3 Cabinet Cleaning & Organizing Tips
Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, the new year preparation can begin! No matter what your age, lifestyle, or current circumstances are, your new year goals or resolutions likely involve organizing and streamlining your life in some capacity. As a homeowner, that might include tackling the beast that is organizing your home.
We’ve been in the cabinet business a long time, so we can take a guess as to what the inside of your kitchen cabinets looks like… and it’s not pretty. Have no fear! We have compiled a list of our top 3 tips for cleaning and organizing your cabinetry.
The Great Purge 
A new year is the perfect excuse to purge unnecessary clutter from your life, especially in your kitchen. You can declutter any and all items that don’t serve a purpose or stress you out. This could be food, Tupperware that’s missing a lid, a broken mixer, or that serving platter with chip that you never use. I know, I know, you’re probably cursing me right now saying things like “It’s not that easy! I don’t have time! Where do I even start?” Here are some ideas on how to begin a full cabinetry purge:
- Throw out expired foods: It’s time to get rid of those Saltines from 2017 and that jar of mystery jelly. Taking this small (but very important) step will clear out your cabinets immediately and make room for all your new groceries and organizing bins.
- Get rid of food you’re never going to eat: The wasabi almonds you accidentally bought aren’t going to magically get eaten if they keep sitting on the shelf. Chuck all the stuff that you’re never going to eat, even if it isn’t expired. Better yet, see if you can donate any food to a local pantry or shelter!
- Sort it out: Sort all the items left into piles based on functionality. For example, snack food, grains, cereal, sauces, cans, etc. can all go in separate areas. Feel free to get creative and sort things however it makes sense to you.
A Clean Cabinet Is a Happy Cabinet
Time to get down to the nitty gritty… like for real. Get those cleaning gloves out because we are about to do something you probably haven’t done in a long time: clean your kitchen cabinets. Oh, yes. We are talking inside the cabinets AND outside.
After the cabinets are completely cleared, sweep any food particles or crumbs that may be left into the trash. Then, mix warm water with a drop of blue dawn in a spray bottle. Lightly spray the cabinets and wipe them down with a damp microfiber cloth. Follow this same cleaning process for all your cabinetry. This is definitely a time-consuming task, but totally worth it for clean cabinets and an organized kitchen.
This is the #1 method for cleaning to ensure your cabinetry stays as beautiful as possible for as long as possible. Remember, cabinets hate moisture! So, do everything you can to properly care for them. When the cleaning is done, stand back and admire your gleaming, glistening cabinets!
Become An Organizing Queen
Lastly, press play on your Marie Kondo audiobook and get to organizing! This part might be the most important of all because you want to set yourself up for success in your revamped kitchen. Here are some places to start:
- Organize by functionality: What kitchen items do you use the most often? Mugs? Cereal bowls? Snack foods? No matter what it is, put those items front and center in your kitchen in an easily accessible cabinet or drawer. On the flip side, keep the things you use the least in the tallest, hardest to reach shelves.
- Utilize available tools: There are a million organizing techniques and hacks out there, so find one that makes sense for your habits and lifestyle. For example, if sorting your spices into matching spice jars sounds like the dumbest idea ever, then please save yourself the time and energy — skip that one. But, if having matching spice jars makes you use them more often, looks pretty, and doesn’t sound horrible to set up, then go for it!
At the end of the day, it is totally up to you how you choose to clean and organize your kitchen cabinets! If nothing else, we hope these tips get you thinking about the options you have for cabinet cleaning and taught you the proper way to clean your cabinetry. Feel free to reach out to us at info@trimtechdesigns.com or visit our contact page with any questions or comments you may have regarding all things cabinetry.
