5 Cluttered Spaces in My Home+ How I Organized Them
I don’t know about you, but there are a few places in my home that, despite all my best efforts, they quickly become cluttered.
So, I took it upon myself to change that. Want to know how I organized spots like under my kitchen sink, my pots and pans, and more — keep on reading!
BEFORE:
under the sink
The before: under the sink is always a difficult spot to organize. There are so many things that end up here that just don’t have a home - and I think this is the most important thing about organization: everything needs to have a home. Secondly, I believe one of the issues with this space is the large storage bins. I usually find it is easier to organize fewer things into smaller spaces than many items into large bins as it is here.
The after: This came together quite easily! I purchased these smaller bins and these larger bins from The Container Store (actually meant for shoes and sweaters!) and they were great for organizing all of the contents under my sink. The larger bin contains dish cloths, and the smaller drawers are storing things like sponges, magic erasers, and reusable ‘paper towels’.
I also added a Lazy Susan spinning organizer, which was great for holding extra dish soap, dish detergent, etc.
BEFORE:
bathroom cabinets
The before: Yikes, these bathroom shelves were a disaster! We only have one bathroom in our home, so it was crucial that these shelves (which are rather large) be extremely functional and useful. I was using plastic shoe box storage bins, which helped, but it was hard to get to items that were on the bottom. Plus, there were many things just sitting on the shelves without a home.
The after: I once again used these storage drawers from the Container Store. They were wonderful for a more seamless and accessible organization. Here, I also put fewer items in each drawer, and it is easier to find and access things.
I added another Lazy Susan organizer, which helps for larger products, such as hairspray, that we need to access more frequently, as well as miscellaneous health/medical products. I actually found that our items took up less space once I was completed with this project!
BEFORE:
pots + pan cabinet
The before: my pots and pans cabinet were always cluttered, and storing them in this way made it very difficult to access them. We were always having to take each item out in order to get to the ones we needed. It was frustrating and very ineffective.
The after: I found this handy storage rack, and I am so happy with the results! It is definitely not perfect, as all of our pots and pans do not fit on it, but it is a great upgrade for a small price point. Most of our pans are able to slide right into these metal racks easily. I also did a bit of rearranging and moved the lids to our a different spot, and used this lid organizer to keep them from getting cluttered as well.
BEFORE:
pantry cabinet
The before: this photo was a half-way progress photo — this cabinet started with just two shelves. It was extremely inefficient and a poor use of space. My husband graciously built me these pull out, sliding shelves. They made it so much easier to organize!
The after: this space is still a work in progress, but I have started the process of switching over to these storage containers for my food in the ‘pantry’ cabinet. It is a much more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing way and makes my type-A personality so happy!
BONUS:
coffee drawer
And, for an extra bonus — I added in a photo of my ‘coffee drawer’. This drawer houses all my tea, coffee, k-cups, espresso pods, sweeteners, etc. but all of these items were strewn around in different spots, which made it confusing and not cohesive. Now, all of them are organized and in the same drawer — and it’s so pleasing to the eye!
I hope you all found this post inspiring and interesting — I have really found a relief in having organized and defined spaces now that we have a home of our own!
— Kenzie
