apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We keep some under the sink in the kitchen and some under the sink in the bathroom. My parents kept most cleaning supplies on shelves above the washer and dryer in the laundry room, a set-up I prefer. But we live in a small, one-bedroom apartment with one closet (in the bedroom, for clothes), so under the sinks works best for us. I can't imagine keeping cleaning supplies near my food!

First I keep my cleaning products Simple. I have only four things: baking soda, vinegar, oxydrain, and dish soap.

I keep them under the sink in the kitchen AND I keep baking soda & vinegar in the bathroom too.

That is the easiest way for me to actually clean.

Mine are in my "hall closet" that's actually in the dining room/office. It's the only storage area and real estate is hard to come by. I need to reorganize and take advantage of the spot under the sink. I just don't want 1/2 in the kitchen and 1/2 in the closet, you know?

Definitely remove the cleaning supplies and put them away from your food--also, consider how many different ones you really need. All I have for cleaning is an all-purpose spray (Biokleen), baking soda, white vinegar, and bleach just in case.

As for the rest of the pantry, try labeling areas and dedicate them to certain items. Oils all together, boxes of tea (I see a bunch scattered all over) in the same place, grains in another place. I succeeded in organizing my refrigerator only after I labeled the shelves. And good luck!

Under the sink for most cleaning supplies, brooms and vacuum in the coat closet (not ideal), bathroom cleaning supplies under the sink in the bathroom, laundry cleaning supplies by the washer/dryer in the basement.

This is the first apartment where I've been able to have this sort of arrangement. Before, space was much tighter.

We keep ours in a high cabinet above the fridge because they just don't get used that often (!). I wipe things down at least once a day with water and dishsoap.

Also, I keep a cheese shaker in the bathroom filled with powdered laundry soap. It's super convenient for washing little things without needing to dig out the box o soap.

I keep most things in the garage, but under each sink there is one or 2 basic cleaning items that way i have everything I need when I am going to clean. I do not store cleaners in my food pantry, its just unappetizing!

I had to say other, since some are under kitchen sink and some under bathroom sink. That's what undersink areas are for!

I have one of these expandable shelf organizers under the kitchen sink and it works so well I would have one under the bathroom sink too, but for some reason it didn't work out there:

http://www.stacksandstacks.com/expandable-under-sink-organizer

As you can see from the shot of my pantry at the beginning of this post, I am in dire need of a cure. I have managed to clean my pantry to a certain degree but I still don't have a place for the cleaning products which I still keep on the top shelf (we used that space to keep them away from my son, who is now old enough to know better). Ideally they would go in our basement (which is in even worse shape).
Right now I am looking for more detailed organizational ideas for the pantry which will morph back into its original mess soon. Oh and I do use a metal box for the cleaning supplies but apparently that isn't enough!

Check out the before and after so far, below:
http://www.izzyeats.com/2009/10/is-there-cure-for-this-my-pantry.html

No way! My kitchen storage is in high demand. I have pots and pans and various oven proof dishes jam packed under my kitchen sink.

Ack! Cleaning supplies stored above food is a major no-no. If they must go in the pantry, put them on the bottom! Otherwise, under the kitchen sink is a good place, as is somewhere in the laundry area.

Hey - I spy my cabinet up there! Yes, the bottom of the cabinet under the sink had warped and rotted through. Until we can afford our new cabinets, my handy husband built a sturdy ledge for everything.

And now I really see how badly I need to clean and paint the wood and doors!

Split between under the sink and in the laundry.

i use an empty uber gallon sized tub of tidy cat to store the scary stuff in, and that lives under the bathroom sink.

under my sink is a scary mess of teetering bottles of chemicals. i'm looking forward to decluttering that cupboard, i have no idea whats in there.

I have to admit that there is some mix-up of cleaning fluids and bottles of oil and vinegar under my kitchen sink, even after decluttering. But these oil bottles are just to tall to fit in the cupboards overhead, and I do need to have some cleaning stuff on hand in the kitchen.
But you've made me think about this and I will definitely change this - just have to think HOW.

Mine are split 1/2 in the kitchen and 1/2 in the hall closet. I just have a few all purpose sprays and extra dish soap and sponges, but like to have things at my fingertips. Though I guess you could make the argument than in 700 sq ft most things are at your fingertips!

i usually keep them under the kitchen sink, but once we move into our new home they will be stored in the laundry room, nice and tucked away so my 2 year old cant get to them.

I keep them in the guest room closet. When guests come they dont use the whole thing, but I move them out to the laundry. The guest room is just on the same floor as most of the cleaning!

i have a question for folks whose cleaning products include only white vinegar and baking soda: what do you use for cleaning wood surfaces? aren't vinegar and baking soda too abrasive for wood? i would love to reduce my stash of cleaning supplies but i always have some oil/wax for my wood coffee table, dressers and shelves.

We use Tupperware containers for our food supplies. As well as the containers, I bought the page of labels too - there were enough pre-written ones that it was worth it for me even though I won't use them all.

Here in Australia they offer a pantry organization service to help you decide which containers and how many you need for your foods. I assume that they offer the same where you live.

Our cleaning products currently live under the sink in the kitchen (for kitchen specific cleaners) or in the laundry cupboard (for laundry / bathroom cleaners). We'll see where they end up when we move but I expect they'll be somewhere similar.