Maximizing Lower Kitchen Cabinets Storage: Tips and Tricks for Optimal Organization
Great kitchens are not just beautiful. They should provide plenty of practical storage. While a new design or layout can help, sometimes simply reorganizing your lower kitchen cabinets can make all the difference.
Ever gotten a neck cramp reaching into the back of the sink base cabinet for a new sponge? Can’t get the garlic powder out without knocking over the onion powder, bay leaves, and that old bottle of Valentine’s Day sprinkles?
Some of the tips and tricks below might be for you. Where there’s room, there’s a way!
Planning Your Organization Strategy
One of the best first steps of organization is making a plan. Interior kitchen cabinet space can vary depending on many factors such as box construction, thickness of materials, and whether they are framed or frameless cabinets.
Once you have a better sense of the space you have to work with, step 2 is to make a list of the items you want to store away. Grouping the items into themes such as “baking”, “appliances”, or “cleaning” can go a long way.
For example, whether you have a cabinet for a farmhouse sink or a standard sink base, you’ll find your storage options below may vary. This is also a great time to assess what you reach for daily, monthly, or only when guests come over.
Base cabinets offer significant storage space because they are typically deeper than wall cabinets. As a result, there are many options to accommodate common storage needs.
Drawer Organizers
Since drawers will live in your kitchen base cabinets, drawer inserts can drastically improve functionality and create great habits.
While trash pullouts and utensil inserts have become common, charging drawers are a great option for keeping the tangled web of cords off your counter and out-of-sight.
Spice drawer inserts can be a great way to organize not just your spices, but also vitamins or medications.
Blind Corner Options
Lower corner cabinets can often create storage headaches. While there are many options for inserts and pullouts, it’s important to really inspect how much of the corner space they’re utilizing.
If accessibility may be an issue, perhaps instead of a blind corner, you opt to create a “dead corner” but put in a drawer base for ease of use.
Again, how you use the space should be a driving force of the design!
Cabinet Door Organizers
Cabinet door organizers are a great option for smaller or thinner items that can otherwise be tough to store.
A rack for cutting boards or baking sheets means access and not have to stack them. Have a disposal unit under the sink?
A storage rack on the back of the door may gain back the height you lose in the interior.
DIY Organization Solutions
We’ve mentioned a number of inserts, which are great, but also come at a price. There are many ways to create organization without breaking the bank. Here are a few ideas to get your wheels turning:
- File organizers are an easy way to organize baking sheets and pot lids! They come in varying sizes, strengths, and can be found new or used inexpensively.
- Tension rods can be a great way to organize cleaning products. Simply place the tension rod behind your plumbing and hang your spray bottles or extra rags on it.
- Adhesive hooks can be mounted on the back of a door with the hooks facing inwards, perfect for rolls of plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and so on.
- Sliding coffee trays have become abundant with the rise of the Keurig. A few well-placed sliding trays can be a budget substitute for a rollout drawer box. Just make sure they are secured!
- Left-over soda 12-pack boxes can be a great way to organize those cans of cream-of-mushroom soup!
These are just a few examples. The key is to be creative and think outside the box for what goes inside the box. Always be on the lookout at work or in stores for ways people have come up with creative storage solutions. The best DIY ideas can come from unexpected places.
Dean Custom Storage Solutions
Maintenance Tips from the Pros
The key to keeping your cabinets organized boils down to consistency and habit development. There are many ways to utilize a sink base, but organizational strategies and tools are only as effective as the person using them.
Getting buy-in from other household members can go a long way. Visual reminders such as labels on shelf fronts help keep yourself (and others) accountable for always putting things back in the right place.
It’s great to remember that maximizing space does not just mean fitting the most into as small an area as possible. You can maximize space by reducing waste!
Purge unused items regularly. Do you have an extra tupperware lid, but the base vanished into thin air? If it’s unusable, get rid of or repurpose it! Being proactive, purging unused items small bits at a time, will help you avoid disorganization, frustration, and clutter. Reduced waste = more money in your pocket.
