P/S: This method works for ANY cabinet in your entire house!

When I was thinking of how to organize the cabinet under my kitchen sink, the first thing I did was Google the subject.

I was BLOWN away by all of the useful information the web provided, but something felt amiss.

Most of these articles gave great advice but barely anyone had written about their experience organizing their kitchen sink.

So, I gathered all the information I could find, tested them, and wrote this blog post for you.

This is my real-life experience of organizing my under-the-kitchen sink storage (complete with photos!)

Since I tackled this on my own, I discovered a few tips and tricks that came in handy for this project.

In this post, you’ll find a few pro tips highlighted along the way.

I hope these will help you just as much as they helped me!

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that are at no additional cost to you, and I may earn a small commission if you purchase any products via my links. Read the full privacy policy here.

Related: How To Organize A Hall Closet Like A Pro

How To Organize Under Your Kitchen Sink

Take stock of what you’re storing under your kitchen sink

If you haven’t cleaned this area in a while, I know this will be the hardest step.

Think of it like ripping a band-aid off – the sooner you do this, the less disgusting it’ll be.

The cabinet under our kitchen sink was fairly clean (phew), but it just wasn’t functional.

Our cleaning supplies were blocking smaller items like sponges and brushes, which made them so hard to find.

That’s also why you don’t see them in the photos!

We had a lot of half-used cleaning supplies as well, which I know is the result of being disorganized.

The cabinet under our kitchen sink was also severely underutilized.

Because it was so cluttered, we stored our cleaning rags, bin liners, and kitchen towels in different cabinets around the house.

This made cleaning the kitchen a total hassle because we often had to make separate trips to gather everything.

When I finally did this step, I sat on the kitchen floor, took EVERYTHING out, and made a list on my phone.

Once the cabinet was empty, I took the opportunity to wipe down all of the surfaces with a multipurpose cleaner.

I didn’t have a shelf liner with me, but I recommend using a water-resistant one to protect your cabinet from water drips or spills from cleaning supplies.

Purge, keep, and sort

This step is inevitable in every organizational project.

On the bright side, since most people don’t have anything sentimental kept under their kitchen sink, decluttering this space should be easy and quick.

We didn’t have much to purge except plastic packaging and empty bottles.

This is a good time to discard anything that’s expired, nearly empty, and worn out.

If you have a lot of half-used cleaning supplies as I do, you should make a note to consolidate them during the organizing stage later.

Once we decluttered and laid everything out, we grouped similar items and sorted them into three main categories:

• Cleaning supplies e.g. glass cleaner, floor cleaner, multi-surface cleaner, laundry detergent, and baking powder
• Cleaning tools e.g. brushes, sponges, bin liners, and kitchen towels
• Pet supplies e.g. pet food and treats

Pro tip: Don’t have enough space for everything? Separate your kitchen cleaners from your bathroom cleaners! Bathroom cleaners belong in the cabinet under your bathroom sink.

Related: How To Organize A Junk Room Like A Pro (And Kick Your Clutter To The Curb)

Plan your space and measure everything!

People often mistake organizing for buying a bunch of pretty storage containers and dumping everything into them.

Trust me, there’s more to organizing than buying a bunch of baskets and bins!

The key to efficient organization is to plan your space first and then measure everything.

If you fail to do this, chances are you may purchase storage containers that do not even fit the cabinet under your kitchen sink.

Remember, the winding pipes in that cabinet can be tricky to work with!

I measured our entire cabinet (length, width, depth) and kept the measurements before I started browsing.

I had a tight space to work with, so I cross-checked the measurements of every storage container with the measurements of our cabinet before I purchased them.

Pro tip: When it comes to taking measurements, don’t forget to take note of any obstructions in your cabinets like pipes and garbage disposals!

Shop for under kitchen sink storage solutions and containers

Smart space-saving storage solutions are essential for the cabinet under your kitchen sink.

Additionally, I highly recommend buying water-resistant storage solutions just in case a pipe bursts!

Here’s a round-up of the best organizers suitable for the cabinet under your kitchen sink.

Two-tier sliding under cabinet organizer

Let’s address the biggest issue with my under-the-sink cabinet.

First, I have a tall and relatively wide cabinet.

However, it lacks depth due to the pipes.

As a result, I often place my bulky cleaning supplies in front, but this kept smaller items out of sight.

With a slide-out system, I can easily access things hiding in the back of the sink. Plus, the tiered shelves give me more storage space.

My recommendation: White stackable 2-Tier Under Sink Cabinet Organizer with Sliding Storage Drawer

Related: The Ultimate Guide To Paper Decluttering (Plus 5 Steps To Organize Important Paperwork!)

Clear stackable bins with slide-out drawers

Since our cabinet lacked depth, we only had sufficient space for one two-tier sliding organizer.

We liked the slide-out system for easy access, so we used these clear stackable bins with slide-out drawers to store our smaller items like bin liners, rags, cloths, sponges, and brushes.

Now, I usually go for opaque storage solutions, but I wanted the ones under my kitchen sink to be clear so I can easily identify what’s inside each bin.

Believe it or not, our stackable bins were refrigerator organizers, but hey, they do the job well!

The stackable feature saves space, and they look so sleek. They completely elevated the look of my under-the-sink cabinet!

My recommendation: Acrylic stackable all-purpose drawer

Over-the-door and wall storage

When it comes to under-the-sink organization, it’s a MUST to utilize over-the-door and wall storage.

We used floating wire shelves on our cabinet doors to store pet food.

Since we prepare our dog’s meals by the sink, this was the perfect spot to keep her food.

The best part about these floating wire shelves is that there’s NO drilling required.

They come with self-adhesive clear pads, which makes them barely noticeable!

There are so many different types of over-the-door and wall storage.

From over-the-door bars and cabinets that come in all kinds of finishes to metal or plastic hooks and grommets, you are spoilt for choice.

Pro tip: If budget is a concern, you can also use clothes pegs or a spice rack to maximize your vertical storage.

My recommendation: White hanging/wall-mounted wire baskets (no drilling required!)

Lazy Susan

One storage solution that I didn’t have the space for BUT wished I did is the Lazy Susan.

We opted for the two-tier sliding cabinet instead to give us more space, but a rotating Lazy Susan is a great way to store and access all of your cleaning products easily.

You can see all of the products at a go, and you don’t have to move all of your stuff just to reach for the cleaner that’s stowed right at the back of the sink!

My recommendation: Acrylic Lazy Susan

Organize and label

This step is the most fun and rewarding for me. Now that you have all of your storage solutions, it’s time to organize all of your stuff!

Here’s how we organized everything according to the storage solutions we bought:

Two-tier sliding under cabinet organizer

Top drawer: Baking soda

Bottom drawer: Glass cleaner, multipurpose cleaner, stainless steel cleaner, extra spray bottles

Clear stackable bins with slide-out drawers

First bin: sponges and brushes

Second bin: Bin liners

Third bin: Cleaning cloths and rags

Plastic caddy

Kitchen towels (A plastic caddy is helpful because it is easy to grab and go. We can fill it with cleaning supplies if we have to clean another area in the house)

Additional bottles

Laundry detergent and floor cleaner

Wire shelves on the cabinet door

Pet food

I haven’t gotten the chance to label them yet, but that’s next on my to-do list.

Given that only I know what’s inside each bin, I know my husband will need some help!

Pro tip: I tend to waste cleaning supplies from large bottles since they’re hard to pour accurately. If you struggle with this too, try transferring them into smaller containers for better control!

What do you think of my under-the-kitchen sink organization? I hope you learned a thing or two about how to organize under your kitchen sink!

If you’re just getting started, all the best, and let me know if you have any organization tips to add!

Related: How To Organize A Desk Without Drawers In 15 Easy Steps

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