I love all things kitchen organization. Kitchens are one of my favorite spaces to organize because small changes can make such a big difference in how efficiently the room functions.

As an Omaha professional organizer, I organize kitchens of all sizes and styles. While every kitchen needs a system designed around the people who use it, there are certain organizing products I come back to again and again.

My goal isn’t to add a bunch of containers just to make a kitchen look organized. I want products to solve a problem, make items easier to access, and help the space stay organized after I’m gone.

Here are five of my most-used products for creating a more functional kitchen.

1. Clear Drawer Organizers

Drawer organizers are probably one of the products I use most in kitchens.

One of my favorites is The Everything Organizer Collection from The Container Store. I love the clear design, the 90-degree angles, and the variety of sizes available.

Those straight sides are important! Organizers with angled or rounded sides can waste valuable drawer space. With 90-degree angles, different sizes can fit neatly next to each other, allowing us to make better use of the entire drawer.

They’re great for organizing:

• Cooking utensils
• Measuring spoons
• Small gadgets
• Food storage supplies
• Kids’ items
• Junk drawers
• Coffee and tea supplies
• Everyday kitchen essentials

I also like that the clear design creates definition without adding a lot of visual clutter.

One important note: measure before you buy! I choose the combination of organizer sizes based on the dimensions of the drawer and what actually needs to live there.

2. Plastic Bag Organizers

This is one of those organizing products that might seem unnecessary—until you use it.

I love organizers for sandwich, snack, quart, and gallon storage bags because they solve a problem I see all the time in kitchens.

The original cardboard boxes get crumpled. They get pushed to the back of the drawer. The flaps tear. Boxes get stacked on top of each other, and eventually something gets caught and the drawer won’t close.

They can also create a surprising amount of visual clutter.

Plastic bag organizers give each size of bag a designated home and make the entire drawer look cleaner. More importantly, it actually stays that way.

Another benefit is that you aren’t tied to one brand of storage bags. When you run out, simply refill the organizer with whatever brand you purchase.

It’s a small change, but it’s a great example of how the right organizing product can make an everyday task easier.

3. Turntables for Oils and Vinegars

A turntable is one of my favorite solutions for oils and vinegars.

Whenever possible, I recommend storing your most-used cooking oils and vinegars in a cabinet near the stove, right where you’ll actually use them.

Instead of reaching behind several bottles to find the one you need, you can rotate the turntable and bring the item to you.

That’s one of my biggest principles when organizing a kitchen:

Store things where you use them.

You shouldn’t have to walk across the kitchen every time you need olive oil while cooking. Think about how you naturally move through your kitchen and create storage around those habits.

A turntable can also work well for sauces, condiments, baking ingredients, and other bottles or jars that tend to get lost in the back of a cabinet.

4. Spice Organizers That Fit YOUR Kitchen

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I don’t have one universal spice organizer that I recommend for everyone.

Why? Because the best spice storage depends on where you use your spices and the storage your kitchen already has.

If you have a drawer near your cooking area, an angled spice drawer insert can make labels easy to see and spices easy to grab.

If your spices need to live in an upper cabinet, tiered shelving can help prevent smaller jars from disappearing behind larger ones.

Turntables can also work beautifully for spices in the right cabinet.

Some of my favorite spice storage solutions include:

• Angled drawer inserts
• Tiered cabinet shelving
• Turntables
• Drawer organizers
• Pull-out storage

Don’t choose a spice organizer because it looks great online. Choose one that makes sense for your kitchen, your collection of spices, and the way you cook.

That’s the difference between buying an organizing product and creating an organizing system.

5. Vertical Storage and ShelfGenie Glide-Outs

Cutting boards, sheet pans, muffin tins, serving trays, and baking pans can be some of the most frustrating items to store in a kitchen.

Stack them horizontally and inevitably the pan you need is on the bottom!

Whenever possible, I prefer storing these items vertically.

One option I love is a ShelfGenie glide-out with tray bin storage. It creates designated vertical sections for cutting boards, muffin tins, pans, trays, and similar pieces while allowing you to pull the storage out for easy access.

Instead of digging through a dark lower cabinet, the contents come to you.

You don’t necessarily need custom glide-outs to use the same organizing principle, though.

A cabinet with vertical divider shelves can also work wonderfully. There are also inexpensive, freestanding vertical organizers available that allow you to create a similar setup yourself.

The important part is the concept: make each item easy to see, remove, and put away without having to move five other things first.

The Best Kitchen Organizing Product Is the One That Solves a Problem

There are endless kitchen organizing products available, and it’s easy to think buying the right bins will magically create an organized kitchen.

Unfortunately, that’s usually backwards.

When I’m organizing a kitchen for a client, I first think about function:

What do you use most often?

Where do you use it?

What’s frustrating you about the space right now?

What needs to be easier to access?

What can be moved somewhere else?

Once we answer those questions, then we determine which organizing products will help.

Sometimes that’s a beautiful set of clear drawer organizers. Other times, it’s a $10 vertical divider that solves the problem perfectly.

Creating a More Functional Kitchen in Omaha

As an Omaha professional organizer, one of my favorite things is taking a kitchen that feels frustrating or cluttered and making it work better for the people who actually live there.

I love all things kitchen, but I’m especially passionate about creating efficient spaces.

Your kitchen doesn’t need to look like a showroom. It needs to work for you.

The right drawer organizers can make utensils easier to find. A plastic bag organizer can eliminate a messy drawer. A turntable can put your cooking essentials within reach. The right spice storage can make meal prep easier. And vertical storage or glide-outs can completely change the way you use your cabinets.

Those little improvements add up.

If your Omaha-area kitchen has plenty of stuff but not enough functional space, Smart Move Organizing can help you declutter, organize, and create kitchen systems designed around the way your family actually lives.

Learn more here.