Cleaning and Organizing Kitchen Cabinets 101

Ready for a crash course in Cleaning and Organizing Kitchen Cabinets?

I love my kitchen and often wish it were bigger. But, when it comes to cleaning and organizing kitchen cabinets, and all that fun stuff, well I’m grateful for a small kitchen. 😉

My cabinets do not go clear to the ceiling, instead I have this open space up there that gets used as storage. My ivy and grapes nicely hide just how much stuff I have up there.

Cleaning and Organizing Kitchen Cabinets ~tops:

Up top is where I start. It gets very dusty up there and everything needs to come down and be washed. A sink of hot water works for all my bottles and glassware that gets stored up there.

I wash my greenery in warm water. Nearly all greenery is washable, however I have learned to test a small area before wetting the entire arraignment. I used to have a bunch of red daisies, now they are pink daisies with red streaks! The bunches of grapes are also washed this way.

The easiest way to wash my greenery is to turn the shower on warm and spray everything down. Then I hang it all to dry for a few hours.

I store my baskets in the only place they fit above my cupboards. I submerge my baskets into a sink of warm water with a small amount of gentle soap. Painted baskets get gently wiped down with a damp cloth.

I then allow my baskets to air dry on a mat for several hours.

Finally, before I begin putting things back, I wipe off the tops of my cupboards. Because I waited way to long between cleanings I had use my vacuum with a hose to sweep the big stuff and then I wiped the rest with a damp rag.

A reader gave me the great idea to use newspapers on top so next time the dusting will be a cinch. Thanks Nan at Mom’s the Word!

Finally, with the tops done, it’s time to work on the rest.

Cleaning and Organizing Kitchen Cabinets ~Fronts and insides:

I refuse to use chemicals in my home so what do I use to clean my wood cabinets? For one, I like Murphy’s Oil soap, it’s pretty gentle and great on wood. Another thing I like and use a lot is the Sol-u-Mel from Melaleuca. My friend Bekah, at We Live Inspired is giving away some of Melaleuca’s natural cleaning stuff, so go enter for your chance to win some family and echo friendly stuff that works great!

It is such a blessing to have new cabinets in our kitchen. Working one cupboard at a time, I empty, wipe down and put back. If your cupboards are not so nice, contact paper on the shelves can become your best friend. It’s crazy how dirty the insides of your cupboards can become. I mean, I only put clean dishes in most of them, so explain why the shelves are so dusty and dirty! 🙂

I also use this time to organize and de-clutter. I am not a hoarder, but when it comes to my kitchen, I come pretty close. I’ve used this item once in 5 years…. ….. hmm m…. ….. ……….   YES I should definitely keep it! 🙂 ha-ha!

Organizing: Now I enjoy this. And with a small kitchen, and lots of stuff, I get pretty good at making my space work.

 Jason is pretty good with tools and when we moved in, he pulled the shelves out of the tall deep cupboard by my fridge and put in sliding shelves. I love how I can see just what is in there!

Tupperware and glass jars help keep grains, pasta, noodles and other dry stuff nicely organized.

Because I have a total of 4 (shallow) drawers, I have to keep my lids in the cupboard. A rack designed to hold sauce-pan lids works great for Tupperware lids as well.

And because plates don’t take up much room, a shelf helps a lot. Now I store our coffee and tea stuff on the other side!

Other things that help make the most of your space. Under-counter hooks for mugs or wine glasses. Carousals work great for spice cabinets. Use command hooks inside your cupboard doors to hang measuring cups, and other small items.

What are your favorite tips for cleaning and organizing kitchen cabinets? Let me know in the comments below!