The under the kitchen sink storage area is an area so many of us avoid.
The dark, cavernous space beneath the kitchen sink where cleaning supplies go to disappear, tangling with plumbing pipes and the garbage disposal unit.
It’s often a jumble of half-empty spray bottles, crumpled grocery bags, and questionable sponges.
It seems like a hot mess that can’t be fixed.
But luckily, you’re here and ready for some fantastic under the kitchen sink organization ideas!
The area under the kitchen sink is never going to be the most aesthetically pleasing area of your home.
And that’s okay because that’s not the point of the space.
Efficiency and function should rule supreme the under the kitchen sink.
When a spill happens, you need to grab the right cleaner immediately, not dig through a mountain of clutter.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to transforming the chaotic under the sink area into a functional space that serves and supports you.
A note before we begin: As much as I tend not to recommend buying something to organize a space, the best under the kitchen sink organization happens with a specialized organizing solution.
Purge and Decluttering Prep Work Before Organizing Under the Kitchen Sink
Before you buy a single bin, tray or organizer to wrangle the items under your kitchen sink, you first need to sort through what’s currently under the kitchen sink.
Remember, you cannot organize clutter!
Paring down what will live in the space will guide what sort of organizing solution will work best inthe space.
Here’s a step by step overview of the process:
- Empty Completely: Take everything out.
Yes, everything.
Lay it all on your kitchen floor or counter. - Deep Clean: While the cabinet is empty, wipe down the base and walls.
Vacuum up any crumbs, dirt or dust bunnies.
If there’s water damage, address it now by cleaning any residue and fixing the leak itself. - Edit Cleaning Supply Stash Ruthlessly: Look at your collection of cleaning supplies and tools and sort into these categories:
- Toss: Expired products, rusted cans, and anything that’s changed color, smell or consistency.
Those are all indications that the product won’t work as expected.
Also throw away stained or disintegrating sponges, well used magic erasers and scrubber brushes with worn down bristles. - Give away: Don’t like the smell of a product?
Did a cleaner or tool under perform or not live up to expectations?
Add all of these items to the give away pile.
And make a mental note to ask local family and friends if they’d like to have them.
Your cast offs may be someone else’s favorite products! - Consolidate: Do you have three half-empty bottles of glass cleaner?
You can combine them into one if they’re the same brand and product formula, but if not it’s best not to combine them.
You never want to mix chemicals together.
Now’s not the time to play Mad Scientist! - Relocate: Find a new home for anything that doesn’t need to live in the under the kitchen sink area out of the space.
For example, is this really the best place to store extra lightbulbs or bug spray?
No!
First, storing these products under the sink isn’t intuitive and will only make it harder to access kitchen cleaners and tools.
Move items that aren’t strictly kitchen or cleaning-related elsewhere.
- Toss: Expired products, rusted cans, and anything that’s changed color, smell or consistency.
- Measure: This is a crucial step that you don’t want to step becayse the space under the kitchen sink area is limited.
You’re trying to make the most of the space and a too small organizer that doesn’t take advantage of the available space is a missed opportunity that won’t serve you best.
Measure the width, depth, and height of your cabinet.
Most importantly, measure the space around the plumbing and garbage disposal.
Make note of the available space to the left front and right of the plumbing and disposal.
Being aware of these obstructions will be a factor in choosing the best organizer for the space.
Define Your Product and Tool Zones
Before putting things back, group them by use and purpose.
This will help determine what kind of storage solutions you need in the space.
Common zones include:
- Daily Use: Dish soap, dishwasher pods, surface spray, sponges.
- Specialty Cleaners: Stainless steel cleaner, granite countertop polish, floor cleaners, oven cleaner.
- Tools: Scrub brushes, gloves, Magic Erasers.
- Extras: Trash bags, recycling bags, backup sponges.
Choose and Install Under the Kitchen Sink Organizers
The under-sink area is unique because it’s not an open area free for you to design as you wish.
The reality is that pipes and perhaps a garbage disposal dangle down in the middle, making standard shelving impossible.
The goal of under sink organization is to utilize vertical and horizontal space as efficiently as possible.
And also to ensure items don’t recede into the dark depths of the cabinet, never to be seen again.
Here are fantastic under the kitchen sink organizers options that work well in this challenging space:
Roll Out Organizers
Quite often a simple solution is the best solution!
The under the sink area is a great place to try a roll out organizer.
It keeps items grouped together so they don’t get messy and the fact that you can pull it out means reaching items in the back is a snap.
Under the Kitchen Sink Organization Drawers
Standard plastic bins that sit on the cabinet floor are okay, but when you pull them forward, they tend to tip over if they contain heavy items.
A heavy-duty, chrome or metal wire pull-out organizer that screws directly into the base of your cabinet is a fantastic solution.
Because it is anchored to the cabinet floor, an under sink storage drawer offers superior stability.
You can load it with heavy items like giant jugs of detergent or bulk refill containers.
When you pull the handle, the entire unit glides out smoothly on ball-bearing tracks without tipping, granting you full access to items all the way in the back.
Two-Tiered Slide-Outs for Tall Bottles
The awkward space directly underneath the plumbing trap or next to the garbage disposal is usually wasted. You need something that maximizes height but accommodates obstructions.
A specialized two-tiered sliding organizer designed for tall bottles is the solution.
These units typically feature a narrower top shelf and a wider bottom shelf.
This design allows the top tier to slide underneath the lowest hanging pipes, while the bottom tier has enough clearance for tall spray bottles (like Windex or multi-surface cleaners) to stand upright.
No more laying bottles on their sides and risking leaks!
High-Walled Spinning Turntables
Small items like scrub buds, drain stoppers, and small brushes get lost easily.
A standard flat Lazy Susan is a recipe for disaster—one spin and everything flies off into the dark corners.
A spinning turntable with high outer walls at least 3-4 inches high is the solution.
The high walls of this under sink storage organizer contain everything safely while you spin it.
This is perfect for corralling those small, awkwardly shaped items that you use frequently.
One flick of the wrist brings the dishwasher tabs right to the front.
Clear acrylic is best so you can immediately see what you’re grabbing.
A U shaped organizer
U shaped under the kitchen sink organizers have been specifically designed for the challenges the space for kitchen sink storage brings.
Since the center area of the under kitchen sink organizer is low enough to pass underneath the garbage disposal, it’s the perfect place to store smaller items, such as sponges, magic erasers and other similarly small cleaning tools.
The areas to the left and right are for taller bottles of cleaners, containers of dishwasher cleaning pods rolls of trash bags, or a small compost bin.
Under Sink Caddy
A handled caddy makes accessing frequently used cleaning products easier. This is a budget friendly ways to organize the space without installing anything, making it perfect for rentals.
Dishwasher Pod Organizer
Making items for accessible is the name of the game for under the kitchen sink organizing done right.
Dishwasher pods are small and used not he regular, so why not elevate them to make them easier to access?
This YouCopia dishwasher pod organizer hangs over the top of a cabinet door.
You can’t get more accessible than that!
Plastic Grocery Bag Organizer
Another items commonly cluttering up the under the kitchen sink area are plastic shopping bags.
The thing about this sort of plastic bag is that they’ll take up as much room as you let them.
At the same time, they can also be compacted into a relatively small space if you take the time to do so.
A plastic bag organizer is the solution to make corralling the bags quickly and near effortlessly.
Under the Kitchen Sink Organization Maintenance
Once you have your organizers installed, remembers these final under the kitchen sink organization ideas that make a difference long term:
- Load Strategically: Put your most-used items (daily dish soap, surface spray) in the very front of your pull-outs or on the turntable.
Put backup supplies in the back, in your pantry or another area with extra supplies. - Utilize the Doors: Don’t forget the inside of the cabinet doors.
Use command hooks to hang rubber gloves or a small adhesive caddy to hold sponges, freeing up even more valuable shelf space.
Over to you
By using a specialized tools designed to work around the plumbing rather than fighting against it, you can turn the scariest cabinet in your kitchen into one of your favorite organized spaces.
Solutions designed to address under sink kitchen storage will give you the biggest bang for your buck, and I hope you now have a bunch of under the kitchen sink organization ideas to trial in your home.
Taking the time to intentionally carve out under sink organization will pay off in both the short term and long run.
You get the immediate satisfaction of an efficient system, eliminating the cluttered and frustrating under the sink storage area.
In the long run, you save time by not having the daily hassle of dealing with a disorganized space.
With a bit of time and attention, this under the kitchen sink storage space can become a workhorse area that ultimately serves and supports you.
Ready to tackle a related area that’ll boost your overall kitchen organization?
Check out these ideas for organizing the kitchen sink area at the countertop level!
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