Storage tips for a small kitchen

If you feel like you're running out of space, you're not alone. Things can get hectic in the kitchen, and that's why we often find appliances and utensils strewn here and there without any rhyme or reason. Keep these kitchen organizing tips in mind so everything falls into place.

If your kitchen storage space is sparse, store items in containers you rarely use. One neglected container is the picnic cooler that sees use only in the warm months. Likewise, that stockpot in the back of the cabinet could hold napkins and other items bought in quantity at your local warehouse store.

Many of us have lots of plastic containers and we all know how frustrating it can be to match them to their lids. A simple solution? Label both container and lid with a number. It's much easier to match a two with a two or a five with a five than repeatedly trying lids on for size.

Are you a natural-born hoarder with no place to store all those brown paper bags you've brought home from the supermarket?  Clamp them together with an old pants hanger and hang them from a hook on the pantry or mudroom door.

Empty thermoses tucked away in cabinets tend to take on a sour smell, but you can guard against odours after washing and drying a just-used thermos: drop a few denture cleaning tablets into the thermos and fill it with water. Let it sit for an hour or so, then wash, rinse and dry. Put a teaspoon of sugar in the thermos and screw the lid on tightly. The sugar will absorb unwanted odours.