How I organised my under-sink cupboard of doom!

Top tips for organising a restricted under-sink cupboard on a budget

There's something very satisfying about an organised under-sink cupboard. I realise that makes me sound about 140 years old, but it appeals to my love of order and organisation, if only I could turn this love into a lifestyle instead of the usual chaos that engulfs our house, but one step at a time!

My under-sink cabinet was anything but organised as you will see from the photos, it was in quite a state. But that was a good thing in some ways because it makes the transformation all the more satisfying.

Don't laugh, but a project of this magnitude required some serious research, (one of my favourite things to do). The good news for you guys is that I have spent hours trawling the Internet for the best space-saving under-sink storage and organisation to save you the trouble.

Typically, the space under your sink can be quite restricted, especially considering the pipes and plumbing that need to be housed within the same space. Therefore you're often dealing with a slightly odd-shaped space and a small one which can make organising it even more tricky. Happily, I found a number of solutions that deal with both of these space-related issues. Even more happily, I've managed to find solutions that are affordable, even on a small budget.

Here’s what I used…

Here are the links (*some are affiliate links)...

1. Pull-out drawer storage £15.99 Amazon

2. Shelf insert £4.49 IKEA

3. Container £3.99 (for 3) The Range

4. Back-of-door storage £17.99 (for 2) Amazon

How to make the most of the space under the sink

The key to success is using every inch of available space, adding features like pull-out drawers to enable you to access the space at the very back without having to pull out the products at the front first. Another top tip is to utilise the back of the cupboard door when you are planning your organisational system. I found the above solution with self adhesive strips so easy to fit and holds loads.

I was careful to ensure that all in-cupboard storage was easy to remove to enable access to the vital plumbing if required, as it would be just my luck…I'd get all my beautiful storage screwed in and fixed down, only to get a blocked pipe under the sink and have to remove all again!

I tried to avoid buying plastic where possible instead opting for metal items. Initially, I was looking for wood, rattan and cane, basically more natural materials. However, they seemed very few and far between and were considerably more expensive and came in a much smaller range of sizes meaning that you couldn't optimise the space under the sink using these options.

Here’s the step-by-step for how I organised the space under our sink…

1. Empty the under-sink cabinet
   

First step was to completely clear out all the crap and work out if there was anything I could throw away. There were a couple of almost empty bottles that I used up and put in the recycling and a couple of things with interesting use-by dates (who knew dishwasher cleaning tablets went out of date??) 2. Clean the under-sink cabinet

Once everything was out, I gave the inside of the cupboard and the pipework a good clean. I’m still not really sure how the insides of cupboards manage to get dirty but anyway! I gave the inside of the door a really good clean as you need to get all traces of grease and grime off for the self-adhesive strips to stick properly.

3. Build the pull-out storage drawers

This was super simple, you pop a long support in the hole in each corner of the bottom, (pull out) drawer section, then place the top section over it, slotting the pipes into the holes on the base. Attach the loops that fit into the front and back of the top section and then there are hooks and cups that can slot onto the sides, I actually chose not to put these on this storage unit and put them on the door one instead.

4. Stock the cupboard

I filled the top and bottom sections with items of the relevant heights taking care to put the things I use the most near the front and the random crap nearer the back! I used an old IKEA shelf insert that I’ve had for years on the left-hand side as the pipes reduced the available height. Had I not had this issue, I would have used two of the black pull-out storage units. Under the shelf insert, I put an old plastic container that I bought from the Range ages ago. It’s one of a stackable set of 3 for £3.99. I’ve got the other 2 in another cupboard.

5. Fit the storage to the back of the door

This bit was super simple and just required the self-adhesive strips to be peeled off the back and then pressed onto the door firmly removing any bubbles of air. Then you simply place the metal containers on the hooks and fill them with 'stuff'! I used the hooks and handing cups from the in-cupboard pull-out drawers to hang off these instead as it felt a bit crowded in the cupboard for them.

I'm so happy with the results. The mess is gone, the cupboard is organised and it took less than an hour and cost very little. I'm going to make a reel with the step-by-step, but hit me up in the meantime if you have any questions. Happy organising!