Even the most organized folks seem to struggle with under-the-sink clutter. Those cabinets are often dark, small and crowded by pipes and the disposal.

 

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Even so, under-the-sink cabinets provide much needed storage. It’s too much of a sacrifice to not make use of the space when every inch counts. I’ve noticed it isn’t just older, smaller homes that beg for kitchen storage space but also new ones. Newer homes, planned with an open-concept design, may lose whole banks of upper cabinets to get that open feel. A new kitchen may be modern and cool but may lack the storage of an older home.

 

Despite the disadvantages of the space, you can make good use of under-sink storage. Here are some hints to help you out:

• Line your cabinet floor with white, easy-to-wipe paper or even paint it white with kitchen paint. Using white helps to banish the dark corners.

• Sort your cleaning products into two types. Those would be the ones used in the kitchen and ones used elsewhere. Part of the solution to making under-the-sink storage really work is to remove clutter. Take the items used in other places and remove them from under-the-sink. Create a cleaning supply area elsewhere in the house such as the garage, laundry room, broom closet or other convenient location besides your kitchen sink. Please note this is a good time to make sure all chemicals, no matter where you store them, are safely locked away from children and pets.

• Store kitchen cleaning supplies on a rimmed tray. You can easily slide out the tray to find what you need. A 9 x 13-inch tray can easily hold dishwasher detergent, dishwashing soap, range cleaner, countertop cleaner and more.

• If your space allows, you can add a large, 18-inch or bigger turntable to hold bottles and boxes of products instead of the tray. Make sure the turntable has a lip so that items stay on when the table spins, and an easy-to-wipe surface as dish soap tends to spill and be sticky.

• Add a small basket to the back of the cabinet that holds rarely used, but important items, such as silver polish or goo remover.

• Recycle a small plastic tub to hold steel wool and other scrubbing pads.

• An organizing rack, sometimes sold as a “bake ware” organizer, is great to add to the cabinet to hold cutting boards upright. Because of the wide openings in the rack, it is easily maneuvered around pipes.

• Make use of the inside of both doors in a number of ways. Cabinet door organizers are sold both online and in retail stores. Some easily hang over the door and others are installed with a few screws. These include towel bars, hooks for pot holders, storage for plastic wrap and foil boxes and small racks that hold containers.
  

 

About Lea Schneider

Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s organizing advice has appeared in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Rolodex Office Makeover Challenge. Her team of professional organizers, at Organize Right Now, provides organizing assistance through her Organize Online program. She is the author of Growing Up Organized: A Mom-to-Mom Guide. Learn more at www.organizerightnow.com.