Asked on Apr 09, 2015

Please help me organize the chaos under my kitchen sink.

Christina
by Christina
Besides ideas for organizing it, I'd love to cover the base, which is pretty disgusting. But there's a pipe in the way. Could I use stainless steel? A rubber mat?
As you can see, the space under my kitchen sink is in disarray. I need some organizing help.
  21 answers
  • Deirdre Sullivan Deirdre Sullivan on Apr 09, 2015
    I love this roll out organizer: http://goo.gl/7cEtdO It is on page 2 of this slideshow. It keeps stuff off the cabinet floor so it stays clean and it makes it easier to keep things organized. You can also cover the cabinet floor with contact paper so it is easier to wipe down. Lastly, you can create more room under you sink with a garbage can that hangs on the inside of your cabinet door.
  • I use shallow-sided rectangle clear plastic storage containters under my sinks. It organizes everything PLUS if I have a leak - and we all do at somepoint - it saves the underfloor from damage.
    • See 1 previous
    • Carol Burkhardt Rask Carol Burkhardt Rask on Apr 10, 2015
      @Brenda Goodell VanderZanden I'm going to do the same as you Brenda. But I will put mine in the plastic container that has a handle in the middle so I can also just carry my cleaning supplies where they need to be used. All great ideas on here, thanks!! : )
  • CK CK on Apr 09, 2015
    For the floor if you're looking for a super inexpensive idea buy enough self stick tiles to put down. Easy to cut to leave room for that pipe. Or you could get a sheet vinyl remnant and glue it in place just as they would if it was being put on a floor. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get plastic coated wire baskets to organize your necessities. Hey lots of us have the same "look" under our sinks. :-) Take measurements of the space, the items you generally store there and then get the baskets. I did that and it keeps things better organized. At least things don't have a chance to get pushed into the corners every time the waste basket goes in and out ;)
    • See 1 previous
    • Jill Drake Jill Drake on Apr 10, 2015
      Love your post Connie, mine is dreadful, I think Christina's is tide compared to mine, I love your idea, I'm going to do something like that, never thought of that before...however, I have seen on Pinterest, how lots of us ladies decorate the inside of their shelving kitchen units, on the back wall, instead of just seeing white or beige...will be getting a new kitchen end of year and will do that too.....😀 Good luck Christina, send pics when you decide what to do ☺️
  • Debbie Debbie on Apr 09, 2015
    Peel and stick floor tile from Lowes or Home Depot - I used this under my sink, you can buy the number of tiles you need, just cut around your pipes. It is so easy to install and so easy to clean.
  • Nancy Gramm Nancy Gramm on Apr 09, 2015
    Several people have suggested peel and stick tiles; that's what we did under every sink, kitchen and bath, in our house. In the kitchen, hub built a drawer similar to the roll out organizer in the link Deidre gave. Ours is one layer so the purchased one would be more efficient, and less trouble, since it should be easily put together. Even so, ours works exceptionally well.
    • Christina Christina on Apr 09, 2015
      @Nancy Gramm, great thanks. It seems like the tiles are getting the love here!
  • Tina Krenz Tina Krenz on Apr 09, 2015
    I use a lazy susan to put my stuff on, and as for the trash can, I bought one with a lid that the dogs can't get into. Take the trash can out, put in a lazy Susan, mine took a big one, and it holds all my cleaning stuff, and dish soap. You can put a lot on it and it saves space too. On the side with the garbage disposal, if you have a dishwasher, put your dishwasher soap container there. Here is a picture to give you some idea of how I organized my under the sink problem. ( I have to have things organized or I come unglued).
  • Janet Janet on Apr 09, 2015
    Christina you are way more organized than most. You have no needless stuff. I'm wondering if you just don't like what it looks like when you open those under sink doors. My suggestion is to make a 'false' back. You can do it for next to nothing by just covering foam board the size of the existing back. Place push pins in a vertical line on both side walls. Then place the covered foam board in place. Each side just resting gently against the push pins. Now place CLEAR push pins,on both sides to just hold the pretty foam board in place. Then place the items you want to keep under this cabinet in bins. (Stackable or not, depending how much stuff ya have). Can't go wrong with peel and stick tiles because 1 inexpensive 2 don't need many you only have to do the floor in front of you false back wall. 3 easy to access pipes and disposal. Just remove the front push pins and ,when done working, stand pretty foam board back up and replace clear push pins. Hope this helps but Evernote more so hope it is understandable. Good luck! Let us know what you do and give pic if possible.
    • Christina Christina on May 04, 2015
      @Janet , what a clever idea. And yes, you're right: Mostly, I just hate how it looks under there. Thanks.
  • Jan Loehr Jan Loehr on Apr 09, 2015
    All of these suggestions are terrific...but I have a suggestion to give you much more room on the left side. Get rid of the white plastic garbage container there & you will have so much more room for the organizers & drawers etc. I would get a nice looking garbage can with a flat lid & put it out in the kitchen instead of hiding a smelly open container under the sink. Good luck!
  • Lori T Lori T on Apr 09, 2015
    I use dairy crates sitting on their side as storage devices
  • SandraB SandraB on Apr 10, 2015
    your cabinet looks exactly like mine! :D All of these suggestions are good, I will try one or several. Good luck on your organization.
  • Margaret Margaret on Apr 10, 2015
    I use white rubberized or plastic on the bottom easy to clean and looks nice. The secret to every storage area, my opinion. I get white baskets, they are big with a handle. Put the seldom used in the back everyday in front. I have room for a smaller one so I put use all of the time in it. I have a smaller waste can that I use only for soggy stuff, friut peels etc,, At my house the idea is not to have to bend over or crawl under there.
  • Betsy Woolford Betsy Woolford on Apr 10, 2015
    I've used peel & stick tiles before, but in my current home I put down patterned shelf liner and used a basket to hold cleaning supplies. Home Depot also sells a plastic liner specifically for under sink use that I plan to get to keep messes from the trash off the cabinet floor 😄
  • Pat Pat on Apr 10, 2015
    My husband put a holder for our small waste can on the back of the cupboard door. on the sided with the pipe. When you open the cupboard door, the waste can comes with it. That left room behind for rolls of paper towels. On the side next to the disposal, I put a small plastic rectangular tub to set my bottles, sponges and etc. A square container with a center handle would work also. On the back of that door, I have a cup hook for hanging dry towels, etc.
  • Linda Linda on Apr 10, 2015
    We got rid of most of our "stuff" donating it to the church for the cleaning there, discovering there really are so few cleaning products we really need. Kept these: Clorox clean-up, hydrogen peroxide, a box of brillo, etc., listerine that we use for fresh flowers & as a mosquito repellant, silver polish. A cardboard box, though not fancy, works just fine or what we really have to keep. A small two-tiered shelf on one side holds boxes of trash bag liners, wraps, gloves, rags.
  • Janine Janine on Apr 11, 2015
    I bought some stick tiles at the dollar store and metal stack bins from the Walmart. It makes a whole difference.
  • Danielle Danielle on Apr 11, 2015
    Janine from Canada ´s got it figured out! I also never keep an open trash bin under the sink or anywhere
  • Katie Maris Katie Maris on Apr 16, 2015
    They have some over the cabinet door organizers at Wal-Mart you could use if you want to get your supplies off the bottom of the cabinet. That way you could store your supplies on the inside of the cabinet door. But, really, I'm impressed that you don't have a lot of unnecessary stuff. You could probably find some kind of plastic container in your house that you could repurpose as a container to hold your supplies. @Christina
  • GrannyB384 GrannyB384 on Apr 17, 2015
    First, a warning! This is going to be a ling comment, but well worth reading, so please open the rest of the comment and read the entirety of it! It will be well worth your time! When I was younger, the cabinet space under my sink always looked like yours and was a literal pain in the b....back!!! Over the years, I tried all kinds of things to unclutter and organize it, using many of your tips here, but it never seemed to do any good. Eventually, it always reverted to the messy, inaccessible clutter we are all familiar with. Now, I am much older and much wiser! At long last, I believe I have found the perfect system for storage in this part of our kitchen cabinets! I have a small 8 gallon trash can that is mounted on a sliding base. The trash can comes out of the base for cleaning when needs be. I only put dry items in there---no food waste at all. I even rinse all of the empty cans, bottles and containers that are to be disposed of before putting them in the garbage can to cut down on the smell of rotting food. Food waste is kept in empty plastic coffee cans to use on the compost pile or to put in the large garbage can for trash pickup. For all of the cleaning stuff, I have a large white bin, also on a sliding base, where I keep all of the bottles of cleaning supplies. In the center of the cabinet, behind the center support board, I keep my dishwasher soap, with any items that I don't have room for in the basket and don't use often, stored behind it. I used left-over pieces of the floor covering that was used in the kitchen to cover the bottom. I put a short wire towel rack on the inside of each door to hang wet dish cloths and kitchen towels on to dry when not in use. Things stay organized and there isn't much need to clean the cabinet bottom, since the things I put in my trash can do not make a mess if I miss getting it in the can. I do take everything out every year just to clean up any drips from bottles of cleaning supplies and to ' sweep and mop' the floor of the cabinet to clean out the dust bunnies that seem to find their way in there. With the sliding bases for the trash can and the plastic bin, there is never a need to get down low to reach into the back of the cabinet. I really hope I have been able to shed some light on how to tame and demystify this dark, creepy part of our kitchens. It doesn't cost much to set this system up--- just the purchase of an 8-gallon trash can with a sliding base and a plastic bin ,which is the depth of the cabinet, also on a sliding base. It is money well-invested and worth every penny for what you will gain! I hope you will all try this out, because it is truly the very best way I have found for making this space accessible and for keeping it organized and clean. Good luck and best wishes to all of you!
  • B. Enne B. Enne on Apr 17, 2015
    I haven't read all the comments, but I put a plastic caddy with a handle for my cleaners. It makes it easy to lift out, and nothing topples like on a lazy Susan. You could have one for cleaners, and another one for other items. I keep an open small container with my pot scrubbers, and one for emergency candles and matches (no young kids). I have a nice over-the door holder for my tea towels. They also sell some for pot scrubbers, brushes and dishwashing detergent. If you need to keep your garbage there, you could put one that screws onto the door, which will give you more room in the cupboard.
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on May 26, 2015
    I use a rigid plastic caddy/tote too with my cleaning supplies so I can take it around the house when I do my cleaning. I also my my own cleaning supplies. This minimizes the bottles, jars, containers under the sink.
  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Oct 01, 2022

    I have several organizing posts that might help you https://chascrazycreations.com/diys/how-tos/organizing/