How To Organize Kitchen Cabinets

A well-organized kitchen is about making your space work for real life. If you’re constantly digging for lids, restacking pans, or losing ingredients in the back of a cabinet, it might be time for a reset.

This guide breaks down how to organize your kitchen cabinets in a way that’s sustainable, functional, and totally doable, even if you’re short on time or space.

What Are the Benefits of an Organized Kitchen?

We get that between rushed mornings, grocery hauls, and midweek dinner scrambles, organizing your cabinets isn’t always a top priority. But here’s the thing: when everything has a place, everything just runs smoother.

Here’s how a little organization can make a big impact:

Improved Efficiency

You know that moment when you open a cabinet and three mismatched lids fall out before you even find what you’re looking for? Yeah, those little delays add up.

When your kitchen is organized in a way that actually makes sense for how you cook, things just move faster. You’re not backtracking three times to grab a pan or pulling out every bottle just to find the vinegar.

Grouping items by type or frequency of use makes everything easier to find, grab, and put back without thinking twice. And when your tools are where you expect them to be, you're more likely to cook at home, eat better, and clean up with way less friction.

Easy Meal Prep

Trying to prep meals in a cluttered kitchen is just not it. You end up skipping steps, forgetting ingredients, or giving up halfway through because you can’t find the right pan. When your cabinets are dialed in, you’re more likely to make the food you planned, whether it’s a quick breakfast or a week of lunches.

It also helps cut down on the extras. When everything has a place and you can actually see what you have, you're less likely to double up on ingredients or let things expire. The result? Fewer headaches, less food waste, and a setup that supports whatever version of meal prep fits your routine.

Less Stress

And last but not least, an organized kitchen can seriously cut down on stress. Studies show that cluttered spaces can spike cortisol levels , making you feel more overwhelmed and scattered. When your kitchen is organized, you’re less likely to get that sinking feeling every time you open a messy drawer or dig through a pile of mismatched lids.

Plus, when your space is clear, your mind tends to follow . It’s a small change that can have a big impact, whether you’re trying to stick to a healthier routine, cook more at home, or just keep the family fed without losing your cool.

How To Prepare Your Cabinets for Organizing

You’re now clued in on the perks of an organized kitchen, but before you start rearranging everything in sight, a little prep goes a long way.

Here’s how to set yourself up for success.

Declutter

Start with a clean slate. Decluttering doesn’t mean tossing everything you own, just taking stock of what you actually use. Pull everything out and group similar items together.

If you haven’t used something in the past six months (or forgot you even had it), that’s your cue. Be honest about duplicates, broken tools, and those mystery gadgets collecting dust. The idea isn’t to get rid of everything—it’s to make space for the things that actually support your daily routine.

Clean

Once your cabinets are empty, give them the kind of deep clean they probably haven’t had in a while. Wipe down shelves, vacuum crumbs out of corners, and clean any shelf liners or organizers you plan to keep.

A gentle, non-toxic cleaner works best, especially near food. If there’s sticky residue from old jars or spills, a little baking soda paste can help lift it without damaging the surface. Let everything dry completely before loading things back in.

Plan

Taking a few minutes to plan before you start putting things away makes the whole process smoother and way more sustainable. Without a plan, it’s easy to fall back into the same old cluttered setup, just in slightly neater piles.

Think about how you move through your kitchen on a typical day. Which cabinets make sense for everyday essentials? What could live in a less accessible spot?

Mapping out where things should go based on how you actually use your space helps prevent the need to reorganize again next month. It’s a small step that sets you up to keep things organized for the long haul.

How To Organize Your Cabinets

Now it’s time to get everything back into place, but this time with purpose. The goal? A layout that works for how you actually cook and live, not just how it looks on Pinterest.

Here’s how to make it happen:

Categorize Your Items

Start by grouping similar items together before anything goes back in a cabinet. This helps you see what you actually have and how much space each category needs. Think: cookware, bakeware, dry goods, meal prep containers, spices, snacks, kid stuff.

If you’re dealing with limited space, don’t overthink it. Grouping by function (like “dinner basics” or “baking zone”) can be just as helpful as traditional categories.

Utilize Organizational Tools

Maximize space and minimize frustration by using tools that work for your layout. Lazy Susans, shelf risers, clear bins, lid holders, and stackable inserts can turn a deep, chaotic cabinet into a streamlined setup. The trick is to choose organizers that make items visible and accessible, not just neat. If you can’t see it or reach it, you probably won’t use it.

Store Similar Items Together

Once you’ve got categories and tools in place, keep like with like. Put all your oils and vinegars in one bin. Stack your containers with the lids they actually go with.

Store your go-to pans and pots in one section so you’re not dragging out five things just to get to the one you use daily. It sounds simple, but keeping similar items together saves time, cuts back on mess, and makes it easier to restock when something runs low.

Properly Arrange Everything

Finally, bring it all together in a way that works for your day-to-day. Keep frequently used items—like your favorite pans, spices, or meal prep containers—at eye level or within arm’s reach. Heavier cookware? Lower shelves. Holiday gadgets and once-a-year baking pans? Up top.

This is also the moment when thoughtful design pays off. Our Glass Lid Set keeps your lids stacked, visible, and easy to grab—no rattling piles or missing pieces.

And for shelf-stable staples, our Glass Airtight Containers help keep ingredients fresh and in full view, so you’re not guessing what’s in the back corner. A few simple swaps can turn daily rummaging into a quick grab-and-go.

How To Maintain Well-Organized Kitchen Cabinets

You’ve decluttered, cleaned, and reworked your cabinets. Now the question is, how do you keep it that way?

Here are a few realistic habits to make your system stick.

Regularly Clean and Declutter

No need for a total cabinet shake-up every week, but a quick check-in every month or so makes a big difference. Toss expired snacks, donate duplicates, and wipe down shelves before things build up again. It’s easier to stay organized when you’re not constantly working around stuff you don’t actually use.

Pro tip: When you put groceries away, use that moment to take stock. Do a fast scan for anything old or unopened and make it part of the weekly reset instead of a seasonal chore.

Develop Organized Habits

The best way to keep things tidy is to make it second nature. Always put items back in the same place. Stack containers with their lids right away. Don’t shove random items in “just for now”—we all know that means forever. If the system you created is simple enough to stick to, it’ll hold up on its own.

This goes double if you’re sharing the kitchen. Let everyone in the household know where things live. Label if you need to. The less explaining you have to do, the better.

Adjust Your System As Needed

Your kitchen is going to change—new tools, new routines, new grocery hauls. Instead of fighting to keep things exactly how they were, stay flexible. Maybe your kids’ lunch containers need to move lower so they can grab their own. Maybe your baking zone needs to expand now that it’s part of your Sunday routine.

Pay attention to what’s working (and what’s not), and don’t be afraid to move things around until it fits how you actually live, not just how it looked when you first organized.

How To Organize the Rest of Your Kitchen

Dialed in your cabinets and wondering what’s next? The rest of your kitchen deserves the same treatment.

Here’s how to extend that sense of order to the rest of your space without overcomplicating it.

Drawers

If your drawers are packed with random tools, leaky spice packets, or five vegetable peelers you never use, it’s time to streamline. Start by emptying everything out and grouping similar items. Daily-use tools (like spatulas, tongs, or your go-to peeler) should stay up front. Rarely used or specialty gadgets? Those can go in the back or in a separate drawer altogether.

Drawer organizers help more than you’d think, especially ones that fit your space and keep tools from getting buried. And while you’re at it, ditch anything that’s broken, duplicate, or hasn’t been touched in the past year.

Pantry

Whether you have a full walk-in or just a couple of shelves, pantry organization is all about visibility and ease. Use containers you can actually see into. Ours are made from durable glass with a tight seal that keeps ingredients fresh and easy to spot at a glance. No more digging through bags or guessing what’s hiding behind that half-used box of pasta.

Once everything’s visible, it’s easier to group by type—snacks, canned goods, grains, baking staples—and create simple zones. Keep your most-used items at eye level, and use bins or baskets to corral smaller or spill-prone items so everything stays clean and easy to grab.

Refrigerator

Out of everything in the kitchen, the fridge gets the most action and the biggest mess. The best way to keep it in check? Give things a spot and keep it simple.

Use shelves and drawers for what they’re built for: produce in the crisper, meats on the bottom (it’s the coldest zone) , and leftovers or prepped meals where you’ll actually see them. If something’s constantly getting shoved to the back, it probably needs a better home or a reminder to use it before it’s too late.

Additional Storage

Have a utility cart, overhead rack, or slim cabinet that’s going mostly unused? Now’s the time to rethink it. These tucked-away spaces are great for storing less-used appliances, overflow ingredients, or bulk paper goods, but they’re also perfect for tools you reach for often but don’t want cluttering your drawers.

Keep essentials like your garlic press , pizza cutter , or ice cream scoop in one easy-access spot so they don’t disappear in the mix. Our stainless steel utensils are designed to last, clean easily, and store neatly, whether you keep them in a drawer, on a rack, or tucked into our included birchwood organizer. The key is making your storage work for your kitchen, not the other way around.

A Final Word on Cabinet Organizing

At Caraway , we believe your kitchen should work for you. Organizing your cabinets isn’t about perfection or matching labels but creating a space that supports how you actually cook, clean, and live.

When everything has a place and your daily tools are easy to grab, the whole routine becomes simpler—less time searching, more time enjoying what you’ve made. And once your cabinets are in order? That’s the perfect time to rethink what’s going inside them.

Our cookware is designed to make cooking feel easier, healthier, and more enjoyable every step of the way. From non-toxic ceramic-coated pans to space-saving stainless steel sets, everything we make is built to last without the forever chemicals.

So, if you’re looking to upgrade what you cook with while keeping your space organized and clean, we’ve got you covered. Explore our cookware and see how thoughtful design can make all the difference. Trust us—you’ll be glad you did!

Sources:

Clutter, Cortisol, and Mental Load | Psychology Today

Importance of Organization in the Kitchen | Escoffier School of Culinary Arts

Declutter Your Home, Destress Your Mind | Cleveland Clinic

9 Food Safety Mistakes You May Not Know You're Making | Consumer Reports