The kitchen is perhaps the busiest space in any home and at its center is the kitchen sink, so you’re probably looking for some kitchen sink organization ideas.
And that makes sense because the kitchen sink area is where hands are cleaned, coffee pots are filled, vegetables are scrubbed, and the remains of every meal are processed.
Because it is a high-traffic area, it is also the first place to succumb to clutter and crowding.
It’s hard to escape soggy sponges, the jumble of soap and cleaning bottles, and the Jenga-style mountain of dishes yet to be put away.
Tame this spot and you’ll find working in the kitchen easier and more pleasant.
Here are some kitchen sink organization ideas to make that happen that you can try in your space today.
These ideas work great for kitchens of all sizes, both big and small.
Store Only the Essentials Near the Sink
The kitchen sink’s primary purpose is rinsing off food and cleaning hands and equipment and tools to prepare meals.
Give yourself ample room to work by clearing the area around the kitchen sink of anything else.
The countertop kitchen sink area is not the place for cleaning supply storage or large decorative objects like picture frames, digital weather stations or potted plants.
These items may look nice, but they’ll decrease the function of the space because they limit the amount of space you have to work.
Find another space in the kitchen for these items to live.
Establish a Daily Essentials Station
Keep only the essential cleaning items that you use on a daily basis next to the kitchen sink.
Move everything else out of the immediate area.
Carve out space for a daily essentials station with hand and dish soap, a sponge, and a surface cleaner.
All other cleaning products can live under the kitchen sink, tucked out of the way, maybe even assembled in a cleaning kit, but still accessible and easy to reach.
Corral the most frequently used items on a daily essentials tray on one side of your sink.
Which side you choose depends on whether you’re right or left handed as well as the available space on either side of your sink.
They type of tray to use comes down to personal preference.
I use this Zulay silicone tray because it has ridges to contain water or spills from the soap and cleaning product bottles and it’s really easy to keep clean with a weekly rinse off.
This metal sink organizer is a nice way to keep essential tools and supplies gathered together and has an integrated spout to allow for water runoff.
I was able to eliminate a soap dish bottle because we went with an integrated soap dispenser when we remodeled our kitchen.
It’s a nice feature to have, especially since we’ve since upgraded to a dispenser with a large soap reservoir.
And it means there’s one less soap bottle on the kitchen countertop!
Sanitary Sponges
Cleaning sponges harbor bacteria and grime and need to replaced regularly, so you need to have a plan for managing these cleaning tools.
Lessen the germs by allowing the sponge to dry out completely between uses, so keeping where they can air dry is best.
That may be in the a countertop sink organizer or in the sink itself if you sink has a rack at the bottom that’ll keep the sponge elevated with space for water to run off.
You can also switch from a traditional cellulose sponge to a swedish sponge.
These type of sponges are thinner, so they tend to dry out quickly so bacteria has less chance to fester.
I prefer to use Skoy scrubbing cleaning tools because they have a little grit to lift food particles and speed cleaning more so than a simple sponge and they dry very quickly.
I also run them through the dishwasher once a week to keep them clean.
To Decant or Not Decant
If you want a high-end look for your kitchen sink area, decant your soaps into matching glass or ceramic dispensers.
This step eliminates loud branding and creates a cohesive aesthetic, but grouping the bottles on a small tray may give a similar effect with less effort.
Decanting soaps and cleaners into other bottles is a more expensive choice in terms of time and maintenance, so the tradeoff may not be worth it for you.
Glass containers also develop a film on the inside that you can easily see when the bottle is anything less than completely full.
So if this will bother you, opt for a ceramic dispenser instead.
Developing a Smart Drying System
The next aspect of an organized kitchen sink area is a system for drying dishes.
Most people aren’t a fan of hand drying each piece after it’s washed, so a drying rack is the name of the game.
But the dish traditional drying rack is often the biggest eyesore in a kitchen.
They’re not easy to tuck away under the sink or anywhere else.
The goal is to find a system that matches your lifestyle and your square footage.
The Minimalist
If you have a dishwasher and only hand-wash a few items, use a low-profile, absorbent microfiber mat or an over the sink roll out mat.
These can be tucked into a drawer when not in use, keeping your counters completely clear.
I use both of these in my kitchen.
The roll out drying mat comes in handy when I have a lot of clean up to do so that I can spread items out to dry more quickly than making my usual strategically balanced mountain of pots, dishes and cooking utensils.
The Power User
For those who hand-wash pots and pans, a stainless steel rack maximizes vertical space without eating up your entire “prep” area.
This sort of drying rack may make sense for those in small apartments without cabinet storage space for dishes.
The multipurpose drying rack can then become the default storage location for plates and utensils.
Use the Sink Apron Area
Many sink cabinets have a panel along the outer edge of the sink (sometimes called an apron).
This area isn’t deep enough for a drawer, but a tilt organizer is a smart addition.
Rev-a-shelf offers inserts that come in different widths, are inexpensive and easy to install (really- just two screws!).
The most difficult part about installation is remembering to use screws that are short enough to not pierce through the front of the cabinet panel.
Add hinges and a handle to enable the panel to tilt and you’ve just created a secret compartment for small tool storage.
Using this space is a great way to store small cleaning tools that are ugly yet are small enough to get lost if stores under the sink.
I have a wide sink, so the organizer is wide and accommodates a ton of handy tools, including:
- the sink drainer
- the cast iron cleaners
- the stainless steel garlic and onion smell remover
- detail cleaning brushes
- flat edge scrapers
- scrubbers
It’s really fantastic to be able to tuck all of these small tools away.
I find that I use them more often than not because they’re readily accessible.
It’s not an out of sight, out of mind situation like it probably would be if these tools were stored elsewhere.
Get in the Habit
Once you have the daily essentials station and the dish drying system established, the next step is maintaining the systems you’ve set up.
Because you’re in the kitchen multiple times a day, you’ll need to commit to keeping the space in order.
This means:
- Loading the dishwasher after each meal or snack;
- Hand washing pots, pans, wooden cutting boards and knives after each meal;
- Unloading the dishwasher once the cycle is complete; and
- Putting away items after hand washing once they’re dry
Consistency in finishing cleaning up the kitchen sink area is what will keep it clear and ready to handle your next task.
It’s normal to not feel like doing the dishes, but your future you will massively thank current you for putting in the effort and doing the work to make it happen.
Over to You
Organizing the kitchen sink area is one task that will especially help ease your daily routines and help you spend less time on chores in the kitchen.
Use these kitchen sink organization ideas to help choose a system and stick with it to keep this kitchen sink organized.
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates, the Container Store and Etsy Affiliate Programs, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, ContainerStore.com, and Etsy.com. This means that when you click and make a purchase at a site via a link I have provided, I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Regardless of whether or not I receive a commission, I only recommend products that I personally use and genuinely recommend.
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