Deep kitchen cabinets provide ample storage space, but all that room can quickly become overwhelming if it’s not used efficiently. Cluttered cabinets filled with disorganized items only lead to frustration when you can’t find what you need. Proper organization is the key to maximizing your deep cabinet potential.
You’ll learn how to design storage zones tailored to your needs, solutions for hard-to-reach areas, and maintenance tips for keeping your organized cabinets in top shape.
Assess Your Cabinets
Before you can organize your space, it’s important to fully evaluate what you’re working with. Take measurements of your cabinet depths, widths, and heights. Make notes of any limitations or problem spots – are there dead corners you can’t reach? Is the space awkwardly narrow or deep? Identify areas where you have wasted vertical storage space.
Thoroughly removing everything from the cabinets gives you a chance to clean them while also taking stock of what you have. Get rid of anything expired, unused, or unnecessary to pare down before you organize.
Organize by Zones and Usage
Designate Zones
Dividing your storage into zones designated by usage is an efficient way to organize your deep cabinets. Consider creating specific areas for:
- Everyday use items like breakfast foods, snacks, staples
- Occasional use products like small appliances, special occasion dishes
- Food storage for canned goods, jars of ingredients
- Cleaning supplies including soaps, sponges, cleaners
- Baking and cooking essentials like oils, spices, flours
Consider Frequency of Use
When deciding where items should go, be sure to consider how often you use them. Reserve your prime real estate, like lower shelves and eye level, for your most frequently used items. This makes them easily accessible. Less utilized products can go at the top or back of cabinets.
For example, everyday breakfast cereals and coffee mugs would go on a low shelf, while the fondue pot for special occasions could be stored higher up. Place herbs and spices you use while cooking on a rack mounted inside the cabinet door for grab-and-go convenience.
Maximize Vertical Space
Shelving and Risers
One of the easiest ways to double your storage capacity in deep cabinets is to maximize vertical space with extra shelves. Sturdy, adjustable options can be installed to suit the height of your cabinets. Risers also elevate items to make better use of available room.
Consider using risers designed especially for canned goods – they angle cans forward so you can easily see labels. Or keep plates upright and readily accessible with plate racks. For narrow spaces, adjustable drawer organizers provide customizable divisions.
Vertical Dividers
Vertical dividers are great for adding storage options in tall, narrow cabinets. Highly versatile, they can be used to neatly organize anything from cutting boards and baking sheets to platters and pans. Dividers keep these bulky items upright and separate to prevent sliding and scratching.
Spice Racks
While often thought of as sitting on countertops, spice racks can be effectively mounted inside cabinet doors to save space. Arrange spices categorically so you can quickly find what you need while cooking. Consider a two-tier rack – one for everyday spices, another for lesser used seasoning blends.
Storage Solutions for Deep Cabinets
Lazy Susans/Turntables
Lazy susans or turntables are invaluable for organizing corner cabinets or any space with limited accessibility. Just spin the turntable to easily see and grab items in even the deepest, hard-to-reach areas. No more climbing up counters or precariously leaning in!
Tiered Shelving
Multi-level turntables or tiered shelving units allow you to efficiently organize the contents of your deep cabinets. The angled shelves keep every item visible and prevent things from disappearing into the back. Great for cans, boxes and jars!
Pull-Out Drawers
Installing pull-out drawers in lower cabinets is a smart way to access items pushed far into the depths. Drawers glide smoothly, making everything totally accessible. Consider stackable models with adjustable dividers to create custom storage zones.
Glass Canisters
Uniform glass canisters provide neat and aesthetically pleasing storage for dry goods like flour, sugar, pasta, and coffee. Seeing contents eliminates the need to label everything. Plus, they save precious space by removing bulky packaging. Use large canisters for bulk items and smaller ones for spices.
Maintenance
Don’t let your organized cabinets revert back to disarray! Regular maintenance is essential. Set reminders to periodically edit contents, consolidate items, get rid of anything expired and assess if your storage solutions are still working efficiently.
For example, you may find pull-out shelves more practical than turntables for some spaces, or that deeper drawers better suit your changing needs. Adjust and improve your system as necessary.
When unloading groceries, take a minute to return items to their designated zones. Reorganizing will become a quick, painless habit.
Deep cabinets provide generous storage potential, but also present unique organizational challenges. By designating usage-based zones tailored to your needs and frequency of use, installing specialized storage solutions, and maximizing all vertical space, you can conquer even the most crowded, cluttered cabinets.
You will gain easy access to your kitchen necessities with these tips. No more rummaging endlessly for the can of beans or spice jar that seem to disappear into the abyss of your pantry. An organized kitchen leads to happier, more efficient cooking and baking. Go tackle those cabinets!
