Kitchens need not really be the messiest place on earth as with a little bit of effort you can keep them spic-and-span and absolutely organised. Besides, when at home we do end up spending a lot of time in the kitchen, then why should a little inspiration hurt. Anurag Saxena of German kitchen furnishing brand, Hacker Kitchens, shares with us some ideas to tidy up the kitchen space and make it look more orderly and liveable.
1. Make more efficient use of your space, from simple drawer inserts to clever pullout shelving units, to fullon custom cabinetry that enables storing.
2. Store spice containers with labels facing out, and group by type or organise alphabetically. Discard and replace spices that no longer have much of a scent; if there’s no smell, there’s no flavour.
3. If your kitchen doesn’t have enough counter space, add a rolling cart that provides extra room to organise.
4. Remove any cookbooks or magazines you don’t use regularly. For instance, store holiday cookbooks outside the kitchen.
5. Keep dishes either close to the dishwasher so they’re easy to put away – or close to the table, so it’s a snap to set.
6. Consider different countertop heights. If you’re short, you might want to lower some countertops below the 36-inch standard — a good rule of thumb is countertops should be 3 inches below your elbow.
7. Keep extra trash bags in the bottom of your trash can so that you always have a new bag handy — and the unused bags don’t take up room in your cabinets.
8. Even a kitchen with lots of storage space can get overrun with clutter. Get rid of duplicates, and don’t be tempted to fill every shelf and drawer to capacity.
9. Choose drawers instead of cupboards for heavy, large items such as pots; they slide out and make it easier to find what you’re reaching for.
10. When cleaning the interior/exterior surfaces of your kitchen furniture, remember to never use scouring agents, furniture polish, abrasive cleaning agents, or artificial resin thinners, acetone or similar cleaners or micro-fibre cloths in order to prevent damage. 11. Wood is a natural material. Its grain and colour make every kitchen unique. To clean them, simply wipe them in the direction of the wood grain using a slightly damp cloth to remove dirt particles from the pores.