Updated Under The Kitchen Sink Storage

If there is one cabinet in the kitchen that I open several times a day, that is the one under the kitchen sink. It’s my go-to cabinet to store everything I need daily to keep my kitchen counters, sink, and other places in the house clean. Check out these new storage ideas to help you organize under the kitchen sink.

Last week, when trying to find a place to store my homemade garbage disposal cleaning bombs inside the cabinet under the sink, I realized that the storage system needed an upgrade.

For your convenience I am including links to the supplies I used to organize under the kitchen sink, as well as links to my favorite cleaning supplies and products.

Under the Sink Storage in 2016

In 2016, this dollar store organization under the kitchen sink went viral, and it was even featured on Buzzfeed. However, five years later, the cabinet under the kitchen sink looked anything but organized. As usual, I accumulated more and more cleaning products and neglected the cabinet.

This is how the cabinet looked like before I organized it in 2016. Back then, we had a double basin sink and the garbage disposal was on the left. The sink pipes were sticking out a little too much and I got resourceful using small locker bins from the dollar store.

This is how I organized the cabinet in 2016, and for 5 years, this system worked, and it was easy to maintain.

Teo years ago, we upgraded our kitchen sink, but I still did not take the opportunity to come up with new storage ideas to accommodate the new and improved layout.

Under the Sink in 2021

After 5 years, the cabinet got a little out of control. This happens. Now and then is good to revisit your old storage systems, re-evaluate them and see what’s working and what isn’t.

Since I started making a few homemade cleaners, the spray bottles and new supplies took over some space. So I had to find a new way to organize under the sink to fit my new products and adapt the layout to my newest habits and routines.

For example, after a few years, some of my habits changed, and I found it more comfortable to reach for the cleaning gloves by opening the left door. The left hand opens the left door; the right hand grabs the gloves. Same for the basket hanging over the cabinet’s door.

While the locker bins are a good idea and make a great storage system, especially for cleaning products and bottles under the sink, I wanted something open and more accessible. That’s when I figured a lazy susan and tiered racks would be a great solution.

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How to Organize Under the Kitchen Sink

So here’s my updated under the kitchen sink organization project. While it isn’t rocket science, here are the steps I took to design this new storage system.

Step 1: Empty Out, Clean, and Purge

Pull out all the items from under the sink and place them on a table or counter. Discard anything you know for certain you haven’t used and won’t be using again. Keep only the essentials.

I need to clarify that I have a rolling cleaning cart in the garage where I keep other supplies and products I do not use daily, including some supplies I use to make my homemade cleaners.

Step 2. Place the least used items in the back

I decided to ditch the locker bins because I couldn’t see easily what I had, especially the products inside the bins that were in the back of the cabinet.

After reorganizing the spices and canned goods cabinet, I thought that tiered spice racks would be a good storage idea to organize some of the bottles I keep under the sink.

I placed two 10-inch tiered spice racks in the back of the cabinet. I like the idea of being able to see everything I have at a glance. These are products I do not use every day but I like to have under the sink for easy access at least once a week.

Step 3. use drawers to corral small items

The next product I am going to show you is all over Pinterest. The first time I saw these acrylic drawers was on Abby Lawson’s blog. I have been eyeing these drawers for at least 3 years. The time has come to use them!

Abby made beautiful labels with her Silhouette machine, and they make the entire look complete. However, I personally do not find it necessary to label the drawers. Because they’re clear, I can see the contents easily. Also, not labeling them gives me flexibility if I ever need to store something different.

These acrylic drawers come in sets of 2. I purchased two sets for a total of 4 drawers. One stacked over the other. These are the 4 1/2-inch tall drawers. The four drawers stacked made an 18-inch tall tower that fits perfectly under the sink.

Here are some ideas on using these drawers as a storage option for under the kitchen sink.

1. Dishwashing Sponges and Magic Erasers.

These are my all-time favorite dishwashing sponges, and at the time of writing this post, I realized the price is the same on Amazon as it is at my local Walmart. It’s even cheaper if you do the ‘subscribe and save’ program with Amazon Prime.

2. Brillo Pads and Cleaning Tool

I use Brillo pads perhaps once a week, they’re my go-to sponge to scrub the stainless steel sink and the toaster oven’s grill.

The white cleaning tool with a handle in the back of the drawer has a velcro surface to attach sponges to scrub the ceramic stovetop.

3. Plastic Bags

Although I try to use reusable shopping bags when I head to the store, I have to admit that I tend to forget to use them, especially when I make a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up one or two things. But if I am honest, there’s no such thing as picking up just one thing!

Growing up, my mom taught my sister and me how to fold plastic bags in little neat triangles. It’s something I do 90% of the time I come back from the store. If the plastic bags are clean and aren’t ripped or torn, I fold them and put them away under the kitchen sink.

4. Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

To minimize the use of paper towels in our home, especially when wiping down the kitchen counters, I opt to stock on microfiber cleaning cloths. The ones I show here are small enough (10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches) to fold in four and fit the drawer perfectly.

I use at least one cloth each night to wipe down kitchen counters and appliances.

Step 4. Place Most Used Items in the Front

Lastly, here are 4 other storage ideas to organize your most used items under the kitchen sink’s cabinet.

1. Tiered Spice Rack

Once again, I used a tiered spice rack to store three products I use daily: dishwasher detergent, dishwashing soap refill, hand soap, and baking soda.

The bulky bottles are not only easy to grab when they are front and center, but I can also spot quickly what I need when I am making an inventory. I use my Echo dot to make my shopping list. You can learn more about my shopping list system in this post.

2. Lazy Susan

This is my favorite part of this entire organization under the kitchen sink. Lazy Susans are perfect for storing bottles, particularly round bottles.

When I made the garbage disposal bombs, I wanted to keep them handy but not necessarily front and center. This 12-inch lazy Susan is perfect for storing the airtight bottle, and all my homemade cleaners.

3. Over the Door Basket

I am still using the same over the cabinet door basket I purchased in 2016. Inside this basket, I store the two cleaning products that we use the most. Sprayway to wipe handprints from the stainless steel fridge, or grease messes on the stove, and Clorox wipes. The latter needed more than ever during the pandemic.

4. Command Hook

Lastly, I stick a Command Hook on the cabinet wall and hang cleaning gloves with a binder clip.

This little but mighty hack is probably my favorite of all. I stock on Command hooks and keep some in our junk drawer (also in the kitchen).

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