Creating the Perfect Space Under the Kitchen Sink

Can we talk about the space under the kitchen sink? Growing up and even after I got my first apartment this cabinet was home to countless cleaning products, plastic bags, flower vases of many different sizes and any and everything else that needed to be hidden from company. My last apartment I remember storing my huge, junkie arts & crafts bag under there. It was a hot mess y'all. Then when my roommate and I started packing up our place to move I saw how much junk had been thrown under the kitchen sink. I told myself that I wasn't doing this at my next place.

Sticking to my word, the first project I decided to tackle in my new place was the cabinet under my kitchen sink. If you're like me, whenever you have a home project in mind the first thing you do is go to Pinterest. I started doing some research to see what I could do with the cabinet space that would help me keep it organized. Once you get some inspiration it is time to start planning out your space. You definitely want to plan before you head to the store.

What to use to plan:

• Your Pinterest Board(s)

• Measuring Tape

• Pen/Pencil & Paper

• Painter's Tape (optional - if you're a visual person like me and want to see how everything will look in the space)

The first thing you want to do during the planning phase is decide what you want to store under your sink. Obviously kitchen essentials like detergent, dishwasher pods, trash bags, and sponges are going to be stored under the sink. I also knew I wanted to split cleaning supplies between this cabinet and the bathroom, so I had to make space for those products as well. Once you have an inventory of products that will be stored under the sink, it is time to decide how you want to organize everything. I wanted limited cardboard boxes. You don't have to go that route. There are plenty of ways to organize your space and keep the original product box. For me, I wanted everything out of the boxes and into some sort of container.

Once you think you have everything mapped out, start searching store websites for the things you need. I knew I needed a few stackable containers for items I wanted to remain dry and a couple of baskets for items that wouldn't fit in the stackable containers. I started looking at the measurements of some items I wanted to buy and designed my space that way. This makes shopping in store a lot easier when you know what you're going in to get.

I purchased four Clear Stackable Small Shoe Drawers from The Container Store. Technically they were made for shoes but totally work in this space. I used these drawers to store my dishcloths, dishwasher pods, sponges and garbage bags. The garbage bags are a little tricky to fit in the drawer so you'll have to split the roll in half if you decide to go this route.

Stackable Baskets are good for towels, dish detergent and other cleaning products. I purchased two iDesign Stackable Baskets from The Container Store and they are the perfect size for disinfectant wipes and other cleaning supplies. Fill up the remaining space with the rest of your cleaning supplies. You can do a Lazy Susan, if it fits, or a large bin that will fit those large spray bottles. You also can just line your bottles up and not buy anything for the remainder of the space. I ended up finding a Large Tote with a divider from The Container Store that fit perfectly in my remaining space. The space is narrow because of the divider but I still managed to fit everything in the tote.

The total cost for this project was a little less than $100 (I used coupons). If that is over budget for you, shop around on Amazon or at Target/Walmart for some cheaper alternatives if you don't want to spend that much on such a small project. I always vote investing in your space so your house is easy to keep neat and organized. Let me know if you decide to organize your cabinet. I'll even feature some finished projects on my Instgram page!

Let's get organized together!

xoxo