Cooking in a small kitchen can be tough. It gets hot fast and makes easy movement difficult. It is especially frustrating when you move into a new home and discover that the kitchen space is smaller than what you are used to. 

This is exactly what happened to me when I first moved to my new home. To be fair to the agent and landlord, I did see the small space  and still decided to go for it. If you’ve ever gone on an apartment hunt in Accra, you may understand why I went in for the apartment regardless of the kitchen size; but hey, that’s another discussion for another day. 

Obviously, I didn’t have an enormous budget, so I took the first “okay” apartment with a reasonable price. Not all of us can afford apartments with reasonably spacious kitchens like McBrown Kitchen so I’ve come up with 6 simple kitchen storage hacks and solutions to help get your kitchen organized and create more room.

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Make Use of Containers

Airtight containers help keep our leftovers fresh until we need to attend to them; but what many don’t know is, storing some kitchen items in these containers go a long to ease organization in your kitchen. Food items like rice, beans, tea bags, whole grains, and spices can be stored in airtight containers to create space in your kitchen. It is easy to arrange these containers to create more room in the kitchen and also benefit off an aesthetically inducing look when nicely arranged. 

Consider Hanging Your Pots and Pans

Pots and pans are usually big. We use them to mostly prepare the main dishes, which are usually in pretty  large quantities. When you have a small kitchen, it is almost always a headache storing them after use because they take too much space. And even when you have big cabinets for them, getting them out can be a jambling mess.

Installing a kitchen hanging rod can be a very good solution to this problem. Normally installed above leg room, it gives the pans and pots free open space for storage, and it is easy to reach and convenient to put back. 

Make Labeling a Habit

We can all agree items-labeling is a life saver, even outside our lives at home. Imagine going through Shoprite and having to call an attendant, or go to the cashier every time you want to find out about the price of an item. That will be hectic. Price labeling makes it all easier. So let’s transfer this into our small kitchens. 

As much as this can be a tedious job, you will rather benefit immensely and feel great after you see your good job done. Labeling your items in your kitchen helps group like-items together, and makes it easy to find what you want as well as optimise organization and efficiency. This renders order and a neatly arranged kitchen, hence creating more space.

Buy a Magnetic Strip

Have you ever wondered how you can make use of your cabinet door or wall space? A magnetic strip comes in handy at this point. It is usually a rectangular magnetic (as the name suggests) rack bar that holds onto small metallic devices like knives, spoons, and scissors when attached to it. It is a great way to keep your kitchen in order and create space while storing your cutting tools in a safe and convenient manner. 

Install Some Wire Shelving Racks

Wire shelving racks are great with grouping items in the kitchen and providing convenience with reach. With it you can keep your plates and other heavy kitchen tools at the base to prevent any item from falling and damaging; as well as small items like salt and sugar containers, and other spices arranged at the top. This creates room on your counter-top, rendering better convenience while preparing food in your small space. 

Partition Your Drawer Space

Ever tried finding your favourite spoon amongst the stack of cutlery. It can be frustrating. Compartmentalize your drawer space with a drawer divider, and group your cutlery and other items in their chosen spots; and you will be amazed at the amount of space you will create while making the order you sought in the first place. 

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Having a small kitchen can be tiring and frustrating. It can even take the fun out of cooking sometimes but with these 6 simple kitchen storage hacks and solutions, you can be assured of getting your kitchen organized and creating more room as well.