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Housekeeping

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NEED to get my kitchen sorted - can anybody help?

16 replies

soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 13:55

We live in a rented house so can't do a lot. It is a stupid design that has not maximised the space at all. It looks such a mess though and I am so fed up with it! I can't find anything when I need it, there is clutter everywhere and there is just no space!

We have also found out that we have mice (although as far as I know, they are not in the kitchen but will find that out when I clean out the cupboards).

Let me descibe our kitchen:
We have one double cupboard under the sink, obviously with the sink in, and another double opposite, then above that we have one double top cupboard. We have since moving here 2 years ago added 2 shelves which run alongside the top cupboard, which are about the same size. We will probably get in trouble for that but besides having food kept on the floor, we didn't have much choice. We also do have a little cupboardy thing under the cooker which we use for baking trays etc but everything ends up covered in greese from the cooker??

The shelves are dangerously full and I am dreading something falling on my DD or something, the cupboards are overflowing and the sides are covered in clutter. But we seem to need pretty much everything!

We have got to store:
Sterlizer, cutlery, plates, bowls etc, food, glasses, mugs, cooking equipment, baby bottles, toddler bowls, cleaning stuff etc. And tonnes more but can't list everything!

What do you suggest we do? We need to do something about it but I don't know what. There isn't even any space to empty everything out and repack it all!

I bought yesterday from tesco those storage tubs with the poor out lids for stuff like cereal, pasta etc that should hopefully make the shelves look more tidy than having packets and boxes - and hopefully save a bit of space.

I just don't know where to start! I really want to have cleaning stuff and medicines up high out of reach but the cupboard isn't tall enough to accomodate the bottles of cleaning stuff, and I don't know where else to keep the glasses etc?

PLEASE HELP ME!

OP posts:
soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 13:56

Oh and also have george forman, bread maker, kettle, slow cooker, steamer etc all taking up major space too!

OP posts:
CoffeeCrazedMama · 06/03/2009 13:59

First priority with mice is tupperware-style storage. In addition to being unbreachable by mice, if you get square shaped ones they stack a lot more space-efficiently. (Aim to by from same 'range') Woollies used to have great cheap ones

Secondly, do you have an understairs or hall cupboard - very useful for overflow storage. Identify what you don't use several times a day. Good for tins too - I bulk buy tinned tomatoes from Lidl as I don't go there often and I cook a lot of pasta sauces so store them in the understairs. It often helps with an inadequate kitchen (and I've been there) to think outside the box, storage wise.

soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 14:21

Yes as I said I bought tupperware type things yesterday so that is my task today.

We are using the cupboard under the stairs but again that is overflowing (litterally poors out when you open the door ). We need a bigger house really but can't afford that!

Off topic, but can I ask how much tinned toms are in lidl? The prices have gone up a lot in the supermarket for tinned toms and I use them a lot too.

Bulk buying is our problem too though to a certain extent, which is why I have been thinking about not renewing my costco card. But some things work out so much cheaper its hard to know what is best.

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claireybeemine · 06/03/2009 14:24

These are great for maximising cupboard space

Can you hang mugs from underneath the shelf? Either by screwing hooks directly into it or by attaching a pole and using s hooks. Or like this inside the cupboard.

Our old kitchen was tiny and everything used to be in front of and on top of each other in the cupboards. One thing I did was put all my spice jars etc into an old ice cream tub so that I could easily just lift the whole lot down to get to the stuff behind them. I did the same with the baby cups/bottles so I could just lift the whole lot out and get to the plates behind them.

Stackable storage helped too.

Can you put the cleaning stuff/washing powders etc under the sink? You can get cupboard locks that don't need to be screwed in if your landlord is picky about it but I've generally found they don't say no if you ask to install safety things like that. If you got a small set of plastic drawers or similar that could store the cloths etc under there too.

soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 14:31

Hmmm. I have a small set of plastic draws upstairs in DDs room that wouldn't be misssed that much - didn't think of that.

Cleaning stuff needs to be up high. I do have cupboard locks but I am a registered childminder and Ofsted weren't happy with that arrangment .

Love the mug stacker. Although do you think it would be safe enough with toddlers crawling round on the floor? Worrying one might get knocked off or something as there is nothing underneath the shelves except the bins etc?

Will bring down plastic draws when DD wakes up. I have started putting stuff in tupperware now and am just using storage crates on the floor to put stuff in for now, so I can take everything off the shelves and give it a good clean and put back tidy.

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TheDevilWearsPrimark · 06/03/2009 14:35

I'm sorry but I am weeping with laughter at the amazon link.

customers who bought related items also bought 'gentlemans ball scratcher'

How is that related to a plate stacker?

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 06/03/2009 14:37

can you buy one of those racks to go over your hob for strong pans and utensils? it will need to be screwed in but you could easily polyfilla it up if it causes a problem when you leave.

Also cleaning products, can you put them elsewhere? I have a high shelf in the kitchen where I keep mine.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 06/03/2009 14:40

can you buy one of those racks to go over your hob for strong pans and utensils? it will need to be screwed in but you could easily polyfilla it up if it causes a problem when you leave.

Also cleaning products, can you put them elsewhere? I have a high shelf in the kitchen where I keep mine.

claireybeemine · 06/03/2009 14:43

LOL TDWP I didn't see that

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 06/03/2009 14:45

and a salsa dvd. must have an interesting life... haha

claireybeemine · 06/03/2009 14:48

RE the mug thing, I have a fairly flimsy one and nothing has ever fallen off it. I have another one in the cupboard with all the kids stuff in and it is very attractive to ds-he likes to pull everything off it. So not ideal if the toddlers can reach it but otherwise ok.

soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 15:03

Thanks everybody, I am working on it now. Although DD has just woken up now so looks like I am not going to get as much done now till tonight - god help me trying to cook in here now - have emptied a lot of it so sides are piled up, stuff on the floor etc! No room to even move! I have made a start though and no going back now!

OP posts:
CoffeeCrazedMama · 06/03/2009 15:42

S2BF4 - Lidl tinned tomatoes about 36 p a tin, as opposed to 65p at Waitrose. Every bit as good, too.

soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 15:46

Oh ok. They are 33p in tesco so I won't worry about it! Thought if they were cheap in lidl it might be worth a trip. Thanks for that though.

OP posts:
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 06/03/2009 15:53

The lidl ones are far better quality , they really are.

soon2befamilyof4 · 06/03/2009 18:14

Really? I thought tinned tomatoes were just all the same? Is it worth a special trip? We use 1-2tins a week?

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