You spill coffee on your brand new rug. In a panic you run into the kitchen to grab some carpet cleaner. You know you have a cleaner that will remove the spot, but the challenge is not removing the spot on your carpet anymore, but finding the carpet cleaner among all the cleaning supplies. Inevitably they are all piled on top of each other deep under the kitchen sink!
While under the kitchen sink is a great spot for storing your cleaning supplies, without tailoring it to your needs, it can be also the worse spot to store anything! Under-sink cabinets are mostly tall and deep, creating a lots of useless, hard-to-reach places. On top of it, you also have the weird shaped pipes, which doesn’t make it any easier to use the space!
First of all, gather all of your cleaning supplies. Group them by frequency of use and by function. Toss out any supplies you haven’t used in a while or the ones that never really cleaned anything the way it was promised on the packaging!!!
Consolidate the supplies. For example, if you have only 3 trash bags left in one box and you have another box that is new, combine the two. Get rid of bulky packaging as well. Sometimes it works better if you store the items out of their original packaging; standing alone, in a plastic baggie, or in a basket.
If you have more than one of the same thing, only store one handy under the sink. The extras can go in the very back of the sink, pantry, garage, basement or an extra small closet or storage area out of your kitchen. You can bring them into the kitchen for replacement when you finish the first one. This way it’s easier to keep inventory of what you have.
Measure inside your cabinet, so you can use a sliding organizer, pull out baskets, stacking shelves, a stacking cabinet organizer or a cabinet rack. This allows you to create levels and compartments inside your cabinet. We even found this brilliant under-the-sink shelf organizer on the market, which goes around those annoying pipes. Think outside of the box. Many bath organizers, tall baskets, and such can also be helpful.
Try to use old Tupperware or baskets to contain smaller loose objects, such as scrub sponges or gloves. Use a cleaning caddy for your main cleaning supplies. Stock it with your basic cleaning needs and next time you are cleaning the house all your need is to grab the caddy and go from room to room. Brilliant!
You can use a small trash can or stacking bins to keep your recycle items contained next to your trash can under the sink. In addition, a pull-out trash can system is great for easy access.
With organized cleaning supplies on hand, you will cut your cleaning time in half, so you can spend time on things that are more fun. And we are all about more fun!!!
