General Chat

The wall units have to be hung high enough so as to not reduce counter space. So upper shelves are out of reach for shorter people who don't want risk using a step.
The floor cupboards are deep and necessitate kneeling on the floor - then there's the getting up again issue :-(
Tall partner put things on the top of the wall cupboards with ease with feet on the ground. Then I had the hassle of moving all those things :-| - with help of a friend.
I'm currently trying to make this kitchen work for me without spending money.

Does anyone else identify with this?
or have clever ideas to offer?

Island

I can identify with this but I don’t ’t have a galley kitchen so can’t help I’m afraid.

Von,
That's ok, I'm just rambling as I'm alone, depressed and just trying to make some contact with any form of life.
I might just delete and pull the plug.
:-|

For the floor cupboards, find some plastic tubs that fit neatly in the space on the shelves. Stack the contents inside the tubs, then pull each tub out to get to the contents.
I also have these in my top cupboards with plastic or other lightweight stuff in, but my cupboards are quite deep too.

Also might be worth getting something safe to stand on, even a small box might make a difference.

Thanks grannyfanny but with me there is no such thing as something safe to stand on, even my own feet can be risky :-0

I don't have a galley kitchen, although I had one in an apartment when I was much younger.

I now have an open kitchenette along one wall of the living area in my Accessible Living suite. The top shelves of the upper cupboards are all but out of my reach, especially for things a little further back, and I have a couple of lower cupboards and one set of drawers plus one other low drawer that I can barely reach down to. I lost height over the last few years, so am having problems! Here are some suggestions from both my kitchen until last year and what I'm doing here.

grannyfanny's suggestion of getting plastic boxes (with at least the lids being clear plastic) for the lower cupboards that you can just pull out and see what is in there is a good one.

You might want to check online for kitchen essentials ............ it might be possible to get some shelving that will moves and come out. We had a system for a lower corner cupboard, and another type for one where the "door" would have been mainly next to the stove, with less than a foot to open (bad original 1940s kitchen design and nowhere else that the stove could be moved to). That shelving went in and then swung sideways to slide down the inaccessible portion.

I can't advise anything for the upper cupboards ..... I have a 2 step ladder to reach the upper shelves of those because I have lost height ............... remember that is a possibility for anyone as we age :-(

The 2 step ladder is a larger one that has a broad bottom step and the "handle" part extends high enough to provide a safe old or even lean.

I also have a "picker-upper" so I can pick up things from the floor without bending, and the instructions say that the grip is firm enough to take a glass down from an upper shelf. I have never tried that! But I see no reason why I couldn't use it to get down unbreakable items such as boxes (cereals, spaghetti, etc) or tins from an upper shelf so long as there was space left around them.

I don't have a galley kitchen My kitchen has quite a bit of floor space. But that doesn't help me with the tall wall cupboards or deep lower cupboards.
I do have a corner cupboard with a turntable affair which is stacked with crockery. I am sometimes quite surprised to find what I have in that one when I activate the turntable as most of the things in general use are at the front. cleaning under the turntable itself is a real problem.
I also have deep floor cupboards with things stored at the back that I are never used and should probably be disposed of.
I still have things on the top of my wall cupboards , they have to wait up there until the very infrequent visitd of tall son in law or son. Mostly I just ignore them.

I too am sometimes guilty of looking for something to talk about on here Island, just for contact with anybody. :-( <3

Thanks Sylvia. I have lost 17' in height over 3 years. 5'2 struggling with the 'puttings' of a 6'5 is not easy. I won't use steps as I have balance issues. This morning just cleaning my teeth was difficult as RA is kicking off in my wrists.
Shoot me now I think.

Ann, never feel guilty of looking for contact with others. Too many people are unfriendly. You know about my family members who treat me like a leper. I'm more shocked by her as I thought women reached out more so than men.
TBH I don't think GR is the place for friendship. The soul fell out of it years ago. Chat was once vibrant, members met up, phone numbers offered.

Actually, I'm just going to shove all the surplus stuff into the backs of the cupboards and have the few bits I use to the front. I can also pack things I don't use into the top shelves of the wall cupboards. Sorted. Now where's the ibuprofen.....

I have had shoulder, neck and arm ache for quite a while now, Ibrofen gell does help. I am thinking it is likely to be arthritis of some sort. The ache is actually bearable or I suppose I would try and get a doctors appointment.

I made a list this morning on which is a nudge to clear at least one cupboard and one drawer in the kitchen. so far I have sorted the slow cooker with tonight's meal and made some carrot, parsnip and cauliflower soup. Oh and walked down the garden with veg peelings for the almost full compost bin.

Genes is not what it was but does still give me a chance to chat with a few people. It was when facebook became available that we lost a lot of people from Genes. However, sometimes in those far off days, Genes was an uncomfortable place to be there was a lot of nastiness.

It is always good on FB when a post crops up that is full of remarks from ex Genes members.

You put me to shame Ann :-)

My aches and pains are due to autoimmune (RA) and often bilateral.
Stress is a trigger and I've had too much of that in the last few months.

I would not begin to think I could compare my achy shoulder etc with the real pain that you obviously suffer. And sorry too that you have had a lot of stress. Maybe if we ever get to have some decent spring weather some gentle pottering in the garden will help the stress.

For your bottom cupboards you can buy pull out trays . They fit to the side of the cupboard and you pull them out so you can get to things easily
The link is for B&Q


2Pcs Metal Sliding Kitchen Cabinet Pull Out Wire Basket Cupboard Drawer Organizer W 600mm £55. There are lots of different options on the website

https://www.diy.com/departments/2pcs-metal-sliding-kitchen-cabinet-pull-out-wire-basket-cupboard-drawer-organizer-w-600mm/0735940228282_BQ.prd

I have a tall larder unit in my new kitchen and instead of having shelves, I have lots of these. I have them spaced differently so some take tins and some are big enough for cereal packets.

For the top cupboards, you can also buy metal inserts which have a rod which you pull down and the shelves then move forward and swing down low so they are at a better level. All of the kitchen companies supply them