Whether you have a spacious kitchen or a tiny kitchen, chances are you have at least one item you just can’t figure out how to store properly. It may be a stack of things that always seem to be disorganized, or it could be an item that doesn’t quite fit in the space you’ve stored it in. Regardless of what the specific problem is, it’s really annoying, and it adds unnecessary stress to your day.
I’ve had my fair share of annoying kitchen storage issues over the years, and I’ve managed to find simple solutions for many of them. I wanted to share a collection of those solutions with you today, in order to help you tackle your own kitchen storage nuisances! After all, it’s almost time to start thinking about spring cleaning. And if you’re going to be deep cleaning your kitchen, you might as well get more organized while you’re at it, right? :-)
Related: This Is The Most Useful Kitchen Storage Hack I’ve Tried In Ages
10 Smart Solutions To Annoying Kitchen Storage Problems
1. Bulky Items
We all have one or two bulky kitchen items that drive us crazy. I used to have this potato masher that would always get stuck when I tried to open the drawer I stored it in, and it drove me crazy!
For those bulky, annoying items that just don’t fit anywhere else, why not store them on pegboard? It’s an easy and effective solution for storing just about anything in your kitchen.
2. Paper Towels
If counter space is hard to come by in your house, even keeping a paper towel holder on the counter can be out of the question! Luckily there are a lot of clever alternatives for keeping paper towels close at hand, but off your countertops. You can find paper towel holders that you can attach to your wall, under a cabinet, or over a cabinet door.
3. Printables & References
Keep your printables and other helpful references close at hand by hanging them up on the inside of one of your cupboard doors. (If you haven’t downloaded any of my helpful printables, I’ve linked to a couple of them below!) The inside of a cupboard door is also a great place to keep measuring cups and spoons!
Related: Printable Dishwasher Guide
Related: “Is It Done Yet?” Printable Meat Temperatures Guide
4. Hard-To-Reach Corners
It can be difficult to reach the items in the back of a cabinet, especially if that cabinet is up high or down low. One simple way to make those items more accessible is to add a lazy susan to your cupboard! Place the items on top of it, then just spin it to easily find what you need.
5. Small Items
Your kitchen cupboards can store a lot of stuff, but it can be tricky to keep things organized when you’re storing small items. Corral your small items together with an under-the-shelf basket like this one. You’ll be able to store more stuff in a more organized way!
6. Mixer Accessories
While I love my KitchenAid stand mixer, finding a place to store the big attachments can be a pain! I kept them in a drawer for a while, but they would often cause the drawer to get stuck as I was opening it. I finally just decided to store my mixer attachments in the bowl of the mixer itself! Other options for storing those bulky mixer accessories are hanging them on pegboard, or hanging them on Command hooks in your pantry or cupboard.
Related: 21 Ways To Organize Your Life With Command Hooks
7. Cookie Sheets
I used to keep my cookie sheets stacked flat in one of my larger cupboards, but I quickly realized I needed a better solution. They don’t stack very nicely, so stuff kept sliding off of them and creating chaos in the cupboard! Now I use a rack so I can store my cookie sheets vertically! You can also achieve the same effect using tension rods placed vertically, or using a few bungee cords!
8. Mason Jar Lids
Mason jar lids and rings can be annoying to store too. The trick is to use a container with two compartments, so the lids and rings are stored in together without becoming a jumbled mess.
9. Utensils & Tools
If your utensil drawer is a mess, or gets snagged when you try to open it, try using a utensil crock. I keep my bigger items like wooden spoons, whisks, and spatulas in a crock on my countertop, which keeps my utensil drawer much more organized than it used to be.
10. Spices & Seasonings
One of the best things I ever bought for my kitchen cabinets is a tiered spice rack. It makes it so much easier to see what spices I have and to locate the one that I need. You can also find ones that pull down to make them easy to reach if they’re in a high cupboard.
What items give you the most grief when it comes to kitchen storage?