Kitchen Storage Mistakes to Avoid While Remodeling

Kitchen Storage Mistakes to Avoid While Remodeling

As the workhorse of your home, your kitchen bears a significant amount of responsibility. Unfortunately, it also means that there is a lot of scope for making some common kitchen remodel mistakes, specifically kitchen storage mistakes.

After all, owing to their daily use frequency, items like utensils and cookware are quite challenging to store efficiently. 

Kitchenware is generally quite durable and resistant to mechanical stress. However, improper storage can result in damage aside from the wastage of precious space. Thus, you need to know as much as you can about the common kitchen storage mistakes people make during their kitchen remodel.

Leaving Unused Space

One of the most typical kitchen storage mistakes made by people is leaving unused space in the kitchen layout. You should try to utilize every bit of space in your kitchen for something productive. 

For instance, you can put up your microwave oven in the area over the refrigerator. You can store utensils and food items in kitchen cabinets.

Similarly, you can install add-on shelves in accessible areas, such as the back of large cupboards while remodeling your kitchen. With some innovation, you can utilize countertops as a storage area as well. If you have a sufficiently big working station, you can install small drawers and shelves on it. You can then use them to store kitchen knives and cutlery.

The Lack of a Kitchen Pantry

It is generally necessary to keep a good stock of ingredients and food products in the kitchen. However, storing them properly can become a challenging issue. The solution for this is to add a pantry space while remodeling your kitchen.

In this regard, one of the biggest kitchen storage mistakes is not to utilize blind corners. Since these areas are generally significant, you can use them to put up storage shelves. You can then use them to organize your food products properly.

You could also try to keep aside some kitchen cabinets solely for stocking. Keep your pantry space well-organized by adding trays and shelves. If you have sufficient space, you can try building a separate room for your pantry as well.

Insufficient Kitchen Cabinets

Skimping on kitchen cabinets is one of the worst kitchen storage mistakes made by people. The right kind of cabinets can provide ample storage space even if your kitchen is limited in terms of size. Apart from this, cabinets play an essential role in enhancing the aesthetics of your kitchen.

Cabinets with a more extended upper unit can make your kitchen look much bigger than it is. You should also try to make fair use of wall spaces. By laying cabinets into the wall, you will get more working space. You can also add an appealing décor element in the form of a wall-mounted or inbuilt crockery cabinet.

Ignoring Blind Corner Cabinets

When it comes to kitchen remodeling, blind corners are known as the Bermuda triangle of a kitchen. It is a bizarrely shaped corner space produced at the junction of the frames of two adjoining rows of kitchen cabinets. It is usually used to store items that are not used frequently.

Thus, you have a sizeable underutilized area of your kitchen that you can use for efficient storage. You can utilize these blind corners well by installing pull-out shelves. 

Depending on the size and layout of the kitchen, you can aptly customize these shelves during your kitchen remodel. After that, you can use them to store kitchen towels, utensils, ingredients, and other items.

Kitchen Organization Mistakes and Tips

Kitchen storage is much more than the structural changes while remodeling your kitchen. Once you’ve avoided these mistakes, you should also avoid some common kitchen organizational mistakes that will make your daily workflow much more efficient.

1. Not Utilizing Loft Cabinets

In modern kitchens, loft cabinets are placed just under the roof of the kitchen. Not utilizing the space over the existing cabinets’ frame is one of the biggest kitchen storage mistakes people make. Loft units tend to have massive areas, and you can use them to store many items.

Loft units are an excellent kitchen storage option. Due to their adequate depth and height, they are great for storing appliances. That said, you need to remember that it can be challenging to access loft units at times. For that purpose, you should try to keep a stool or little ladder handy in your kitchen.

2. Stacking Metallic Items Together

Nesting cast iron cookware near inside cabinets is among the most common and potentially disastrous kitchen storage mistakes made by homeowners. 

No matter how neat the arrangement is, metal-on-metal can result in the finish on the cast iron getting damage. As a result, it will get worn out rather quickly over time.

To avoid this, you should keep a clean paper towel in between each layer. Apart from protecting the metallic surface, it will also absorb extra moisture inside the cabinet. As a result, your cookware will be protected from rusting.

3. Storing Kitchen Knives Improperly

Many people simply drop their kitchen knives into a utensil drawer. It is one of the most dangerous kitchen storage mistakes one can make. While sticking your hand into the drawer, you can cut your hand on the haphazard pile of knife blades within.

Apart from that, it is harmful to your knives as well. If their blade touches anything that is not food, such as another knife’s handle or blade, it will damage it. To avoid this, you should arrange them properly along a magnetic strip.

4. Piling up Cookie Sheets

Stacking up cookie sheets in an unruly pile is a practice you should try to avoid. It is recommended that you store them in a vertical position rather than a horizontal. 

For that purpose, you can use a file folder-style divider or put them upright using tension rods. You can try a DIY drawer for them as well.

5. Forgetting About Spices

Decanting spices into matching jars is a popular misconception. Professional organizers discourage this practice because it occasionally leads to double storage. 

As a result, it could be difficult for you to find the spice you require. Consequently, it is much better to organize spices by the frequency of their use.

6. Putting Wine Glasses Rim-Side Down

The rim is the most fragile part of a wine glass. Some people tend to store them rim-side down, as they are afraid of dust settling in there. 

However, that could potentially lead to them getting damaged. Thus, you should try to store glasses on their toughest part – the base or the stem.