Organizing Your Kitchen for the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us and in this house that means a lot of extra baking and cooking. For this reason, I want my kitchen as streamlined as possible.

I like to write out a list of anything that needs extra attention. My list would include:

· Kitchen counters

Clear the counters down to the items that are used daily. Look for other homes for big items like a blender, decorative items like a China teapot, canisters, bags of junk food, or any papers. This is the time you want space for making cookies or rolling out pie dough.

· Pantry

Pull out any expired foods. Donate any food that you are not planning on using. Check spices to see if they are still good. Organize your canned goods by categories so that you can see exactly what you have and to make room for extra items you buy for holiday baking and cooking.

· Cabinets

Organize your cabinets for convenience. Put rarely used items to the back and often used items to the front. Puge any cookware or serving pieces you no longer use.

Then because while I am already reorganizing this area, I also want to give it a deep clean. I write a detailed plan for the month. First, I make an overall plan by the week and then on the Sunday before each week, I schedule the exact times I plan on working on every task allocated for that week. For me, it looks like this:

· Week 1 – clean oven, stove, and microwave. Organize and purge pots, pans, cooking utensils, and bakeware.

· Week 2 – clean and purge items in the refrigerator/freezer. Organize and purge cutting boards, knives, mixing bowls, spaces, mixers, blenders, and measuring utensils. Toss any spices that are old.

· Week 3 – clean the sink area and dishwasher. Organize and purge dishware, mugs, glasses, and flatware. Toss items that are badly chipped or no longer used.

· Week 4 – organize and purge dishcloths, towels, placemats, napkins, trivets, and serving pieces. Organize the pantry. Organize and purge cookbooks.

By the end of the month the kitchen is ready for anything the holidays throw at you. I like to reward myself with some flowers on the table or a nice candlelit meal.

If you recognize that you are struggling with completing an organizational project like organizing your kitchen and want some help or accountability, join Diane Quintana and me in our Clear Space for You virtual support group.

Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, author of four books as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients.