Well-organized kitchen cabinets are crucial for cooking efficiency and safety. However, your cabinets can quickly become cluttered and inaccessible without the right organizational accessories like drawer dividers or pull-outs.
Innovative storage solutions, accessories, and cabinet upgrades are simple, affordable ways to improve your kitchen organization. Explore some essential cabinet accessories you can use to make your kitchen a more beautiful and functional space.
1. Pull Out Pantry Drawers
Pull out drawers in pantry cabinets are a convenient way to store food items, serving ware, and utensils without wasting space. These simple sliding accessories allow you to access items at the back of your cabinets without moving items in the front. They come in different sizes and depths so that you can find the perfect one for your cabinet dimensions.
2. Sliding Spice Rack
A sliding spice rack can be attached to the inside of a wall cabinet door and features shelves that slide out so you can easily reach your spices. This is a great way to organize your spices and make them easy to find.
A sliding spice rack can also help to save space in your kitchen. These narrow pull outs are ideal for using potentially wasted space between your range and refrigerator.
3. Drawer Dividers
Drawer dividers section contents in a drawer so that each item has its own designated area. This can be especially helpful if you have multiple items that need to be stored in the same drawer, like utensils, measuring cups, and spoons. By using drawer dividers, you can prevent smaller items from getting lost at the bottom of the drawer.
They come in various sizes and materials, including stainless steel, plastic, or wood. Some drawer dividers are also adjustable, so you can customize them to fit your drawer dimensions.
4. Corner Turnouts
Nearly every kitchen has hard-to-reach corner cabinets that often end up as dead space. Corner turnouts provide a simple way to access the contents of your corner cabinets without having to remove everything from the cabinet. This is especially helpful for storing heavy items like pots, pans and small appliances like blenders and stand mixers.
There are several types of corner turnouts. A carousel-style corner turnout is ideal for storing pots and pans. It consists of a central upright pole extending the base cabinet’s full height, an upper rotating platform with hooks to hang pot handles, and a middle notched platform for stability. The entire structure rotates, allowing you to access every cookware item in your collection.
Another excellent corner turnout design is the blind-corner half-moon organizer. These floating shelves are partially attached to the cabinet door and feature a swinging hinge that allows them to slide seamlessly in and out of the cabinet when the door opens and closes.
5. Lazy Susan
A Lazy Susan is a rotating tray that sits on a turntable. It can help to eliminate the need to rummage through cabinets in search of an item and make it easy to find what you are looking for. Lazy Susan’s are the perfect accessory for improving organization inside your pantry.
Store bakery ingredients, condiments, or spices on the turntable, so they are visible and easy to access. However, ensure the Lazy Susan has high walls or a lipped design and a non-slip mat on the tray to prevent items from slipping or falling.
6. Double-Deep Drawers for Base Cabinets
Standard base cabinets limit your access to larger items like cookware and appliances such as pots, pans, crockpots, or air fryers. Double-deep drawers (or double-height drawers) are deeper than traditional drawers. They typically measure between 10” and 14” high so that they can accommodate more items.
In addition to pots and pans, you can also store baking sheets and cutting boards vertically in a double-deep storage drawer.
7. Waste Basket and Recycling Undercounter Rollouts
Some easy and cabinet-friendly ways to make recycling easier in your home are to install recycling bin cabinet doors or rollouts. The roll out track attaches to the bottom of your base cabinet, typically under the sink or the main food preparation area, and a frame supports one or more removable trash cans or containers. This addition keeps your waste management bins out of sight while still allowing you easy access when you need to dispose of trash.
If you want to be able to recycle more but find it difficult to keep track of all the different materials, try a roll out with separate bin compartments. By having a place for each type of recyclable, you can make sure everything goes in its proper place.
8. Vertical Cabinet Dividers
Vertical cabinet dividers can create more storage space by dividing your cabinets into smaller compartments. The dividers are often made from plastic or wire mesh, but you can also make DIY dividers from particle board. They are attached to the rear and base of the cabinet, allowing you to slide items, like cutting boards, cookie sheets, and pot lids, in and out.
You can also space the vertical dividers closer together (approximately 1” to 2”) and use them to store plates, bowls, and other serving ware. Alternatively, add horizontal decks between the vertical dividers to create a cubby system for storing food items, dry goods, or utensils.
9. Pull Out Pot Rack
Stacking your pots and pans on top of each other inside cabinets can damage non-stick surfaces and lead to corrosion if they aren’t dried thoroughly before storing. It also makes accessing the cookware you need and finding matching lids challenging. For people who have a lot of pots and pans, a pull-out pot rack can be a great way to organize kitchen cabinets.
Pull out pot racks attach to the inside of your cabinet door or the walls and bottom of the base cabinet. They have shelves, racks, or hooks that can hold your pots and pans, and rails or tracks that allow you to pull the system out of the cabinet to access the items at the back. Pull out pot racks also come in several other configurations, including vertical stackers that feature a single upright column with tiers at various levels.
Organize Your Kitchen With HomesNGardens
A well-organized kitchen can make meal prep a breeze and cleanup a snap. But if your kitchen is currently in disarray, it can be tough to know where to start. The HomesNGardens blog is packed with kitchen organization ideas that help you to make the most of your space.
Whether you are in the middle of kitchen remodeling or just looking for a way to update your current setup, explore our blog and learn more kitchen organization tips.
