9 Inspiring Ideas to Help You Organize All the Stuff Under Your Sink

updated Aug 1, 2021
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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Prop Stylist: Stephanie Yeh/Kitchn

Your under-sink area needs to work hard. It’s gotta be home to all sorts of stuff: that giant bottle of dishwasher detergent you picked up at Costco, sponges, brushes, a rainbow of cleaning sprays, that little scraper tool to clean off your plates, etc. The issue (as you are probably well aware) is that things can get unruly pretty quickly, with all those different sizes and shapes. Bottles fall over. Packaging gets ruined. Stuff gets shoved in there all willy nilly over time.

We’re here to help! First, spend time evaluating your tools and remove anything that seems pretty questionable (yep, like, that really old sponge wedged in the back). Once you do that, you can start to organize! And that’s where we come in! Here are nine great ways to corral your under-the-sink clutter, and keep your kitchen cleaning tools looking nice and neat!

1. Add a simple sponge caddy to the door.

Don’t let the back of your cabinet doors go to waste. Command makes great self-adhesive caddies that can you can stick onto the door. Then, you can use it to hold your dish sponge and brushes between uses. This keeps your under-the-sink area neat, as well as your around-the-sink area!

Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn

2. Use over-the-door hangers and racks.

Another idea: Hang a towel holder over the door backwards and you can hook spray bottles over top and let them hang from their handles.

Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Prop Stylist: Stephanie Yeh/Kitchn

3. Add an expandable shelf.

Check out this nifty shelf! It can be expanded and reconfigured to fit nearly any pipe-and-cabinet situation. And the two tiers help to maximizes cabinet space. Tip: Designate specific areas of the shelf for different kinds of items. For example, store brushes and sponges together and cleaning supplies in another spot. 

Credit: Joe Lingeman

4. Add a wet bag for used towels.

What’s your current system for already used towels? Do they sit in a pile until laundry day? Do you bring them upstairs to mingle with all your clothes? Get a wet bag (like the kinds used for bathing suits during beach trips) and hang it from the side of your cabinet. Then, you can toss towels in there until you’re ready to throw in a load.

Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Prop Stylist: Stephanie Yeh/Kitchn

5. Use a tension rod.

One of our absolute favorite tips is to use a tension rod in the cabinet, so that you can hang just about anything, including a rainbow of cleaning products and dishwashing gloves.

Related: 3 Brilliant Ways a $3 Tension Rod Can Help Organize Your Kitchen

6. Load up a lazy Susan.

A simple way to make sure you can see everything in the cabinet is to add a lazy Susan. Load it up (with the tallest stuff in the middle) and then all of your cleaning supplies will be within easy reach.

Credit: Sarah Crowley

7. Make use of hooks.

Another way to use the back of your cabinet door: Rig some hooks to create a home base for your dishwashing gloves. They’ll be able to dry in between uses and they’ll be hidden out of the way.

Credit: Joe Lingeman

8. Mount your trash bags.

Sure, trash bags some in a box that doubles as a dispenser, but it’s not the greatest system in the world. You always end up pulling out too many and that box tends to fall apart before you finish the roll. We’ve got easy-to-follow directions that’ll help you mount your bags on the side of the cabinet wall.

Read more: The $8 Hack That’ll Make Storing Your Trash Bags a Million Times Better

Credit: Joe Lingeman

9. Fold your clean towels the Marie Kondo way.

And then line them up them in a basket. It’s truly the best way. Trust us.

Read more: Marie Kondo’s Method for Storing Kitchen Towels Is the Only Way to Store Kitchen Towels

Do you have a great sponge, towel, or brush storing solution? Tell us in the comments below.