Welcome to the second installment of “Creative Storage Solutions For Your Kitchen.” If you haven’t already checked out “Creative Storage Solutions For Your Kitchen (Part One)” I would highly recommend doing so! You’ll find some great tips that are a bit outside of the usual parameters, but very effective!
This post contains even more clever ways to make the most of every little spare inch of space you can find in your kitchen! Because let’s face it, 99% of us feel like we NEVER have enough storage space!!!
Tip #1: Take advantage of the space on the inside of cabinet or closet doors.
This spice rack has saved TONS of space in the cabinets and keeps my seasonings organized and within easy reach while I’m cooking. Just think of how much extra room you could have if you installed a storage rack on the inside of EVERY cabinet door for your smaller items!!!
I have also taken advantage of the space on the inside of our pantry door.
This was an INCREDIBLY inexpensive and easy project! I literally just used things that I already had lying around the house! All I needed were some Command hooks, a wire basket and some binder clips in order to pull off this game-changing hack!
No more avalanche when I reach for a bag of chips. No more struggling to try to stack bulky or odd shaped packages. No more losing seasoning packets amidst a sea of chaos in the pantry. Just stick your Command hooks to the door and start hanging!
Tip #2: Buy rectangular canisters to save on space.
I used to store my dry goods in round canisters. By switching to these Snapware rectangular canisters, I am now able to fit 5 canisters on a shelf where only 3 round ones used to fit! They still hold the same amount, but there is no longer any wasted space between and around them because of the shape.
I especially love these canisters because of the design! Not only do they provide a fantastic air-tight seal, but they are lightweight and are super easy to grip with one hand! This makes accessing the canisters in the back of the cabinet a breeze!!!
Tip #3: Convert and old coffee table into a beverage station.
*WORD OF CAUTION: Make sure your coffee table is strong enough to hold the weight before loading it up!!!
Now, I don’t usually drink anything other than filtered tap water and orange juice. The rest of my family, however, is a COMPLETELY different story!!!
Between my family’s drinks and the drinks that we keep on hand for guests, our beverage collection would often times end up on the floor in the corner of our dining room because there was just nowhere else to put it! My solution: Move our old coffee table into that corner to make an intentional beverage station. (Hey, if there’s nowhere else to put it, at least make it look pretty, right?)
My husband’s Keurig was taking up too much of my already limited counter space in the kitchen, and I didn’t have room in the cabinets to store all of the k-cups for it. Since I prefer to shop in bulk instead of running to the store 3 times a week, storing all of these extra drinks was a challenge.
I reused a cheap gold-colored plastic tray that I had lying around to put under the Keurig in order to protect the coffee table from any drips. I then found an extra Rachael Ray lasagne pan in the bottom of the china closet that works quite nicely to hold a variety of k-cups. I set out some of every flavor so that guests can easily see all of their options, and I store the rest in their original boxes on the shelf below.
The basket on the right holds the tea and hot chocolate, and there is even room on the table behind the K-cups for some sugar and disposable cups. This has worked out SO NICELY when we have parties, too! Everyone knows where to find their drinks and can easily see what’s available.
Tip #4: Use baskets and/or shelf organizers in cabinets and closets to stay organized and to maximize space.
One of the main things that clutters up our pantry is the OVERABUNDANCE of snacks that our kids seem to acquire! Between treat bags from birthday parties, holiday parties at school, Christmas stocking goodies, Halloween treats and everything else in between, our pantry doesn’t stand a chance!!!
A great solution that I found in order to keep everything where it needs to be is to give each of our 3 kids their own plastic bin in which to store their snacks. The shared snacks for the whole family go into separate baskets, and the kids are good about not stealing from each other. They enjoy having their own designated space for their things.
We also have a rule that if their bins get too full, it’s time to thin the herd. Around here, that means that Daddy takes the extra snacks into work and bribes his students with them… or maybe he eats them all himself! Don’t ask, don’t tell!!! As you can see from the picture, I think we are about due for another herd thinning!
I have also been able to make my cabinet shelves pull double duty with the addition of these cabinet organizing racks. I have doubled the amount of space that I had for coffee mugs with this one.
This may be a good time for me to mention that I’m not using stock photos here! I know it would be prettier if all of my mugs matched or at least color coordinated… but this blog is about my REAL life!!! My super rundown and outdated house looks NOTHING like a catalogue!!!!!
I don’t mind that, though! Raising my kids and taking care of my family is my number one priority. Maybe someday I will live in a world where all of my mugs match, but if not, that’s fine, too!!! 🙂
Oh, well! Back to the task at hand! This shelf allows me to more easily access things that would otherwise be precariously stacked on top of each other in my upper cabinet… you know… where this vegetable steamer would be likely to fall on my head when I reached for the pie pan that was underneath it! Yeah. Happy to avoid that now! You could also use something like this.
This last one is my favorite! This lid rack makes accessing my sheet pans so easy!!! I even had room to store my griddle pan, grill pan and cooling racks in here, as well! Find similar items here.
I hope that you find these tips helpful to you in your journey to a more organized life! That’s all for now (because it’s way past my bedtime!) but keep checking back for more handy tips to help you make the most of the space in every room of your house!
Have questions or comments? Email me at anne@blessingsinsurprise.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!!!
God bless!!!