- Part 7

11 Ideas For How To Organize Your Kitchen For Free

It’s great to know that even if you don’t have the budget for fancy kitchen organization ideas and products that you can still save money and organize your kitchen for free.

You probably already own plenty of items that can be used as organizers, you just need to be creative.

Old food containers make the perfect drawer or cabinet shelf organizers. Try using yoghurt pots to hold twist ties, rubberbands, toothpicks and the like. Or how about margarine tubs to keep packet mixes or tupperware lids together and stood upright. Glass jars from pasta sauces or mayonnaise can hold flatware or kitchen utensils.

Cereal boxes or other cardboard you have lying around can be cut up and used as drawer dividers.
Diy Drawer organizer

Via DesignSponge.com

Cardboard boxes covered in attractive craft paper make perfect baskets for your wall shelves or even inside your cabinets to keep like items together. Think of all those diaper, shoe, liquor and online shopping boxes you put in the recycling. Recycle them yourself into a pretty basket organizer.

Shoe boxes, especially the cheap and clear plastic variety, can easily be repurposed to keep like items together. Think pasta, granola bars, baking goods etc.

Baking trays can be used to group all of your baking goods whilst not in use. And how about turning a rarely used loaf tin upside down and using it as a tiered shelf at the back of your cabinet to store cans on. This saves space in your baking cabinet AND helps you to see the dark depths of the canned goods shelf.

Do you have an old dish drainer that you no longer use? Store your pot lids or baking sheets in it. They are much easier to find and grab if they are stood up vertically.

Beg, borrow or re-use some tension style curtain rods that will fit the height of your kitchen cabinets. Position them in pairs, front to back, at intervals that will hold your bakeware, chopping boards, trays and heavy platters. This will keep them upright and means you don’t have to lift the whole stack each time you need one at the bottom.

Curtain Tension Rod Dividers

Via MarthaStewart.com

Use a tray in your glassware or mug cabinet. Cover the top and bottom with a non-skid liner and then lay it on top of the bottom row of items to create a helper shelf for another row and make the maximum use of space.

If you have any pitchers, pretty mugs or pottery vases that you don’t use very often, put them on display and use them to hold your utensils.

If you don’t have much lying around your own house, visit thrift shops or yard sales and see what you can find. Look beyond the current state of any prospective items as with a bit of paint and a makeover, you’ll be amazed at how good, someone else’s ‘junk’ can look.

Just A Little Creativity transformed an old wooden spice rack into these handy organizers with a bit of paint.

Spice Rack Makeover

Alternatively you can try your hand at some easy DIY projects to come up with the perfect custom organizers for your kitchen clutter. Check out these 15 inspiring ideas for DIY kitchen organizers, which range from using a metal ruler to make a magnetic under cabinet spice rack to making your own tiered or helper shelves if you’re any good at wood work.

Please leave me a comment and let me know if you have any other ideas for how to organize your kitchen for free.

You might also be interested in:

How To Organize Your Kitchen On A Budget

Strapped for cash? Check out these cheap organizers for cabinets, counters and drawers and learn where to buy organizers for less.

8 Kitchen Organizers For Under $20

Is money a little tight? Don’t miss these kitchen organization products that cost < $20. From expandable shelves to lid, bakeware, spice and wrap racks.

15 Inspiring DIY Kitchen Organizers

Want to save some money & make your own DIY kitchen organizers? Here are some great ideas for inspiration incl. those for cabinets, drawers, spices & more.

15 Inspiring DIY Kitchen Organizers

Whilst looking for ways to organize your kitchen on a budget, you may think about making your own kitchen organizers.

These are often cheaper than buying ready-to-go organizers (although do check out these 8 Kitchen Organizers For Under $20) and can be custom made to your exact requirements.

They probably won’t be seen as they will be inside cabinets and drawers but if you are handy at crafts or DIY, your home made versions may well look better than some cheap store bought products anyway!

Here are some inspirational DIY kitchen organization ideas we’ve found around the web to get you started.

If you come up with anything else, please let us know and we will share your creations with our readers.

DIY Kitchen Cabinet Organizers

Tiered cabinet shelves – make it easier to find what you’re looking for by building some tiered shelves to store cans at the back of the cabinet.

DIY helper shelves – use the space more efficiently in your cabinet by doubling the usable shelving with a helper shelf.

DIY Kitchen Drawer Organizers

Custom drawer organizers – make your own drawer dividers that are exactly the size you need from old cereal boxes or card stock that you have lying around.

Diy Drawer organizers
DIY drawer organizer – if your jumble of utensils, flatware and small cooking gadgets are making you crazy every time you open the drawer, why not make your own drawer dividers. You just need a few pieces of wood and some glue and you can customize your divider to fit your items perfectly.

Drawer divider with knife block
DIY drawer organizer with knife block – or how about this one with a knife block built in?

Diy Drawer organizer
Cardboard drawer organizer – if woodwork sounds a bit beyond you, how about using a bit of cardboard and giftwrap instead?

Plexiglass drawer organizer
Custom made plexiglass organizer – watch this video to make something a bit more tricky.

DIY Pot & Lid Rack

Ladder pot rack – hanging pot racks can be very expensive, but if you have an old ladder lying around turn it into an amazing space saver with a few lengths of heavy duty chain.

Pot lid organizer – solve your pot lid clutter with this salvaged towel rack idea. You can mount it on the wall or even on the inside of your cabinet door (click HERE for a video ‘how to’). You could also do the same with old curtain rods.

DIY Hanging Canisters

Glass jar canisters
Glass jar hanging canisters – if your shelves don’t quite provide enough storage space mount some glass jars underneath and make use of this wasted space.

DIY Knife Block

Bamboo skewer knife block – how professional does this look! Keep your knives sharp and out of the drawer by making your own knife block from some pine shelves and bamboo skewers from the dollar store.

DIY Spice Racks

Back of door spice rack – use that wasted space at the back of your cabinet door to ensure you can find the spice you need at a glance using a bit of wood and acrylic.

Magnetic under shelf spice rack – don’t take up any shelf space for your spices. Have them hanging in mid air, either within a kitchen cabinet or on show under a wall shelf.

Magnetic metal ruler spice rack – how about this cheaper to make version?

DIY magnetic spice rack
Magnetic wall mounted spice rack – keep your spices handy but up off the countertop with these easy to make magnetic spice strips.

You might also be interested in:

8 Kitchen Organizers For Under $20

Is money a little tight? Don’t miss these kitchen organization products that cost < $20. From expandable shelves to lid, bakeware, spice and wrap racks.

How To Organize Your Kitchen On A Budget

Strapped for cash? Check out these cheap organizers for cabinets, counters and drawers and learn where to buy organizers for less.

How To Organize Your Kitchen For Free: 11 Ideas

Check out our 11 ideas for how to organize your kitchen for free. Make use of what you already own & re-purpose items that are just lying around your home.

How To Organize Your Kitchen On A Budget

If funds are tight and you need to save money, don’t despair – you can still have an organized and clutter free kitchen.

You don’t need the budget of those home makeover shows or magazines. Not all kitchen organization products are expensive – there are plenty in the affordable range and some are even free.

But the worst thing you can do when deciding how to organize your kitchen on a budget is to start off by buying organizers. Instead you need to start off by decluttering. We all have way more than we need squirreled away in our cabinets and drawers that has built up over months and years – so start with a big sort out.

If you have less to organize, you’ll spend less on organizers.

Once you are clutter free, you can assess what food, flatware, tableware, bakeware, appliances and utensils you have as well as the space you have to store them in.

It may be that you find you now have plenty of storage space and do not need any organizers to help maximize the available space. But if you do need some help, look for kitchen organization products that help group your items together and provide easy access to them.

Please read on to discover:

the best types of kitchen organizers to look for
where to look for them
specific ideas for common problem areas, and
8 kitchen organization products that cost less than $20.

The best types of kitchen organizers to look for

Whether you are looking to deep cleanse your pantry, control the chaos under your sink or regain the useful space in your kitchen drawers, the following affordable organizing products are sure to help:

shallow baskets or trays – for canned goods, spices, dish towels, napkins or even to be used as an extra shelf in a cabinet by stacking on top of glasses perhaps
stackable plastic tubs – for baking goods, bagged items such as chips and cookies
wire baskets – for packet mixes, pasta, fruit & vegetables
door mounted wire baskets – for plastic lids, wrap or cleaning items
hooks – for towels, utensils or even mugs
drawer dividers – for cutlery, utensils or even your ‘junk’
wall shelves combined with decorative boxes and baskets – to make use of wasted wall space.

Just remember:

square is best as round organizers waste space
shallow is best so you can see what you have stored
clear is best so you see inside without having to open the lid
plain is best unless it will be on display as it is often cheaper than pretty.

Where to look for cheap kitchen organizers

Stylish organizing and home stores are probably not the best bet when it comes to shopping for any kitchen organizers you may need. Instead see what you can find in dollar stores, cheap home centers and grocery stores. You could even check out thrift shops or a garage sale. You may find something like a bookcase worth repairing and using in your pantry or even brand new products. Many people buy these items but never get round to using them as they expect the spending of money to make them organized, rather than ‘them’ making them organized.

Specific ideas for common problem areas

Here are some of the affordable essentials that you should look for depending on what your problem areas are:

Kitchen cabinet organizers

Helper shelves – unless you stack cans 3 or 4 high in your cabinet, the chances are you will be wasting some space between shelves. Helper shelves help(!) as they are effectively an in between shelf that doubles the useable space.

Stepped shelves – these are ideal for deep pantry or cabinet shelves as they help you to see what is hidden at the back.

Under shelf racks and baskets – these slide onto the shelf above and make the most of the dead space above the items on each shelf. They are great for small items, perhaps napkins or dish cloths.

Over the door organizers – you can find baskets, trays, 2-tier baskets, towel bars, bag holders, paper towel holders and hooks that slot over your cabinet door to help organize many different items without taking up useful space. They start at only $2 so are perfect if you are on a budget.

Kitchen counter organizers

Canisters If you have tried to follow our “Up, In & Out” instructions for how to organize your kitchen countertops but are still left with some items that you need on show, there are many attractive organizers for you to consider. Budget items include:

a set of 4 stainless steel airtight canisters from Oggi for around $24,
a 10-slot hardwood knife block for around $20 from Henckels,
a 16 jar beechwood revolving spice rack from Kamenstein for around $20,
the superbly popular OXO Good Grips brushed steel utensil holder for around $20,
a brushed steel and acrylic flatware drainer/caddy for around $11,
a contemporary 6-mug holder for around $15,
appliance covers for can openers, toasters, blenders, mixers and coffee makers from $10.

8 Kitchen organization products for under $20

Kitchen Cabinet Organizer - Shelf Helper

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Seville Classics expandable kitchen shelf – approx $18 – double your shelf space

Cabinet Organizers Kitchen 3 Tier

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Copco 3 tier cabinet organizer – approx. $10 – perfect for seeing what’s at the back of your cabinet

Kitchen Space Savers Under Shelf Basket

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Grayline Housewares under shelf storage basket – approx. $9 – don’t waste the space under your cabinet shelves

Kitchen Bakeware & Lid Organizer

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Bakeware, lid & tray rack – approx. $7 – stand them up, it’s much easier

Kitchen Drawer Organizers

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Copco large 3 part mesh drawer organizer – approx. $10 – contemporary and space efficient utensil organizer

Kitchen Storage Racks

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Neu Home 3-tier slimline rack – approx. $13 – a sturdy, attractive and cheap spice rack

Kitchen Wrap Organizer

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Grayline Housewares wrap rack – approx. $7 – free up your kitchen drawer space today

Kitchen 6 Piece Set

==> Click HERE for more details <==

Grayline Housewares 6 piece cabinet organizer set – approx. $19 – everything you need to save space in any cabinet all in one affordable set

I’d love to hear your cheap kitchen organization ideas. Please leave me a comment.

8 Kitchen Organizers For Under $20

Expandable Kitchen Shelf Helper by Seville Classics

Kitchen Shelf Helper
This sturdy shelf will double the useable space in your kitchen cabinets so is ideal for tall and deep cabinets. Its width is adjustable from 15.75″ to 30″ so it is ideal for any size cabinet or could even be used on your countertop as it is nice looking. It is 9″ deep and nearly 6″ tall so you can fit coffee cups or small glasses underneath. It is made of iron with an elegant brushed metal platinum finish. It is easy to set up, well balanced and can support quite a bit of weight – a stack of 12 plates for example, would not be a problem.

==> Click HERE for current price <==

3 Tier Cabinet Organizer by Copco

Kitchen 3 Tier Cabinet Organizer
Available in 10″ and 15″ widths, this 3-tier non skid organizer lets you easily see what you have stored in the depths of your cabinet. Ideal for seeing all the labels on your spices, herbs and essential cooking oils. No more digging through your cabinets or emptying everything out to find the right one. It can also be used to store canned goods although it’s not as easy to read the labels on cans at the back as the tiers are not high enough – small jars and bottles are best unless you know the colors of each label by heart. You should also note your cabinet should be slightly bigger than 15″ for it to fit in. The no-slip surfaces are a nice touch so accidental bumps don’t send everything flying. Why not alphabetize your spices for even easier selection. Oh and it’s easy to clean!

==> Click HERE for current price <==

Under Shelf Storage Basket by Grayline Housewares

Kitchen Under Shelf Basket
This 20″ wide x 6″ tall x 10″ deep basket slides easily onto any standard shelf. It is a sturdy wire basket with a white vinyl coating. Why waste that space between the food or dishware you are stacking at the bottom of the cabinet and the shelf above. Just slide on this basket and fill it with dish towels, napkins, packet mixes, fruit or anything really. No tools are needed for installation and you can even turn it into a tiered hanging storage system by buying a few extra baskets and joining them together with the hooks found on the bottom corners.

==> Click HERE for current price <==

Bakeware, Lid & Tray Rack

Kitchen Bakeware & Lid Organizer
This 12″ x 7″ sturdy and heavy-weight metal rack is ideal for holding all your bakeware, trays, lids, cutting boards and even plates tidy whilst offering easy access to each item. There are 8 slots to hold whatever you choose and the rack is coated with white plastic to prevent scratching. Its size makes it perfect for use in either a cabinet or a deep kitchen pan drawer. It makes grabbing for a pan or lid so much easier as the rest don’t fall over when you remove one. It could maybe do with being placed on a grip pad just to prevent slippage when removing and returning items. If you have a sloppy pile of lids, this organizer is for you.

“No more reorganizing the whole drawer while noisily searching for the right lid. It’s standing up ready to grab.” – Customer review, Organize.com

==> Click HERE for current price <==

3 Part Mesh Drawer Organizer by Copco

Kitchen 3 Part Drawer Organizer
This steel mesh 3 compartment utensil organizer is 16″ x 11″. It has an epoxy coating to prevent peeling and chipping. Copco actually have a range of mesh organizers including 5 and 6 part drawer dividers depending on what you want to store. They are affordable, easy to clean, durable and are attractively styled so will match any décor. The 3 part organizer is particularly useful for utensils as it is the right size for larger items such as serving spoons and spatulas. Having the drawer divided into a few sections stops items getting lost.

==> Click HERE for current price <==

Cabinet Door Mounted Slimline Rack by Neu Home

Kitchen Slimline Rack
This 18″ x 11″ x 3″ cabinet can be mounted on your walls or can make use of the dead space on the inside of your cabinet doors. It is made of sturdy steel with an attractive fine chrome finish. It will keep all of your spice jars or small bottles together and organized neatly. The open design makes it easy to see at a glance where the item that you need is as well as giving easy access. It will hold larger spice bottles and even small cans and condiment bottles (if they are under 3″). It is sturdy, attractive and cheap – what more could you want?

==> Click HERE for current price <==

Cabinet Door Mounted Wrap Rack by Grayline Housewares

Kitchen Wrap Rack
Mount this 12″ x 8″ x 4″ rack on the inside of your cabinet door or wall and use its sturdy wire frame design to hold your larger kitchen items – bulky wrap boxes, wax paper, aluminum foil, bags and cookery books spring to mind. Don’t forget about long spaghetti noodles and boxed goods too! It is easy to install and will hold 4-5 boxes of wrap so is a great space saver. It is ideal if you want to free up some kitchen drawer space and will make using your kitchen paper products much easier.

==> Click HERE for current price <==

6 Piece Cabinet Organizer Set – Great Value For Money

Kitchen 6 Piece Set
Offering great value for money, this 6 piece set will organize your cabinet in no time. At such a great price, it is a deal hard to pass up. For around $19 you get a wrap rack, 3 shelf helpers, a spice rack and a pan lid rack. These are all the essentials we recommend and will make the most out of the space in any cabinet by making items fit in better. Note: the wrap and spice racks need mounting on the inside of your cabinet door.

==> Click HERE for current price <==

How To Organize Kitchen Drawers

What do you have in your kitchen drawers? Really, be honest, are there garlic bulbs mixed up with cooking utensils and swimming goggles in with the dish towels? There were in mine! Oh dear.

Drawers are premium space in a kitchen, especially those in your 5 activity zones. So don’t let them be a dumping ground. If you can’t open or close them properly or find what you need at a glance, you need some kitchen drawer organization. So where do you start?

Kitchen Drawer Organizer

==> Click HERE for the full range of kitchen drawer organizers <==

Essentials that should be stored in a drawer are cutlery, utensils, food storage bags, plastic wrap and foil, dish towels and small accessories.

Cooking knives are the only real exception, which should be kept out of the drawer:

(i) to stop anyone cutting themselves; and
(ii) to keep the knives from going blunt more often by bumping into other contents.

Use a magnetic knife strip to keep them handy but off of the countertop to help with your kitchen counter organization.

How to organize kitchen drawers

Before organizing the items within your drawer, toss or donate anything that is duplicated, never used or broken (I had a broken garlic press and nut cracker in my drawer!).
Then allocate your items to a drawer in the right activity zone.
Group like items together.
Grab yourself some organizers, small bins or boxes to stop everything getting messed up a few days after it goes back in the drawer.

You don’t need to spend a lot on drawer organizers – for cheap options just look in your pantry for boxes you could repurpose. Cover them in pretty paper if it makes you feel better.

Not many drawers?

If you are short of drawers consider these kitchen organization ideas:

Move cutlery to a pretty holder on the kitchen table.
Repurpose an attractive jug or vase or buy a utensil holder for the utensils that you use on a regular basis.
Use pretty baskets to store dish towels on top of the fridge, on a shelf or in the pantry.
Hang plastic wrap in over-the-door cabinet organizers.
Buy some flower pots or baskets that can be hung on the wall and use these for silverware, or dish towels.
Look out for a set of tiered baskets that can be hung from the ceiling to house your cutlery, napkins etc.

If you are lucky enough to have deep, wide drawers near to your stove, make the most of them by storing all your pots and pans in one place.

The junk drawer

If you have one and it is taking up valuable drawer space, find a proper home for its contents. Alternatively use a compartmentalized junk drawer organizer to keep like junk items together.

Kitchen drawer organizers

There are many drawer inserts you can buy to help you keep your drawers organized. These range from utensil and flatware caddies, spice drawer inserts, compartments and dividers. If you keep your items neatly together, rather than overflowing and junky, the remaining space in your drawer is opened up.

==> Click HERE for the full range of kitchen drawer organizers <==

I’d love to hear the craziest things you found in your kitchen drawers or your favorite kitchen drawer organizers. Please leave me a comment.

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How To Organize A Kitchen Junk Drawer

What’s in yours and what’s it saying about you? Follow our step by step guide and learn how to organize a junk drawer. Junk drawer organizers here we come!

How To Organize Kitchen Cabinets In 4 Easy Steps

Learn the WHY, WHEN and HOW of kitchen cabinet organization in 4 easy steps. Take 10-15 minutes to get started. Not enough cabinets? Check out our tips.

How To Organize Kitchen Countertops The Up, In & Out Way

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