Under Sink Organization In The Kitchen
It's January - also known as home organization month. Are you busy cleaning
out closets, cabinets, and drawers? I know I am! Today I'm sharing one area
I've never really organized: under the kitchen sink.
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Under Sink Organization
I'm happy to say our kitchen sink storage has become much neater with just an
hour of work. But let me show you the messy under sink cabinet we started
with:
This is definitely not the prettiest picture. You'll notice how cramped,
dark, dirty, and disorganized this cabinet is looking.
One of the reasons this space looks so small is that we have a 1-1/2 bowl
kitchen sink. Previous owners had attached a garburator to the 1/2 sink
which we took out. It would have a constant smell that we couldn't get rid
of and I'm just not fond of garburators in the first place. That left us
with low-hanging plumbing that basically renders the back third of this
cabinet unusable space.
- a wall-mounted fire extinguisher which I learned was under a recall. We recently replaced it with an awesome fire extinguisher spray that is stored in a different (more easily accessible) cabinet so this extinguisher can go
- everyday cleaning supplies to wipe down counters and the stovetop
- other cleaning products for scrubbing the kitchen sink, cleaning the oven, cleaning windows and the stainless steel appliances
- insect spray, plant mister, plant fertilizer
- cleaning cloths, rubber gloves, dustpan, and scrub brushes
- dishwasher tablets
- kitchen garbage bags
- compost bin
- air freshener
- plastic grocery bags. We weren't able to use our reusable grocery bags because of Covid so sadly this pile of plastic has grown. The bags are quickly outgrowing this holder (and I hate to throw them away when they can be reused) so I'll store them somewhere else.
How To Organize Under The Kitchen Sink
How should you tackle a space like this? I like my cabinets to be
efficient, pretty, and minimal. There's nothing worse than filling a
small space with organizational solutions yet the cabinet still feels
overstuffed and cluttered. The best spaces are edited
and efficient.
1. Clear out and clean the cabinet
How to Deep Clean A Kitchen Cabinet:
- Move everything out and away from the cabinet. Give yourself space to move.
- Use a vacuum to pick up crumbs, dirt, and dust. Vacuum both the floor and sides of the cabinet.
- Detach any removable elements. In this case, I removed the fire extinguisher and plastic bag holder.
- Fill a spray bottle with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Spray and wipe everything down with a soft cloth.
- Scrape away hard dirt with a heavy duty sponge
- Use a disinfectant cleaner to remove any remaining grease, food spills, or grime.
- Use Behr Swipes to get your cabinet interior and exterior looking bright and new
The bottom of our kitchen sink cabinet is lined with a metallic liner.
It's in good shape, is wipeable, and seems resistant to water so I've
kept it. Alternatively, you can line your cabinet with a
plastic under sink mat
or
waterproof shelf liner.
Just make sure you don't leave the cabinet bottom bare. Many cabinet
interiors are made of particleboard and are susceptible to water
damage so add a protective layer, especially under the sink!
2. Assess and Edit
Whittle down your items to only those that absolutely need to be kept in
the kitchen. If you have room elsewhere in the kitchen for seldom used
items, take this opportunity to move them. If you don't use a product,
toss it. If an item is worn and ineffective, replace it with something
newer that does the job.
I moved our bulk cleaning liquids to our basement storage, brought
garden supplies and rags to the garage, and put general household
cleaning sprays under the bathroom sink where there was more room.
3. Select Your Storage Containers
There are many types of under kitchen sink organizers. The type you
should use depends on how much space you have and how many items you
need to store. You might be tempted to just pick up a variety of
containers at the dollar store or on Amazon, but a little planning can
get every inch of your cabinet space working hard.
Whether you DIY using baskets or containers or buy a ready-made
solution, here's a few kitchen storage ideas to consider:
- Cabinet Door Storage: You can use door mounted or over-the-door hanging baskets to hold sponges, spray bottles, brushes, or some of your dish cleaning supplies for easy access.
- 2 Tiered Shelf Organizers: An under sink expandable shelf organizer or rack like this one will make the most use of the vertical space in your cabinet and double your storage capacity. The panels are re-positionable allowing you to work around awkward plumbing pipes.
- Tension rods: A tension rod can be installed horizontally between the side panels as in this cabinet. Use the rod to hold spray bottles or rest wet cloths, and keep floor space clean.
- Pull-out Organizer: Do you find that your supplies are always getting lost at the back of your cabinets? Or maybe you hate having to bend down and dig around looking for things? A pull-out organizer can make your kitchen cabinet more efficient and tidy. The sliding shelf allows you to utilize the full height of the sides of your cabinet, typically 'dead space' around the sink and plumbing.
- Sliding Basket Organizers: Standalone tiered organizers with slide-out baskets or drawers can be very effective in small spaces. The drawers allow you to separate and organize smaller items. These units come with multiple drawers and can be stacked, ensuring you find one suited to the size of your cabinet.
- Self-adhesive hooks: Self-adhesive hooks are a damage-free way to use up the space on your cabinet door or walls. Use them to hold lightweight items like dish cloths or rubber gloves.
4. Install and Organize
Knowing that our compost bin had to stay, here's the kitchen sink storage
I decided on:
I consciously chose not to add more storage on the door or fill the
space with organizers. The more drawers and hooks you have to fill, the
more you'll find things to store! These organizers are more than enough
to satisfy my needs.
You might not have noticed it in the Before photo (it's on the far
left), but I already had this metal basket under the sink.
I like its long, narrow shape and how you can easily carry it wherever
you need it. I've put the cleaning supplies we use less often in here.
The scrub brush and rubber gloves rest on the handle. The set
comes with two smaller baskets which I've used similarly in our
bathrooms.
The
2 tier sliding basket organizer
is perfect in this space. I didn't have room for the
3-tier version, but this small storage rack is ideal for our needs. I've placed our
dishwasher tablets on top, garbage bags in the top drawer, and sponges
and cloths in the bottom drawer.
The perforated metal design allows your supplies to breathe and dry.
It's affordable, sturdy and stable, and the drawers slide easily. I'm
very pleased with it and wondering where else in the house I can use
one!
I hope you've enjoyed this very extensive look at my under sink
organization. It's still not the prettiest picture but it's clean, neat,
and should stay that way for a long time. Now I can move on to
organizing my fridge
and the 32 other cabinets in this kitchen ;)
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