It’s easy for under-sink cupboards to become the house’s most disorganized and cluttered area. We toss everything in them, keeping their untidy contents out of sight. However, we often regret this decision later when we need help locating specific items amidst the jumbled mess of carrier bags, cleaning products, and kitchen rolls.
Investing time to organize under sink spaces is a valuable use of your time, and it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. With the right tools and approach, you can easily turn the chaotic mess into a well-organized sanctuary. Similar to organizing kitchen cabinets, the process can be as easy as incorporating effective cupboard organizers to manage clutter and ensure convenient access to frequently used items.
Discovering the most efficient methods for organizing under-sink spaces can be straightforward yet impactful. When it comes to any organizational task, the secret is to determine a system that suits your unique needs and preferences.
Some Tips for Organizing Your Under-Sink Cupboards
We’ve compiled some brilliant tactics for tidying up your cluttered under sink areas, whether they’re located in your kitchen or bathroom. Before you begin, it’s wise to empty the space entirely and thoroughly clean it. Doing so will help you organize your under sink drawers and cupboards more efficiently.
Protect Your Under Sink Area with an Absorbent Mat
To safeguard against potential spills and leaks, consider placing an absorbent mat on the floor of your under-sink cupboard. These cupboards tend to generate warmth, leading to the formation of condensation and water droplets. As a result, incorporating a mat underneath your stored items can simplify cleaning and preserve the dryness of your stored items.
Keep Your Must-Have Cleaning Supplies Handy with a Dedicated Cleaning Caddy
When preparing to organize under-sink spaces, it’s crucial to consolidate all your vital cleaning products in a central location. This approach ensures easy access to your supplies when carrying out your daily chores. A cleaning caddy with a sturdy handle can facilitate this process by allowing you to transport your items to different areas of your house while retaining the ability to slide back into its spot within the under-sink cupboard.
Maximize Awkward Spaces with a Tension Rod in Your under-sink cupboard
When contemplating ways to optimize a compact kitchen, utilizing all accessible storage areas is paramount. Installing a tension rod within your under-sink cupboard is an effective means of capitalizing on the available space. This rod can serve as a holder for spray bottles, effectively transforming the formerly difficult-to-use regions surrounding the sink into practical storage spaces.
Create Custom Cleaning Solutions with Your Own Refillable Bottles
For a cleaner and more streamlined aesthetic in your under-sink cupboard, consider transferring your cleaning solutions into transparent bottles and creating custom labels for them. This straightforward step not only helps minimize visual clutter but also enables you to identify and retrieve your preferred cleaning product whenever needed easily.
According to bathroom and kitchen expert, Polly, it’s advisable to transfer any products kept under the sink into transparent stackable containers and affix labels onto them. This technique is particularly useful as some items tend to be packaged in larger containers than necessary, leading to space wastage. By transferring them into appropriately sized and stackable containers, you can free up additional space and keep everything well-organized.
Sort and Organize Similar Items into Boxes for Your Under Sink Storage
To prevent your under-sink cupboard from becoming disheveled and misplacing items at the back, consider storing all items in boxes and sorting them by category. For instance, you could store dishwasher detergents and rinse aid together in one box, then wash detergents, fabric softeners, and scent boosters in another. Similarly, you could separate your makeup and toiletries into different boxes to maintain a neat and organized bathroom sink area.
Efficiently completing household chores and getting ready in the morning can be made easier by organizing under-sink spaces. Using clear boxes to group similar items together not only reduces clutter but also allows for easy identification of what’s inside without the need to open the lid.
Transform your under-sink space into a drawer-like system with the use of long boxes
According to professional organizer Katherine, you can turn your under-sink cupboard into makeshift drawers by using long boxes to store your items in a front-to-back arrangement. This method is a cost-effective solution compared to purchasing a sliding drawer system.
Maximize storage space by installing hooks on the interior of cupboard doors
Make the most of the space under your sink by attaching hooks to the inside of the cabinet doors. This is a simple yet effective way to keep your tea towels, microfibre cloths, and even carrier bags organized and within easy reach. However, be mindful of the amount of clearance space you need when closing the door. It’s an efficient storage solution that helps you stay clutter-free and saves you time when you need to grab these items quickly.
Maximize Your Under Sink Storage with an Adjustable Shelving Unit
[Maximize your under-sink storage space by adding an adjustable shelving unit that can fit any gaps and awkward pipes. Look for a unit with at least two levels to double up on storage space, and easily access and neatly arrange your items for a more organized under-sink area.]Ensure that your products have not expired
It’s important to check the expiration dates of the cleaning products you store under the sink while organizing. We tend to forget about the expiry dates of products that are used less frequently, such as oven cleaners and drain unblockers. Discard any expired products and consider buying smaller sizes in the future.
Stick to the one in use and one spare rule
Kathryn Lord from More to Organising recommends a useful tip when organizing your under-sink space – the “one in use and one spare” rule. This means keeping only the necessary items you need and having only one spare for each product. Purchasing new items only when the spare one is in use will help you avoid overstocking and keep your under-sink area clean and uncluttered.
What are some tips for organizing the under-sink cupboard in my kitchen?
Blanca Aguirrezabal, a decluttering specialist from TheBlogStuff, explains that the items stored under the kitchen sink can vary based on the kitchen layout. Still, it’s usually reserved for keeping cleaning supplies. This may include dish soap, sponges, scrub brushes, garbage bags, rubber gloves, drain cleaners, and all-purpose cleaners, among others.
To initiate the process of organizing your kitchen’s under-sink cupboards, the first step is to get rid of expired cleaning products and any other items that are no longer in use. This way, you can make sure that you only have the necessary items in the cupboard and maintain a well-organized system with ease.
Blanca recommends grouping the remaining items in a way that makes sense to you. This could mean categorizing them by their purpose, such as putting all the cleaning supplies together or grouping all the dishwashing supplies in one area. The key is to find a system that works for you and makes it easy to find what you need.
Can items be safely stored under the sink?
Under-sink storage provides a practical solution for storing frequently used household items that you’d rather keep out of sight. It’s a great spot to store cleaning supplies and other items, but it’s important to know what not to store there due to safety and hygiene concerns.
Polly, a bathroom and kitchen expert, advises against storing harsh chemicals such as bleach under the sink, especially if there are children in the house. She also cautions against storing flammable products like thinners, polishes, and paints that have the potential to ignite in certain conditions.
To avoid the growth of mold, it’s important to keep your tea towels and clothes clean when storing them under the sink. Be sure to wash them frequently, especially as they are kept in a dark and potentially damp space.
