10 Ways to Use Office & Bathroom Organizers in the Kitchen

Especially in small kitchens, sometimes you have to think outside the box when it comes to organizing. Fitting everything into an apartment kitchen can require some creative puzzle work.

That’s why when you’re organizing your space, it pays to look beyond the traditional kitchen organizers to other areas of the house. You never know when the office-supply section or the bed-and-bath section of your favorite home goods store might have just the solution you’re looking for.

Here are 10 organizers meant for the office or bathroom that we think can have a second life in the kitchen.

FROM THE OFFICE

• File Sorter: A file sorter doesn’t just have to keep your papers in order. It can also be handy for stashing cutting boards, pot lids, or baking pans.
  To buy: Nickel Caddy, $160 from See Jane Work
• Cord Keepers: With a name like cord tacos, how were these not made for the kitchen? While you might be used to using them to keep your earbuds or your iPhone charger from getting tangled, they can also wrangle the cords on your small appliances like your immersion blender, hand mixer, and ice cream maker.
  To buy: FreeGums Cord Taco, $35 for three from This Is Ground
• Magazine Files: There are plenty of ways to put magazine files to use when organizing your pantry. They are perfectly sized to corral plastic wrap, waxed paper, and aluminum foil. Or you can stash recipes you’ve clipped or printed out from online.
  To buy: Bigso Library Magazine Files, $13 each from Container Store
• Binder Clips: Don’t waste your money on chip clips ever again. Raid your desk drawer for a few binder clips to secure bags of potato chips, pasta, and spinach once you’ve opened them.
  To buy: Silver XL 2-inch Binder Clips, $5 from Poppin
• Washi Tape: There seems to be no end in sight to the ways to use washi tape. Not only can you label leftovers, make your own wine charms, and decorate your cabinets, but you can also use it to flag frequently used recipes in your favorite cookbooks.
  To buy: Neon Washi Tape Set, $18 for five rolls from Paper Source

FROM THE BATHROOM

• Corner Shower Caddy: For those corner cabinets that don’t have wonderful rotating shelves, make use of a shower caddy to keep smaller items organized.
  To buy: simplehuman Corner Shower Caddy, $69 from Container Store
• Hair Tool Holder: You might not need the heatproof portion of this organizer, but the drainage holes make it ideal for holding scrub brushes under your sink.
  To buy: Cabinet Door Hair Iron Holder, $20 from OXO
• Metal Mesh Drawer: While this might be designed for the bathroom closet, it works perfectly in your pantry, too. Use it to organize tea bags, yeast packets, or small spice jars.
  To buy: Simple Solutions Medium Mesh Cabinet Drawer, $15 from Bed Bath & Beyond
• Jewelry or Accessory Organizer: We can think of a million little things to stash in one of these organizers. Cake decorators, these are perfect for all the piping-bag tips. We bet you could even use it as a multi-tiered salt cellar if you keep Kosher salt, flaky sea salt, black lava salt, and Himalayan pink salt on hand at all times.
  To buy: 4-Section Acrylic Swivel Organizer, $13 from Container Store
• Hamper: Stash a small hamper in the cabinet under your sink. You’ll save on trips to the laundry room by having a place to stash your kitchen laundry. Or use it to keep your collection of reusable tote bags corralled.
  To buy: Krush Hamper with Ring Handles, $18 from Organize.com