Day 3 - How to Declutter and Organise your Under-sink Cupboard

Good Morning :)

How did you get on with Yesterday's task of Decluttering and Organising your Worktops? I bet there is a vast improvement, not only with visual clutter but in their function of them too.

Today's Task is to Declutter and Organise the Under the Sink Cleaning Supplies Cupboard

 

Have you looked under your kitchen sink lately?

 

Is it a space that you avoid looking at because it's stuffed full of so many odds and ends it never seems tidy? If only organising the space under the kitchen sink was as simple as organising the kitchen sink. 

 

Go on, take a peek.  Do you have mountains of cleaning supplies that you bought because you liked the smell, or even on the off-chance that you may just use them?  Are there sponges galore and a plethora of tea towels, not to mention the carrier bag chaos in there, all that before the other items start jumping off the shelf to be freed.   

 

The cabinet under your kitchen sink is a good place to start decluttering and organising. Thanks to the maze of pipes down there, it is often one of the most easily cluttered spaces.  The key to organisation is to find a system that works for you. You need your under-sink cupboard to be functional and maintainable once you achieve this, that will help you get and stay organised.

 

Begin by removing everything that is under the sink so you can assess what you have been hiding there.  I find it easier when I group like-for-like items – dusters in a pile, sponges in the other etc. Do you have multiples of anything? More than 2? If so, consider donating them to the food bank.  They always need items like these, if they are unused.

I think 2 of any cleaning item is the limit - 1 in use and 1 spare. Otherwise, you just become overwhelmed with products, if there is a new product you want to try - Better get cleaning and hurry up and use the old one - Joking.

 

I gave the cupboard and shelves a quick wash down.  I thought I might as well do it whilst everything was out already. 

 

Place an absorbent mat in the cupboard first - Optional

It's a good idea to lay an absorbent mat on the shelves and base of the cupboard, this will absorb any future leaks and spillages. Condensation and water droplets can form in the cupboard because it gets quite warm in there -especially if you don’t use a plastic bowl.  Laying a mat underneath everything it will make cleaning easier next time. 

Personally, I don’t have a mat under my items because I have storage boxes that I keep things in, so a mat would get in the way of sliding the boxes out.

 

Set up a cleaning caddy with your essential items

Now that we are decluttering and organising the under-sink cupboard, it’s the perfect time to gather and declutter all of your cleaning items together.  This makes doing daily chores so much easier, as you don’t have to keep popping back into the kitchen when you forgot something you needed – Is it just me?  

 

A cleaning caddy with a handle that can be carried around the house and then slotted back into place in the under-sink cupboard is ideal.  I love mine, it's just so handy.  It doesn’t even have to be an expensive one.  I got mine for less than £5 in The Range and it's BIG.  I store all of my cleaning products for downstairs here, and I have another one upstairs for my bathroom and toilet cleaning products.

I know it looks like I have too many microfibre cloths - but I DONT, I like to use a certain one for cleaning the window, and after I have vacuumed them off with the Karcher, I use another one for buffing the window. I have some in use and in the wash...OK OK, you may have guessed it - I love my microfibre clothes - they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to the multitude of uses...Don't even get me started on the Magic Erasers.

Decant into your own cleaning bottles

You can transfer your cleaning products into a clear plastic bottle and label them yourself, this will help the cupboard look more organised as it will reduce the visual clutter. 

 

I have done this with my washing up liquid and handwash that I keep on the sink, did you notice them on Day 1 of the challenge?  It does look a lot tidier.  I have also decanted some spray bottles and labelled them up using my handy dandy Cricut Machine.

Don't they look cute?

 

Make use of awkward gaps by using a tension rod

When organising a small kitchen, maximising all accessible storage is key. Fitting a tension rod in your under-sink cupboard is a good way to make use of all the space. You can hang your spray bottles on the rod and turn those awkward gaps on either side of the sink into useful storage space. 

Because my cupboard has a gap in the backboard, I use this to hang up my spray bottles.  It used to annoy me that gap - but I turned it into something positive - now it holds my oven cleaner and super-disinfectant spray.  Once I finish using the bottle of oven cleaner I will not be replacing it, I will use my recipe for cleaning the oven that is more environmentally friendly - not to mention smells so much better. 

 

Group similar items in boxes

Group similar items in boxes to avoid items becoming scattered and getting lost in the back of the cupboard.  For example, you can Washing powder tabs, fabric conditioner, and scent boosters a in box.  When you next come to do the laundry you will thank yourself for taking the time to organise under the sink. It is better to use boxes that don’t have lids and make sure you label them, so everyone knows where the items are meant to go – just in case someone decides to help with the washing up 😊

As you can see, I have a box for all my shoe-polishing equipment (polishes, brushes and spray cleaners. I keep a pack of spare laces and I put insoles at the side of them in the cupboard, so that way if anything shoe-related is needed, everyone in my house knows where they can find them, should I not be home.    I also have a box for my scrubbies and one for my tea towels

Add hooks to the inside of doors

One of the best ways to organise the under-sink cupboard is simply just to add some hooks to the inside of your cupboard door, this is an ideal place to hang microfiber cloths, dusters and tea towels. This allows you to quickly grab the items when you need them. Just make sure you leave enough clearance space for when the door is closed. 

 Yes, there are even more microfibre clothes here... I know I know.

How do I organise my kitchen cupboard under the sink?

I predominantly use my under-sink cupboard for storing my cleaning supplies such as washing up liquid, sponges, scrubbies, rubbish bags, rubber gloves, drain cleaners, and all-purpose cleaners.

 

I also store my iron under the sink, I know it's not a great place to keep it (due to the electricity and water) But, to be honest, I really do struggle for storage space.

 

Under-sink storage is a handy place to store items that you'd rather not have on display but reach for frequently. Keep your cleaning supplies and other household items under the sink, but be aware of what you shouldn’t store under your sink for hygiene and safety purposes.  If you have children in the house – please take care storing bleach and other harsh chemicals – unless you have a child lock on the cupboard.

 

If you're storing your tea towels and dish clothes under sinks, wash them fairly regularly to prevent the build-up of mould, which can grow in dark places.

Do you have a microfibre addiction? Let me know in the comments below if you have cleaning product that you can't get enough of.  Don't forget to Tag me in your before and after posts  #GoDeclutter30DayChallenge

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow when we tackle the utensils and knives

I really appreciate you stopping by, and want to say thank you - because without you I wouldn't be here. Believe in Yourself, You got this, NOW Go Declutter!