Have you seen our new series, Kitchen Ambush? Our guess is you have!
We’ve gotten so much amazing feedback and requests for a new season. Thank you for all the amazing support! Since so many of you are big fans of the show, we thought we’d interview Tzipora Izsak for some of her best organizing advice, tips, and favorite products.
Stay tuned for some more amazing collaborations with Tzipora and Kosher.com in the coming months!
Kosherdotcom: How was your experience on Kitchen Ambush?
Tzipora Izsak: Working on Kitchen Ambush has been so exciting for me. I’m so honored that they picked me. Working with Chayitty was so fun! She’s such a great personality- she kept everything light and fun the entire time!
KDC: What was your favorite part about filming Kitchen Ambush?
TI: My favorite part was definitely showing the end result to the client and seeing their reactions. Knowing that we made such a difference for them is such an amazing feeling.
KDC: As an organizer, what’s your advice for those in really small spaces with tight budgets? (I.e. no extra funds for Oxo containers)
TI: You can be organized without spending a fortune! I like to think of being organized as a mindset. My advice would be to get rid of anything you don’t use. Constantly go through your stuff and get rid of things you see you’re not using. (All those extra cans of potato starch from Passover? Get rid of them!)
“Live with what you have and that’s enough!“ Let the grocery store be your storage place for things that you don’t have room for in your home.
A big piece of advice that I have for you is to have a proper place and system for everything in your home. When things fall out of place, it’s totally normal. Just keep revisiting your systems every couple of weeks, and you’ll see it will be much easier to maintain.
KDC: Is your house super organized?
TI: My house is organized because I’m an organizer! But I’m still human with little kids, and I try to stay sane with all the mess from family life. My house is not a museum, and I’m very mindful of that.
I have a system that works for me that I revisit every now and then just to put everything back together.
KDC: What are your recommendations for organizing small kitchens?
TI: I’m glad this was brought up because I got a lot of comments about calling the clients’ kitchen small on Kitchen Ambush! I think it’s important for people to know that when I come into a kitchen I’m not looking at square footage, or how big the island is or how many people can fit in the space at the same time. What I’m looking for is how many cabinets you have and how big your storage space is. Chayitty’s kitchen did not have a lot of storage space, so we really had to work hard to make everything fit.
Having said that, your kitchen’s size is not the determining factor for how organized it can be. Both large and small kitchens can be challenging to organize, whether you have a big kitchen where the food cabinets are too far from the cooking zones, or a small kitchen with a lack of space. Each situation is totally different.
KDC: Do you use the same method for all your clients/Do you have a method to organizing that can be applied to anyone?
TI: Every family and lifestyle is so unique. So when I organize for clients I take into account the family size, how long term or short term their living conditions are, their style of shopping, and so on. Each detail is taken into consideration, and each client gets a custom plan.
Having said that, what we like to do for every client is use labels for all bins and shelves. Labels act as a map for everyone in the house to follow (even housekeepers).
I also recommend keeping things in a category near where they are used. For example, spices should be close to the prep zone, while snacks should be easily accessible to grab and go.
KDC: What are the absolute must-haves when it comes to keeping your kitchen organized?
TI: Must-haves for the kitchen are 1. junk drawers and 2. cutlery drawers with inserts to keep things organized.
KDC: What space do you recommend tackling first in an entire house of cluttered spaces and closets?
TI: The kitchen! It’s the center and the heart of the home, so it’s a great place to start. After that, any priority areas should be tackled. It’s also really important to set up a system in the basement or storage area, because once you start organizing, you’re going to find that there are a lot of things that belong in storage anyway.
KDC: What’s your advice on keeping a space organized long-term?
TI: Once you have an organized system in place, go through and declutter every couple of weeks. Upkeep is always needed, but an organized system makes it so easy!
KDC: With summer approaching, what’s your advice for keeping all the summer gear organized? (Beach chairs, toys, water play, water shoes, sports equipment, etc.).
TI: Summer is my favorite season, and I love the outdoors! The number one tip I can give to you is to always have a designated spot by the front door and near the outdoors for all things summer that your family uses. Items like towels, bubbles, chalk, water bottles, sunscreen, etc. Make it easy for kids to grab and go by using just a simple shelf- no need to get fancy with this.
KDC: What are your must-have products for tackling organization?
TI: Below are links that I love!
Horizontal pot and lid organizer
Some exciting news! I am now offering a consultation service for people who want to organize themselves. I’ll meet with you about how, what, where, when to organize. I’ll send you step-by-step directions for how to organize, including links that I recommend for you.
Thank you so much, Tzipora, for such helpful tips! Let’s get organized!
I found this interview very informative! Just wondering: did Chayitty have any storage space underneath her island?
Yes, look at 0:41 in Confronting the Clutter, you’ll get a good idea of her under-island storage space.
At 9:41, 9:50, and 10:09 in the final episode you can see how we organized some of that space.