The best way to make room for New Year’s resolutions is to get rid of clutter and organize your home. Living in chaos affects all aspects of our lives, and a great place to start tidying up is the kitchen. Follow these five steps to get your kitchen in shape for 2016.
1. Out with the old, In with the new.
Whether it’s eating better or balancing your budget, ridding the kitchen of unnecessary items allows you to make space for your new and improved ways. Start with the refrigerator and panty and discard any expired or unwanted food items. Pay attention to what you’re throwing out so that you can be better about what you buy on your next shopping trip. For example, if you aren’t using all the eggs in the carton before the expiration date, start buying a half dozen instead of a full. This is an easy way to cut down on how much you spend on groceries and reduce your waste.
2. Clean up in dark corners.
After you purge your kitchen, take some time to clean out all those places you typically avoid. Refrigerator drawers, underneath appliances, and behind your oven are a few spots that are typically forgotten. While you’re on a roll, go ahead and turn on the self-cleaning option on your oven, run some vinegar through your coffee maker, and scrub off any grime in your microwave and toaster. If you use baking soda to neutralize odors in your refrigerator, swap out your box for a new one, and send some lemon peel down your garbage disposal to eliminate any smells coming from your kitchen sink.
3. Organize kitchen cabinets and drawers. 
Make your kitchen cabinets and drawers more functional by adding in some interior organizers. Inside cabinet accessories help you manage everything from frying pans to spices, and save you serious space. Start with a cutlery drawer to keep your silverware separate, a divider for garbage bags, tinfoil and seal wrap, and a base filler organizer to put spices, seasonings and other small items.
4. Get digitally savvy.
Make grocery shopping and cooking more convenient by utilizing apps that help do the prep work for you. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, you’ll be able to find a variety of useful apps that can assist you in the kitchen. Pepperplate lets you manage recipes and shopping lists, Gojee figures out what you should cook based on the ingredients you already have, and BigOven is a highly regarded subscription that gives you access to tons of inspirational recipes.
5. Upgrade kitchen accessories.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to replace dishrags, worn oven mitts, and dull knives. Pots and pans with scratched surfaces, chipped coffee mugs, and frayed kitchen linens can go too. Holding on to worn kitchen accessories just holds you back from the fresh start you’ve been planning for.
Cleaning up your kitchen probably won’t change your entire life but it’s a good place to start! Shop kitchen cabinet accessories from TheRTAStore and get on the path to a more organized kitchen, home and life in 2016.
At TheRTAStore we help make your dream kitchen a reality with RTA (Ready To Assemble) cabinets, Pre-Assembled cabinets, and accessories with the same (if not better) quality you would find at any retail store but for a fraction of the price. Stop by our website or give us a call and let one of our friendly kitchen designers help make your kitchen dreams come true!
