How to Organize Your Deep Kitchen Cabinets

Deep kitchen cabinets provide ample storage space but can be difficult to keep organized. The depth makes it hard to see and access items, resulting in a jumbled mess of expired products and mismatched containers. However, with some strategic planning and organizing tools, you can transform those deep spaces into efficiently organized storage that makes cooking easier.

Getting organized minimizes rummaging to find ingredients or appliances. An organized system reduces wasted food from expiration and breakage. It also lends a tidy, uncluttered aesthetic to your kitchen. Follow these tips to tackle deep cabinet organization and maximize their storage potential.

Assess Your Deep Cabinet Storage Needs

Before organizing your deep cabinets, evaluate how you use the space and any problem areas. This allows you to design a system tailored to your needs so frequently accessed items are readily available.

• What items do you use most? These should go in easy to reach areas.
• What items are only used occasionally? Place these on harder to access shelves.
• Do ingredients get lost and expire? Categorize like items together.
• What areas seem cluttered or jammed? Add organizers to keep items neat.

Considering usage patterns helps optimize your organizational strategy. Place high priority cookware and staple ingredients on middle shelves. Reserve top shelves for holiday dishware or small appliance storage. Designate lower levels for large, bulky items that won't fit elsewhere.

Take Inventory Before Organizing Deep Cabinets

A deep cabinet overhaul begins with thoroughly clearing and cleaning the space. As you remove items, catalog contents, checking expiration dates and assessing the condition of containers.

Group like items together and sort through each category. Be ruthless in discarding or donating expired, damaged, or unused items. This inventory and purging process gives you a blank slate for optimal reorganization.

Categorize Items for Your Deep Cabinets

An organized system designates areas for categories of items. Logically grouping cooking tools, appliances, pantry goods and bakeware together makes locating items easier. Here are common kitchen cabinet categories:

• Cooking Tools and Appliances: Mixing bowls, cutting boards, pots, pans, utensils
• Baking Goods: cookie sheets, muffin tins, cooling racks
• Food Storage: spices, oils, packaged goods
• Serving Platters and Dishes: holiday dishware, china
• Glassware/Mugs: glasses, mugs, drinkware

Place daily use items, like dishes and mixing bowls, on easy to access shelves. Reserve specialty bakeware or infrequent use serving platters for top shelves. This grouping by function helps you quickly locate what you need.

Label Categorized Areas

Use labels to clearly demarcate categorized zones in your deep cabinets. Position labels on the upper front edge of shelves to create visual cues. For glass front cabinets, use removable vinyl labels. Adhesive shelf liner also designates areas. Labelling allows other household members to maintain organization.

Optimize Storage Solutions for Deep Cabinets

Specialized organizers maximize the storage potential of your deep cabinets. Pull out drawers, slide out shelves, turntables and vertical holders keep items visible and prevent them from disappearing into cabinet depths.

• Install pull out shelves for easy access to items.
• Use riser shelves to double stacking room.
• Add vertical dividers for baking sheets and cutting boards.
• Turntables provide visibility and access.
• Door racks provide storage for wraps, foil, parchment paper.

Take measurements and shop for organizers tailored to your cabinet dimensions. Adjusting shelf placement also optimizes storage capacity. Just be sure to securely fasten any additional organizers per manufacturer guidelines.

Maximize Wasted Corner Space

Cabinet corner spaces often get neglected. Use them to store bulky or oddly shaped items. Insert metal corner racks to hold baking pans upright. A corner turntable neatly organizes spices and condiments. For a narrow but deep corner, add pull out drawers on bottom mounted slides.

Strategically Place Items in Deep Cabinets

An intentionally mapped out system further cements organization. Logically position items according to frequency of use and storage requirements.

• Most used items go at eye or waist level for ergonomic access.
• Lesser used items get relegated to very top or bottom shelves.
• Designate specific shelves for like categories.
• Place bulkier items on lower shelves and lighter items up higher.

Avoid cramming or stacking items too high. Overstuffing cabinets leads to falling objects and breakage. Anything positioned too deeply risks getting lost. Only stack items two or three high for visibility.

Assign Shelf Rows by Ingredient Type

To track packaged goods, designate a row per ingredient type, with oldest items front. Position flour, sugar, pasta, rice, etc. in assigned rows, with newest packages behind. Rotate stock by moving older items forward to get used first. This "first in, first out" system minimizes waste from expiration.

Use Clear Storage Containers

Plastic bins keep ingredients visible so items don't disappear out of sight. Match container sizes to shelf dimensions to fully utilize space. Here are helpful options:

• Stackable bins for bulk staples like flour and sugar.
• Clear canisters for dry goods like beans, pasta, rice.
• Airtight containers prolong shelf life.
• Labelled bins keep categories organized.

Invest in containers designed for your available cabinet space. Rectangular stackable bins fit on shelves. Round canisters work well in corners. Proper food storage prevents spills, keeps items fresh and allows you to easily take stock.

Use Lazy Susans for Blind Cabinet Corners

Turning blind corner cabinets into highly functional storage is a challenge. Install lazy susans to create an organized pantry zone. Use two tiered models to double your storage capacity. The spinning shelves provide easy access to items stored deeply in corners.

Maintain Deep Cabinet Organization

An initially organized system can become chaotic over time without diligent maintenance. Follow these tips to preserve order:

• Regularly purge unused, expired items.
• Quickly return items to labeled zones.
• Monthly wipe-downs keep shelves clean.
• Reassess storage needs if systems falter.

Don't let disorder accumulate. Set reminders to purge contents before items expire. Immediately putting things back in place maintains organization. Adjust your initial system if certain areas become cluttered again.

Try An Ingredient Rotational System

To prevent packaged ingredients from becoming forgotten, expired relics in your deep cabinets, employ an ingredient rotation system. This ensures items get used in a timely fashion. Simply designate an area for new purchases. Then shift older items forward with newer ones placed behind them. This rotational approach keeps stock fresh and avoids waste.