When you are in the middle of moving, cooking may be the last thing on your mind. However, unpacking your pots, pans, utensils, and dishes is an excellent time to rearrange your kitchen and make it more efficient. As Cheap Movers Atlanta (www.cheapmoversatlanta.com) points out, moving can be an excellent time to organize your kitchen in a way that will help you save time while cooking. As professional movers, CMA often helps clients with their packing and unpacking, which means helping customers get their new kitchens organized at the end of the move. Based upon their experience and these tested tips from experienced chefs who spend hours cooking each day, Cheap Movers Atlanta put together some advice for maximizing your kitchen organization:

1. Store Items Where You’ll Use Them

Matt Sporer, a top chef from New York City, says that the absolutely most important thing to do when organizing your kitchen is put items in a cabinet or drawer near the space where you will need the items. For example, place saucepans near your stove and put storage containers for leftovers in a cabinet next to your fridge. This will keep you from having to walk all around the kitchen as you complete tasks.

2. Install a Pot or Utensil Rack

If you have empty wall space above your cooktop, take advantage of it by installing a rack where you can hang cooking utensils, pots, and pans. It will be easier to find an individual item when it is hung up neatly at eye level instead of being jammed in a cabinet, and then you can use closed storage for other items.

3. Organize Drawers and Cabinets by Function

To avoid having to dig around and hunt for things, try to store related items together. Since you probably grouped your kitchen tools into categories before packing, this is the perfect time to create the well-organized kitchen of your dreams. Instead of digging through a cabinet jammed with crystal ware, rolling pins, and saucepans, organize each cabinet or shelf so that all items for baking, food preparation, or serving are all together.

4. Use Coordinated, Labeled Containers

If you are low on cabinet space, do not be afraid to store some of your pantry items on your counter. This tip can be a great way to keep commonly used items within reach at all times even if you could store them in drawers or cabinets. To keep it from looking messy, use simple glass or metal containers that are each precisely labeled.

5. Invest in Organizational Tools

According to Martha Stewart, utensil trays, pot lid organizers, and spice racks are all extremely useful when you are trying to organize your kitchen. Most modern kitchens just have shelves and drawers that do not easily work with all of the small items and unusually shaped objects found in most kitchens. When everything in your kitchen has a specific place that allows you to easily locate it, you will have a truly organized kitchen.