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Today I will share six tips for how to organize under the sink and create a place for everything!
One of the areas that was on my “a place for everything and everything in its place” list for a really long time was to organize under the sink, so I am thrilled that I finally tackled it.
Empty the cabinet and declutter.
Begin by taking everything out of the cabinet and tossing trash or things you know you don’t use. It helps to consider what would actually be convenient to keep in that cabinet and what is just unnecessarily cluttering the available space. Once you’ve pared down to only what you use regularly, move any items that you know can be relocated.
Determine what will need a home.
Everything will need a home, so assess what you want to keep and what you will organize under the sink. We wanted a roll of trash bags, a small supply of the dish brushes we use, our smiling sponges, steel wool for cleaning pans, magic erasers and the dishwasher detergents and cleaning supplies.
Measure the space you have to work with and order organizers.
Before I ordered containers, I measured the cabinet space I had to work with in the cabinet (height, depth and width of the cabinet and factored in the limitations of pipes).
When I partnered with The Container Store over on Instagram recently (you can see my organizing video HERE!) I was introduced to the Everything Organizers! I love this system.
These organizers are clear which I think is so smart under the sink plus they are really simple to use as well as to clean. They are also very flexible in how you can use and arrange them so I was able to order options and then decide on the best configuration once they arrived.
Arrange organizers to maximize space.
Once you have your containers you’ll want to organize them efficiently in the cabinet to maximize space.
I only used containers across the front of the cabinet, leaving open space behind ours for any surplus or rarely used items.
This system is designed so you can stack shorter drawers on top of each other or pair short with tall to maximize the height as well as the width of the space. I stacked a couple of sizes of the clear drawers and added the Lazy Susan to create an efficient system that fit well in our space.
Since some of the items we keep under the sink were taller so we also left open space to one side. To create a tidy spot for them, we placed a tray style container on one side to hold spray bottles and handy roll of paper towels. I like that the container can be taken out to set up on the counter when in use and is easy to clean, too.
The Lazy Susan also has removable sections so you can also customize how you arrange items in it.
Group like items together.
The simplest way to decide how to organize each of your containers is to group like items together. Depending on your cabinet and organizer sizes, you may realize after grouping like items together that you still have too many items to fit comfortably. You might need to relocate a few more items or if you buy in bulk you could have backup supplies elsewhere such as a garage or pantry.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
No organizing system will stay organized for long if you cram too many items in or can’t easily maintain order in them. The key is to keep it simple, don’t make the system too complicated.
This is why I love the clear organizers as a dedicated spot for each type of item — it makes it easy to maintain a place for everything.
You may also need to pare down on the number of products you use in order to maximize efficiency and space.
For example, we use just our one toxin-free all purpose cleaner and a scrub for most things, so we don’t need to keep a lot of bottles under the sink.
Having a designated place for everything also helps us to easily see what you have on hand and when you need to replenish!
Ta da! A place for everything and everything in its place! Organizing is fun and rewarding once you get started! In fact, organizing this cabinet was so fun that I went on to organize my fridge and set up a cart for our dog supplies (which I’ll share with you in a separate post).
Shop the Everything Organizers here.
* Watch my under sink organizing video HERE! *
My home organizing books:
Make Room for What You Love
Simply Home (two in one book for organizing and decorating)
