keep us organized in many ways! Order Tool Dots before your next organizing appointment and your organizer can help you decide how best to arrange and set them up. Click here to schedule your appointment.
This nifty little step stool is terrific. They are great to hang in a closet or pantry to help you reach anything that’s just a bit too high. If you’re vertically challenged, I recommend keeping them handy all around the house! They fold flat, are lightweight and easy to hang up on a simple hook. They are also sturdy, holding up to 300lbs. 
My daughter loves the one shown here in her closet. I love it too because it enables her to hang up and (sometimes 
put away her clothes that hang on the higher rod. It’s easier to keep things organized if you can make the put-away process as simple as possible. This step stool does just that. No more searching around for the step stool, it can fit anywhere. You can find these step stools online, just search EZ Foldz Step Stool or pick one up at Bed Bath & Beyond. You will soon have easy access to all sorts of things that were once out of reach.
Do you set out to straighten up the entire house and get stuck in one drawer that needs perfecting before moving on to the next? If you tend to organize in this way, you may be inhibiting yourself from ever getting to that place of order that you desire. Here are some tips to help you accomplish what you set out to do:
- Use a timer. Decide how much time you have to organize a particular area.
- Set a goal. In that amount of time, decide how much of the space you can realistically get through, and commit to getting through all of it.
- Don’t get caught in the “Chaos Circle”. If the things you are making decisions about and putting away when you organize don’t have a “home” you will get caught in the chaos circle, meaning that you’ll just put it back down into another pile! Everything you organize needs a place to belong.
- Keep moving. Don’t get caught in the details of perfect organization. When organizing a kitchen for example, you may not be able to alphabetize all of the spices (nor should you for that matter). Good enough organizing is better than no organizing at all.
Remember, organization is about efficiency, not perfection. Keep your eye on the big picture to maintain basic order, when time allows focus in on the details to bring your systems to a higher level.
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