Dee Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Today I was washing the saucer my bottle of oil sits on and it made me wonder how many others do the same thing. For syrup or oil, I set them on a saucer in the cupboard to keep the shelves clean. It's slick as a whistle and so much easier washing the plate periodically than scrubbing the shelves. What ideas can you come up with? I'd love to find more! Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 I keep all of my filled canning jars in the original boxes on the shelf. I can stack them two high, but I have to pull the bottom ones forward every once in a while to see how many "empty" spaces there are. (By empty spaces I mean slots that are occupied by empty jars.) I also stack/pack all of my purchased goods in boxes on the shelves. It is much easier to pull a box forward than to try and keep cans stacked on one another without falling over, etc. Most of my "dry goods" have been repackaged into glass containers: easy to see what is in them, and bug proof to boot! My kitchen cabinets are similar to the pantry - except I use plastic containers; some have plastic storage containers, others have the lids for the containers, one has my pot lids in it. Then there are the ones that have all the pieces to my "small appliances." All the chopping and grating tools are in one basket, the mandolin and its blades are in another, and the spice grinder and "bullet" style mixer/blender/grater are in another. I use the paper sized baskets in my fridge. All I have to do is pull a basket forward to see what is stored at the back of a shelf! And, yes, it is easier to clean a basket than it is a refrigerator shelf! And, as crazy as it sounds, I have a small (metal) organizer rack (3 tier) that is meant for the bathroom sitting on the counter next to my stove. I use it as a spice rack!!! Oh, and I just purchased an over the toilet storage rack that is being used in my kitchen. There is a very short wall that was basically wasted space - but not any more! And the best part is, the bit open space at the bottom is where my Eye Vac is sitting. You could probably also fit a tall kitchen trash can there. I am the queen of repurposing items for other uses than what they were created for. 2 2 Quote Link to comment
Buttercup Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 I hung an old wooden ladder from my kitchen ceiling. Here I can hang pots and pans, baskets, herbs etc. 7 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 Wow Midnightmom, you are so very organized. I love all your ideas! I do have a question. What are paper sized baskets? Buttercup, I've never done this, but I have loved looking at hanging pots, utensils, etc. in kitchens through the years. So many of the expensive homes in magazines and movies have them. Yours is so cool! And the lights just set it off. 1 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 7 hours ago, Dee said: What are paper sized baskets? The ones you use on your desk for IN and OUT papers/documents. You can get them at the 5 Quarter Store - formerly known of as The Dollar Tree. 2 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 Quote You can get them at the 5 Quarter Store - formerly known of as The Dollar Tree. Love that mm. Now I get it. Thanks mm, I just couldn't figure out what they were. 1 Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 (edited) I decided to add some pics of what I was talking about in my previous post..................... On 4/1/2022 at 2:36 AM, Midnightmom said: I keep all of my filled canning jars in the original boxes on the shelf. I can stack them two high, but I have to pull the bottom ones forward every once in a while to see how many "empty" spaces there are. (By empty spaces I mean slots that are occupied by empty jars.) On 4/1/2022 at 2:36 AM, Midnightmom said: I also stack/pack all of my purchased goods in boxes on the shelves. It is much easier to pull a box forward than to try and keep cans stacked on one another without falling over, etc. On 4/1/2022 at 2:36 AM, Midnightmom said: My kitchen cabinets are similar to the pantry - except I use plastic containers. Some have plastic storage containers, others have the lids for the containers, one has my pot lids in it. Then there are the ones that have all the pieces to my "small appliances." All the chopping and grating tools are in one basket, the mandolin and its blades are in another, and the spice grinder and "bullet" style mixer/blender/grater are in another. This is the skinny cabinet between the sink area and the stove. It is where I keep my spices. On 4/1/2022 at 2:36 AM, Midnightmom said: I use the paper sized baskets in my fridge. All I have to do is pull a basket forward to see what is stored at the back of a shelf! And, yes, it is easier to clean a basket than it is a refrigerator shelf! On 4/1/2022 at 2:36 AM, Midnightmom said: Oh, and I just purchased an over the toilet storage rack that is being used in my kitchen. There is a very short wall that was basically wasted space - but not any more! And the best part is, the big open space at the bottom is where my Eye Vac is sitting. You could probably also fit a tall kitchen trash can there. ETA: One or the other, but not both. A lot of the times that I go grocery shopping I also go "box shopping" because I use boxes everywhere to keep my stuff organized - even in the freezer(s)! I find that I can get more items into my freezer and not have to worry about items falling out and hitting my toes if they are in boxes because they keep the contents within their edges. I can also "organize" the boxes by type of content - meat, veggies, butter, leftovers, etc - and I can move boxes that contain similar items and not have to look through individual packages, and have to re-stack everything when I am done. I use this same strategy in my chest freezer - it makes is so much easier to dig for what is in the bottom if I can move multiple items out of the way in one motion. Edited April 4, 2022 by Midnightmom 3 2 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 This is so cool Midnightmom. It's so organized and you know where everything is and it's easy to get to. Thanks for sharing!!! 1 Quote Link to comment
Justmelome Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Wow midnightmom I wish I was that organized I organize it and the next grocery trip puts it out of wack every time. 2 2 Quote Link to comment
Mother Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Midnightmom. I am impressed. No, I am more than impressed, I am envious. I have my cupboards, freezers, and etc organized but not easily enough for me to find things from the wheelchair. You have inspired me to find ways to reorganize so I am not constantly relying on DH to get things for me. I see a trip to the five quarter store in my near future! 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Cricket Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 (edited) I use those plastic bins with the handles on the highest shelves in my kitchen cabinets to hold packets of gravy mixes, crackers, cake mixes, boxes of gelatin and pudding, and other light things. I'm very short, but I can reach high enough on tip-toe to snag the handle on the bins. I'm fully utilizing the space and don't have to drag the stepladder over to reach them. My counter vaulting days are long over, and my hips and knees don't like trying to stand on a chair. In the fridge, I use the thin cutting mats (they were 2 in a pack for $1 at the Dollar Tree when I got them) to line the shelves to catch drips, like under the iced tea pitcher. They are clear enough to allow light to pass through the glass shelves and easy to clean. I love me some dollar-store bins and organizers. The magazine file holders are perfect for vertical storage of paper paper plates, easy to pull out a plate. Like Midnightom, I also use plastic bins to corral and catch drips from my oils and vinegars. I love this thread! Edited to add pictures instead of just links. Edited April 4, 2022 by Cricket 5 Quote Link to comment
Cricket Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Important kitchen tip! We replaced the plastic L-pins holding the kitchen cabinet shelves with metal ones after one of my shelves collapsed. Fortunately, I didn't lose any mason jars of dehydrated foods, but a canister full of popcorn crashed and broke, showering my stove and kitchen with kernels. I wasn't hurt, but it was pretty scary when the shelf full of jars and canisters came crashing down on me. It's been nearly a year, and I'm still finding popcorn kernels. 2 Quote Link to comment
euphrasyne Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 My best kitchen hack is S hooks. gloves with binder clips and s hooks, all types of dishware. grill stuff, kneading bags, clothes pins, anything. 4 1 Quote Link to comment
Dee Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 I am so excited about all these hacks. You ladies are all so ingenious!!! I can't leave things out in the open that mice will get into (Living on a farm where we grow corn, it's hard to keep the darn things out) but I can see how all of these hack's work for other things. I love this!!! 2 Quote Link to comment
themartianchick Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 These are some great ideas! I don't really feel as though I have any organizational hacks to pass along. My house is a 2-family that we have always used as a 1-family. There are two kitchens and I utilize one as a pantry. We have lots of cabinet space but the cabinets are odd and deep. To me, they'd be better for a workshop, rather than a kitchen! One of my daughters shared that she uses clear plastic bins to keep her fridge and freezer organized. She has 5 children and hates when they rummage around trying to find something. I bought some of the bins that she uses last week and have installed them in the freezer of my small refrigerator. I still have more of them to use in our larger fridge. I expected them to allow me to put more stuff in the freezer, but they actually caused less stuff to fit. They organize no better than any of the cheaper bins and things that you've all shared. I think that I got a bad deal! 2 2 Quote Link to comment
Darlene Posted April 9, 2022 Share Posted April 9, 2022 This does not compute. It's way too organized for me and stresses me just looking at it lolol. I've lived in organized chaos for so long that the thought of endless hours organizing to a T, and then keeping that organization up, is too big for my brain lol. 1 Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Oh, I love this thread! The OCD in me is on ---> 1 2 Quote Link to comment
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