If your family is like most, the kitchen is the heart of the home. This is really evident in home construction and renovations over the last 10 years, designing kitchens that open up to dining areas and family rooms. However, for all its prominence in the family, it is often one of the most disorganized rooms in the home. The constant flow of traffic and home management that takes place here only adds to the chaos. So what can you do?

Start with a plan first (this is the underlying theme of all my articles, so now you know the secret to productive organization!) When you think about it, the kitchen usually has four or five zones: food preparation, cooking, cleaning, food storage and household management. Food preparation takes place on a countertop and/or island, so it will be the best place to store knives, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and anything else related to preparing a meal. To cook you will need utensils, pots and pans, baking dishes and a toaster. This area should definitely be next to the stove, and if you’re lucky, your microwave will be conveniently housed above it. Cleaning, of course, will be located under the sink and next to the dishwasher. Here you will keep all your cleaners and sponges. If you have small children in the house, a child safety lock on this cabinet is a MUST! And finally, food storage, located near the refrigerator, will need space not only for food, but also for wrappers and plastic storage items.

The home management zone is probably the area that seems to take up the entire room and sometimes even seeps into the dining room. Paper is everywhere, but you can never seem to find the part you need when you need it. And if he does, he’s splattered with spaghetti sauce. The key to this area is to make sure that the only paper kept in the kitchen is “active” paper; things to act on. The paper you need to store should be immediately removed and given a new home (perhaps a home office). How active paper is stored is a matter of personal preference, but generally people choose categorically (pending folders such as “bills to pay”, “calls to be made”, etc.) or periodically (reminder folders based on a Perpetual calendar). You’ll also need space for basic office supplies and postal supplies.

Depending on the size of your family and home, the kitchen may also need to double as a homework and craft area. If that’s the case, then be sure to create space for these things as well. A good solution for materials your children may need access to is a small bin or two in the back of a closet.

The kitchen can easily take a whole day to organize, but if the idea is too overwhelming, then break it down into smaller tasks. Maybe start with the infamous junk drawer one day and move on to the closets the next. As you sort through the various things in your kitchen, be sure to put them in piles of similar items. You’ll quickly be able to see where you have too much of an item, and therefore it’s easy for you to start disposing of things (purging, the hardest part of any organization project!)

Eliminate items you no longer need or foods that now qualify as a science experiment. To help you with this effort, please make sure you always have a container for items to be donated. Sometimes you don’t feel too bad about getting rid of that “chat” kitchen you never used, but paid good money for, if you know someone else will. Empty the trash frequently so that a full bin doesn’t become an excuse to put away something you don’t really use or need.

When the dust settles (or better yet, cleans up) and you’re ready to get your kitchen in order, be sure to make an investment in storage paraphernalia. Just like a carpenter, the right tools make all the difference. Lazy Susan trays (or rotating trays) will help you maximize space even in the deepest corner. Widening the tiered shelves will ensure that tomato paste doesn’t get lost in the back of the pantry. Drawer-style pot and lid organizers will make kneeling to find your pan a thing of the past. And pull-out shelves, under-shelf baskets, and hanging storage organizers let you make the most of even the smallest space.

So if your kitchen is the heart of your home, do yourself a favor and reduce the “clutter” so you can enjoy a long and healthy life.