Those awkward corner cabinets have major storage potential. Make the most of them with these smart organizing tips.
Keeping a kitchen organized is no easy task. Between shallow shelves, narrow drawers, bulky small appliances, and the oversized potato masher, it's a real challenge to find a place for everything, not to mention keep everything in its place. Professional organizers say the kitchen is one of the main trouble spots when it comes to keeping an orderly home. It's got to be organized to save you time and stress on busy days. Kitchen Corner Cabinet Pull Out Basket
Out of all the organizing challenges a kitchen presents, corner cabinets are one of the most puzzling. They're deeper than regular cabinets, so it's hard to see and reach items in the back. And in some cases, part of the cabinet's valuable storage space is tucked away out of view. The good news is there are plenty of easy, affordable ways to bring some order to that odd-shaped cabinet so it can work as hard as the rest of your kitchen does.
Decluttering a corner cabinet the right way is a process similar to the way you would organize a regular cabinet, a drawer, a closet or anywhere else you are trying to make the best use of. Here are the steps to follow.
Start by determining how you're going to use this cabinet. This will depend both on what you need to store in that particular spot as well as the layout of your kitchen and the locations of your appliances. Try to store things near where they are usually used, or at least not annoyingly far away. For example, say you bake a lot and the corner cabinet near the stove makes sense as a baking center. You could store your mixing bowls, rolling pins, cake and pie pans, as well as specialty baking ingredients here. That's the theme of the cabinet. The theme guides what belongs in the cabinet and, importantly, what does not. Ideally, each cabinet, or at least each shelf within a cabinet, should have a theme. That way you and everybody else using the kitchen knows where to look for something they need and where to put it back. Setting the theme for the cabinet will make the next step of the decluttering process easier.
Like with most organizing projects, the first step is to take everything out of the cabinet you are decluttering. This step can be tedious but it's crucial. You have to be able to evaluate every item that has been lurking there, especially in spots you can't easily see, and decide whether or not it belongs with the theme of the cabinet. Kitchens are infamous for holding large quantities of things that are rarely used. A panini press, souvenir cups, or an avocado slicer might sound like a good idea at the time of purchase, but if they're not actually being put to use, they're clutter. So take every last thing out, put it on the countertop, and start grouping like with like. Identify things that don't fit the theme you set for the cabinet and find new spots for them. Weed out anything you no longer want or need and donate it. Then embrace a minimalist mindset when it comes to what you keep. Rather than trying to come up with a better way to put everything back in the cabinet, challenge yourself to get rid of as much as you can so you are storing less. Most donation centers accept kitchen gadgets, appliances, and tools so long as they are in good working condition.
The last prep step is to wipe off the shelves and dry them so you have a fresh, clean slate for reloading the cabinet. If your corner cabinet is fitted with a turntable or a lazy Susan, you also might want to put down a shelf liner to keep things from sliding around when it is turned. If you're storing ingredients that might spill or leave the shelf sticky, a shelf liner can also make it easier to clean your cabinet later. You just remove the liner, wipe it down, and put it back rather than having to clean the shelves again.
Now that you're ready to put things back in your cabinet in a way that makes sense, is easy to access, and looks visually pleasing. Here are some ideas for doing just that, depending on whether you're working on an upper or a lower cabinet.
A preferred method to use for organizing upper corner cabinets is a large lazy Susan, either freestanding or one you install in the cabinet. Corner cabinets tend to be cavernous, resulting in items getting stuck (and subsequently lost) in the back. Depending on the size of your cabinet, you can most likely fit up to 16- or even 18-inch lazy Susans on each shelf. Choose the largest lazy Susan your cabinet can accommodate so you waste as little space on the sides as possible. Lazy Susans are round, so to maximize the space, prioritize storing round items on it such as cans, jars, and spices.
Shallow, clear, rectangular bins with handles are a good choice for corner cabinets. Their shape allows them to line up flush against the back and sides. Load the bins logically, like with like, and label them. For example, you could put all your boxes and bags of pasta and rice in one bin, all the kids snacks in another. That way it's easy to take out a whole category, get what you want, and put it back in the right place.
Fortunately, many lower corner storage cabinets come equipped with a built-in two-tiered lazy Susan. If yours doesn't, or perhaps the one you have is not efficient enough, consider buying one. They can be found at home improvement stores and are fairly simple to install. When used properly, these sturdy, rotating shelves are great for storing bulky items. Again, because they are round, placing as many round items on them as possible optimizes the space. Mixing bowls, colanders, salad spinners, blenders, and pots and pans are good things to store in this spot. If you need to store small items here, such as the attachments to your stand mixer, put them in a basket or bin so they stay contained when the shelf is spun.
As an alternative to a traditional two-shelf lazy Susan, consider installing a swing-out shelf organizer, also known as a blind corner cabinet organizer. It's well worth it if your cabinet is especially deep and the corners are hard to reach. Once it's installed, you just pull the shelf toward you and the whole unit comes out, putting even items stored in the back of the cabinet within easy reach. These organizers are usually shaped with a narrow middle that can be used for small items and wider ends that are good for storing small appliances.
Measure from the outside corner of the left side of the cabinet to the center of the cabinet, and repeat from the right side. Then measure from the back to the center of the cabinet and from the back to the front.
A blind corner cabinet has storage area that isn't visible when you open the cabinet door.
Steel Kitchen Storage Basket The most common names for corner cabinets are blind base cabinets, diagonal corner cabinets, lazy Susan cabinets, and angle front cabinets.