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I had this problem for years and years until my sweetie thought to line the wire basket with a paper towel. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as she would say.

You could use a tea towel if you don't like paper, but there's something very satisfying about just crumpling up the whole mess and tossing it into the trash.

Garlic does better in the dark, though (I'm not sure about onions).

That's why garlic braids are so great... They are a neat and effective way of storing garlic -- just hang. Oh sure, you^ll still get the odd bit of skin floating down, but much less I find than when stored in a bowl or basket.

In France, the BEST garlic is always only available as a braid anyway, so it is not just an aesthetic decision. Unfortunately, you can only find them in weekly markets for a couple of weeks in the fall. I expect it is the same in the U.S. -- farmer's markets and garlic festivals are the way to go. I know that back home in Canada, there is a local garlic growers' garlic sale one weekend (and one weekend only!) when you can buy your garlic -- braided and otherwise.

Here in France, you can also buy braided onions (beautiful and delicious) in grocery stores, as well as shallots. The air circulation helps avoid rotting.

While I really like the look of the hanging wire baskets, ideally both garlic and onions should be stored in the dark (as should potatoes) so I definitely wouldn't keep them right there next to all that gorgeous sunlight.

I keep mine in a small cardboard box inside one of the lower kitchen cabinets. I cut the top off so I can just reach right in for whatever I need and then dump the skins when everything gets too messy. If you can't find a box that fits your space, you could cut one up and duct tape it back together, and you could even cover it with some sort of decorative paper if cardboard is not your thing.

Yeah, I keep my onion and garlic in a big bowl on the countertop, but inside a brown paper bag to keep out the light. I usually keep potatoes in there too and hadn't noticed things going bad particularly fast, but I keep pretty small quantities at a time and replenish frequently.

I have noticed the *sweet* potatoes I keep in there often go bad quickly, but I just assumed they're more perishable than regular potatoes. Any tips on best storage of those?

@ArlingtonEric - better yet, use the tea towel and just throw the skins in the compost or out the door into the yard and let nature take care of things for you.

I placed a little plate in my bottom, largest basket and that catches the skins. (good in summer to catch the little stems that fall of my cherry tomatoes too)
However, good point others made about that sunny spot being not ideal for onions and garlic. Maybe some bright colorful tea towels (or other attractive supplies) could be stored in that basket instead.

I'm a big fan of the cookie jar method! Toss your garlic and your onions in there, set the lid on top - cool and dark, just like they like it.

Thanks for all the suggestions...I think under the counter, in a box, will probably work best because the whole kitchen is sunny with windows on 2 sides and open to the main living area, so there really isn't a place to keep them dark above the counters. So now, can I throw out a secondary question...hanging baskets or no, in general? I go back and forth. I love the idea of lining it with tea towels. But then the stuff in the top basket always gets ignored. Small plant perhaps? Something else decorative? Or is it just too messy all together?

How about a hanging basket with only one basket?

I saw these awesome burlap sacks designed for exactly this purpose at maya*made. You could make your own, or buy some from Maya's Etsy shop next time she has them in stock.

oh wow i did not know about potatoes and onions together. I have been doing that for years. They dont seem to spoil that quickly though. I usually keep the potatoes in the bags they came in at the store, I wonder if thats what saves them?

Anyway, I have used a wicker basket with a canvas liner i keep in a cabinet for Onions, Garlic, shallots, potatoes etc. Although I guess I may be thinking about separating those now. I just shake it out over the trash and throw the liner in the wash from time to time.

BTW love the kitchen cabs and subway tile backsplash!!! Ikea, right? I think we have the same countertop. Too bad they discontinued this particular door model.

I bought storage tins from IKEA and store the onions in the largest one and the garlic in the smallest one. This has worked pretty well for me. When I run out, I just dump the skins into the trash. The large tin can hold a five pound sack of yellow onions, and the small one can hold three large cloves of garlic. I probably go through this amount almost weekly, so I don't know how they would keep in these tins long term.

Incidentally, I use the square tin for napkins - it's the perfect size - and the round tin for the small round spices.

LMax,
If you like the baskets and want the insides to be seen, could you just put a clear glass bowl inside each basket? Most kitchen stores or hardware stores will have those nesting glass bowls, which would probably work perfectly.

Yes, Ikea cabinets and Dal tile. I bought extra cabinet doors when I purchased them (they were already on sale so I knew they would be gone soon). I do love them, but they do scratch if you're not careful. The countertop...not so much. Wish I had ponied up and bought the Caesarstone...but what you can't see is the 10-foot island that is opposite the counter in the picture. And the new roof, and the new plumbing, and the new windows and doors...so, yeah. Cheap Ikea countertops. Thanks to all for the input!

I usually have several heads of garlic hanging around and I keep them in a bowl nearby, in a very decorative bowl that I love. The onions do go into a good looking wire basket in the corner, nothing very innovative there, just pure function (except for the onion skins...)

I use a three-tiered hanging basket just like the one in the photo but I put it in my pantry so it stays dark. On the top go bananas and any summer stone fruit I am trying to ripen in a paper bag, middle basket is potatoes, and the larger one on the bottom holds my onions and garlic. But, I "line" it with a basket that I had lying around the house to contain my skins.

As others have said, onions should be in the dark, and, as one person pointed out, a cool place.

If you have a closet or pantry (or basement?) that you keep non-clothes items in, do what you would do if you had grown them yourself. Get a pair of pantyhose (preferably used - because then you're reusing, rather than buying more...maybe one leg has a run in it, but the other leg is fine), drop an onion down to the toe, make a knot, repeat. Hang it in your closet. As you need to use the onions, cut them out.

in the island in our kitchen we have a straw Mexican basket that we put our onions in. I was nervous at first my dogs might get into them but actually they never do except one of my dogs use to get angry and knock the basket over for attention. lol

garlic IS better in the dark. I usually put mine in a terracotta bowl with a lid.

I don't know if anyone is coming back around to this, but I ended up putting them all in a fabric Ikea drawer organizer (they come flat and you zip them open - use them in the sock drawers, etc). Put them in the cabinet below the counter and voila - no more onion/garlic skins on the counter! And I don't have to deal with one more thing ON my counter. Thanks to all for the comments.

The best way I've found is to use canvas bags hanging from hooks for potatoes and onions. The fabric is heavy enough to contain all the mess and keep them in the dark, but it also allows the onions/potatoes to stay dry. Now and again, I throw the bags in the washer to clean them.

If you have an old pair of panty hose, you can cut off a leg then drop an onion in and tie a knot. Keep dropping onions and tieing knots until you run out of onions or hose. Hang it in the pantry and cut the bottom onion off when you need it. Keeping the onions separated allows better air circulation and the knots keep the upper onions from bruising the lower ones. You also use the oldest ones first.