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The kitchen is one of the most difficult areas of the house to get organized, perhaps in part because so much of your kitchen is one form of storage or another. Between your pantry, your cabinets, and your drawers, there are a lot of different areas that you need to get in order. Here are some simple steps you can take to make organizing your kitchen a more manageable task from top to bottom.

1. Clear off some space on your counter.

One great way to get started is by taking everything that is currently on your kitchen counter and table and clearing it off. Find a corner to put everything in for the time being. Why? You want to have some surfaces to put everything on that is currently inside your cabinets so that you can get them wiped down.

2. Do one type of storage at a time.

If you try to do cabinets and drawers at the same time, you are more likely to get disorganized and confused in the process. The best way to organize your kitchen cabinets is by doing them all first, followed by all your kitchen drawers. Once you have done both drawers and cabinets, you can move on to organizing your kitchen pantry (you may want to set aside a separate day for that chore). Steps 3-5 should be done separately for each of these areas in your kitchen.

3. Wipe down or vacuum all shelves.

Before you put everything back in your cabinets and drawers, wipe them down and vacuum out debris. You may want to give everything a quick spray-down for mold. Baking soda is great for getting rid of odors. Allow everything to dry thoroughly so that you do not introduce new mold and mildew into cabinets and drawers. Don’t skip this step even if you live in a dry climate; you will probably be surprised at how much mold you find even in a dry house!

4. Donate or throw away what you don’t need.

Now it’s time to de-clutter. If you have utensils, cooking implements, or food you do not need, consider taking them to your local food pantry or thrift store (checking the dates on all food items first of course). Throw away anything you can’t donate and do not need.

5. Put everything back in an organized fashion.

Now it’s time to put everything back inside your cabinets, drawers, and pantry. Stock up on plastic food containers for dry goods and spices, and label them clearly so that everyone can immediately see what is what. Small plastic bins that are open on top are ideal for utensils in drawers, and can help protect the wood from moisture after you pull your utensils out of the washer.

Efficiently organizing your kitchen or any other space in your home is all a question of taking a huge chore and breaking it down into a number of smaller chores. The more organized your actual cleaning process is, the more organized the result will be, and the faster you will achieve it!