Kitchen cabinets tend to become the default storage spot for anything remotely related to cooking, cleaning, or eating. But just because something fits inside a cabinet doesn’t mean that’s the best place to keep it.
Heat, moisture, pests, and limited space can make kitchen cabinets a poor storage choice for certain foods and household items. Others simply take up valuable space that would be better reserved for the things you actually use to cook and serve meals.
Bread, Pastries, and Baked Goods
Bread, muffins, rolls, and pastries can go stale or develop mold faster when they’re kept in warm, humid cabinets, especially those near the stove or dishwasher. Keep baked goods in an airtight container away from heat for short-term storage, or freeze anything you won’t eat soon.
Cooking Oils Near Heat Sources
Don’t keep cooking oils in cabinets above or beside the stove, oven, or other appliances that regularly produce heat. Heat can affect their flavor and quality, so choose a cool, dark location away from your main cooking area instead.
Bulk Flour, Rice, Sugar, and Grains
Large opened bags of flour, rice, oats, cereal, and other dry goods aren’t well protected from spills or pantry pests when left in their original packaging. Transfer them into tightly sealed containers and label them so you can easily use older ingredients first.
Spices and Dried Herbs Above the Stove
The cabinet above the stove might seem like the most convenient place for spices, but repeated exposure to heat and steam can affect their flavor and texture. A cool drawer, pantry shelf, or spice rack away from the stove will keep seasonings in better condition.
Cleaning Supplies Near Food
Bleach, oven cleaner, disinfectants, dishwasher detergent, and other cleaning products shouldn’t share cabinet space with food, cookware, dishes, or utensils. Give household chemicals their own clearly separated storage area and keep them in their original labeled containers.
Pesticides and Pest Control Products
Roach spray, mouse poison, ant bait, pesticides, and similar products have no place alongside the things you use to prepare and serve food. Store these products completely outside your food-storage areas and follow the storage instructions provided on their labels.
Flammable Products
Lighter fluid, fuel canisters, paint thinner, fire starters, and other flammable products shouldn’t be stored in a kitchen surrounded by burners, appliances, and other potential heat sources. Store these products in an appropriate area away from the home’s cooking and living spaces.
Medicines, Vitamins, and Supplements
The kitchen isn’t always the best place for medications and supplements because heat, moisture, and steam can affect certain products. Unless the label specifies otherwise, keep them in their original containers in a cool, dry, secure location away from children.
Paper Towels, Napkins, and Cookbooks
Paper towels, napkins, recipe cards, and cookbooks can absorb moisture when they’re stored in cabinets near the sink, stove, or dishwasher. Keep them in a dry pantry, shelf, or cabinet away from steam and splashes to prevent musty smells, warped pages, and other moisture damage.
Small Electronics and Battery-Powered Gadgets
Kitchen scales, thermometers, timers, frothers, spare batteries, and other small electronics shouldn’t be tucked into cabinets where leaks or steam could reach them. A dry drawer or cupboard away from plumbing and heat provides a safer and more organized place for these gadgets.
Reusable Bags and Oversized Extras
Reusable shopping bags, lunch bags, extra containers, and rarely used serving pieces can quickly consume valuable cabinet space. Keep only the ones you regularly use in the kitchen and move the extras to a closet, entryway, pantry, or another secondary storage area.
Heavy and Bulky Appliances
Stand mixers, slow cookers, air fryers, pressure cookers, and other heavy appliances can be difficult and potentially unsafe to lift down from high cabinets. Store bulky appliances in lower cabinets, deep drawers, sturdy pantry shelves, or another spot where you can comfortably reach them with both hands.
