This Storage Mistake Is Causing Duplicate Items To Appear All Over Your Kitchen

You probably know the feeling of rifling through a kitchen drawer, saying, "I know I saw it the other day!" and asking, "Where is it?" into the void. Powered by a sense of frustration and not wanting to look through every drawer, cabinet, or pantry space to find it, you'll make a trip to the store to pick up a replacement — only to find the original item the second you get home. However, duplicate kitchen items are a source of clutter, and it can be reduced with one simple tip: Keep items visible.  

While this rule can easily be applied to kitchen utensils and gadgets — which seem to grow legs and walk away every time that you need them — it can also be applied to pantry goods and food, too. That way, before you make a trek to the grocery store, you can survey your cabinets, make a list based on how much of each you have, and only buy what you need. It'll make your shopping trips more efficient and help you save money, too.

Making items in your kitchen more visible is easier than you may think. For one, you can decant your dry ingredients — after reading up on how to properly store them, of course — that way, you can see how much of each item you have. This will prevent you from overbuying and purchasing duplicate flours, pastas, and the like. Be sure to avoid common kitchen storage mistakes, like forgetting about expiration dates and using round containers instead of square ones, which are harder to stack.

You can also try the high-shelf kitchen trick by grouping all of your essentials into bins. All of your oils, vinegars, seasonings, handheld gadgets, and snacks will be in their own bin, so you know where they are at any given time and can grab them when you need them. Stored up high, this TikTok hack to make the most out of your kitchen space also means you won't forget about those necessities stored at the top of your cabinet — further reducing the chance of buying multiples.