In the typical kitchen, most lifting involves taking out or putting away items kept in cabinets. Common sense suggests that we should store all items as close as possible to the place they’ll be used. Weight is rarely a consideration, but it should be. When you lift a 10-pound item with your arms fully extended, there is a chance of losing control over the weight and letting it fall. To avoid this, arrange your storage so the heaviest items are kept between hip and shoulder height, where they can be reached with the arms bent. This is also the range where the arm has the most leverage and experiences the least amount of stress.

Store medium-weight items just above or below the heaviest ones, but never higher than eye level or below the knees. The lightest items, such as cereal boxes, should go in what many people would consider the least-accessible cabinets—those above the head or below the knee. Out of the way? Maybe. But a falling cereal box won’t break your toe.

An added benefit to arranging cupboards this way is that children can reach what they need easily and safely. Dishes and flatware stored in drawers below the countertop are at a perfect height for the children to reach and take to the table.