How To Organize Under The Kitchen Sink

I got the kick up the butt I needed last night to organize under the kitchen sink. The plumbing leaked. It was about 11pm and we were just getting ready to go to bed when I noticed a small lake covering the kitchen floor. Aaagh.

A quick glance in the cupboard confirmed the bottom trap of the plumbing had come away from the rest of the pipe work and the cabinet was dripping wet.

So I set about emptying the contents onto the countertop whilst hubby got the mop out. Well it was quite an eye-opener.

Contents From Under The Kitchen Sink

I found mosquito nets I knew I had but had had to buy new over the summer. I had enough cleaning fluids to last 6 months. Hubby spotted the oven cleaner and set to work spraying the foam over some stubborn grime on a baking sheet – at 11pm – why??!! He left this in the hallway but after we’d gone to bed had to come down and move it outside as the fumes were a bit too close to home.

Anyway I was actually quite glad this happened as organizing under the sink was on my list of kitchen organization tasks – the leak just pushed it to the top of the list.

If you are in a similar situation with no room left under the sink to store anything and with 5 things falling out every time you try to find your kitchen cleaner, give your plumbing a nudge and you’ll have no choice!!

 

 

So here’s what I’ve been doing whilst waiting for the plumbing glue to dry.

Step 1

I cleaned the cabinet!

An Empty Cabinet

The kitchen paper was just there to check we had no more leaks!

Step 2

I tossed or relocated the following:

  • anything I don’t use (eg, dishwasher rinsing agent). Be brutal!
  • anything that looked too old to be any use (eg, Vimto cordial I’d forgotten about).
  • anything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen (eg, sun cream). Move it to the right place.
  • anything that doesn’t belong under the sink (eg, bottles of olive oil & vinegar). Again move it to the right place.

I’m lucky as my sink is in the corner so my cabinet is quite big but if yours isn’t you could also consider moving items you use infrequently to the pantry, basement or garage.

Step 3

I then grouped the remaining items into sensible collections for me and how I use them. For example, dishwasher stuff, floor cleaners, kitchen cleaners etc.

I also moved the duplicates to my surplus storage area. (NB: if you don’t already have one I’d highly recommend setting one up. This way you can take advantage of savings to be made when buying in bulk without stretching your kitchen storage beyond its limit.)

Now is a good time, to collect together items that you use together but move from room to room when you are cleaning, such as the duster and polish, window cleaner etc. Treat yourself to a storage bin with a carry handle so you can just pick up the whole collection quickly and easily when needed.

Step 4

The next problem was what to use to organize the cabinet under the sink. It is probably the most difficult space to get in order for a number of reasons:

  • the plumbing – this is the biggest headache as it can be quite bulky especially in a small cabinet;
  • the mish mash of items – your collection of cleaning products and supplies can be quite eclectic so organizing items that are a mixture of shapes and sizes is a conundrum;
  • suitable organizers – generic organizers may not fit within the confines of what you’ve got going on under your sink. There are purpose built under sink organizers but if you don’t want to spend the money on those, you’ll need to measure carefully and be creative.

Not having time to buy any special organizers and not really wanting to spend the money anyway, I grabbed some cardboard boxes and started allocating my grouped items – one group to each box. I corralled smaller items into smaller boxes.

A Box Of Cloths

I would have preferred to use plastic baskets but I didn’t have any to hand so will swap them over when I’ve been shopping. (I plan on buying a stock of more than I need so I’ve always got some on hand for organizing emergencies!) You can get them cheaply at dollar stores and being plastic they are easy to rinse out if cleaning fluids leak.

Step 5

I then wanted to perform a bit of rationalization. I knew there were other cleaning products taking up valuable kitchen drawer space that would make more sense to store under the sink. As this area was no longer going to be my kitchen’s Bermuda Triangle, I was happy to free up some drawer space for other things.

Step 6

Next it was time to think about how to best utilize all the available space. Like I said my cabinet is quite big so I didn’t need to be creative with the space when I saw the small collection of stuff I had left after decluttering.

As you can see below I’ve managed to fit everything back in easily with space to spare. But if your cabinet is short on space, consider the following:

  • create a shelf to double the storage area. You can buy readymade helper shelves or just create your own with a plank of wood, a baking sheet, a tray or whatever you have to hand.
  • stick command hooks to the walls inside your cabinet. Use them to hang things like rubber gloves from binder clips (I saw this great tip at Organize With Sandy), cloths etc.
  • use the space on the back of the door to hang hooks or wire racks. To save drilling into your cabinet doors, you could consider using command hooks to hang a light rack from or there are also many ‘over the door’ organizers that just hang in place. The back of the door is ideal for your most frequently used items, as they would be handy to grab, or perhaps small items such as cleaners or scourers. Just make sure you can still close the door before you get carried away.

Step 7

Get ready to re-fill the cabinet. If you are a fan of shelf liners (I’m not), get them on in there. A rubber mat might be a better idea under the sink to provide extra protection against spills or future plumbing leaks.

Step 8

At last, it was time to clear my counter and replace my items. I put the least used at the back and the most used at the front.

Then I stood and admired my newly organized under sink cabinet. Wow! Look at all that free space. There actually looks more in real life than on that photo.

An Organized Under Sink Cabinet

For more inspiration, check out this collection of great under the sink organizers I’ve put together. There are DIY options as well as some to buy including sliding organizers, expandable organizers and pull out organizers.

Also please leave me a comment if you have any great under the sink organization tips. 

I’m linking up to these blog parties:
I’m An Organizing Junkie

9 Of The Best Under The Sink Organizers For The Kitchen: DIY & To Buy

Having just decluttered and organized my under the sink kitchen cabinet in rather an urgent fashion, I thought I’d check out what was available in the range of under the sink organizers so I can replace my cardboard boxes.

Here is what I found in both the DIY and ‘to buy‘ range:

 

DIY: Make your own door pocket organizer

This is perfect because it’s lightweight, you can make it yourself to fit the size of your cabinet door and your needs and as you make it yourself, it’s cheap.

 

 

BUY: Expandable under the sink shelf organizer

Expandable under the sink shelf organizer

For around $20 you can buy, then design and build your own shelf organizer. You build the frame, which expands from 18″ to 32″, and then snap on and slide the 10 small shelves to fit wherever is appropriate around your plumbing. The plastic shelves are durable, easy to clean and easy to install. The double shelf design effectively triples the useable space in your cabinet.

==> Click HERE for more details <==

 

DIY: Another great use for a tension rod

Place it anywhere in your cabinet, in any size of cabinet. Avoid those pesky plumbing pipes and effectively create a floating shelf to keep those bulky sprays off the floor. Another cheap DIY option.

 

BUY: Two tier under sink sliding cabinet chrome organizer

Two tier under sink sliding cabinet chrome organizer

Designed to fit at the side of your plumbing fixtures, this sliding wire organizer has a full size lower basket and a half size upper basket. You fit the gliding pieces to the floor of your cabinet and then just pull the cabinet towards you to easily reach the items stored at the back. It measures 14″ high x 12″ wide x 18″ deep and is made of heavy duty chrome.

==> Click HERE for more details <==

 

DIY: Adapted lazy susan

This DIY effort is actually a circular tray glued onto a standard lazy susan. It is perfect to use in a small cabinet where you want easy access to your cleaning products.

 

BUY: Over the door rack

Over the door rack

Add an extra shelf to your under sink cabinet by simply hanging this rack over the door – no installation. It is made of heavy duty chrome to provide a strong steel wire rack for your products and there are foam pads on the back to protect your cabinet. Available in three sizes including a 2-tier design, these clean and simple organizers are ideal for your most used items.

==> Click HERE for more details <==

 

DIY: Plastic bag holding more plastic bags

Plastic bag holder

Source: jengrantmorris.blogspot.com

Another super simple idea. Keep all your spare plastic bags in … da da da … another plastic bag. Just hang one on the inside of your door (Jen used little nails but command hooks would work just as well) and stuff those spares inside.

 

BUY: Rubbermaid sliding baskets

Rubbermaid sliding baskets

These large baskets measuring 20″ x 11″ x 8″ can store a lot of cleaning supplies (13 bottles). They slide on slider rails (which are quick and easy to install) so don’t tip forward when pulled all the way out and allow easy access to hard to reach areas of an under the sink cabinet.

==> Click HERE for more details <==

 

DIY: Build your own kitchen sink storage trays

Kitchen sink storage trays

Now this option is a lot more involved but if you’re handy in the carpentry department you should be able to knock these sliding organizer trays together in an afternoon for about $80. Look how many there are, and you can customize them to your sink cabinet. There is a great step by step photo tutorial at http://www.familyhandyman.com.

 

Bonus ideas:

You can also use other storage items found around your home – say plastic shoe boxes and plate drainer racks. Do you have any other kitchen organization ideas? I’d love to hear them.