![cleaning kitchen sink in purple gloves](https://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20210813174627im_/https://media.angi.com/s3fs-public/styles/widescreen_large/public/kitchen-cleaning.jpg?itok=AkaalJH4)
3 pros!
Kitchen organization doesn't get more glamorous than cleaning the messy, dark cabinet under the sink.
When someone first asked me, in a serious tone, how do you recommend organizing under the kitchen sink?
I thought to myself, “When did my life get so glamorous?”
I mean, really! Next I’ll find myself at a party discussing mildew stain removal.
But, then I thought, “WWMD?” (What would Martha do?)
Answer: Martha would organize the shi-zizzle out of that kitchen cabinet.
So, here we go.
First step: Purge it
As with all organizing projects around the house, the first step is to thin out all the items which do not belong. Think of the old song from Sesame Street: One of these things is not like the others. One of these kids is doin’ her own thing.
Some common culprits I find under kitchen sinks are: bathroom cleaners (store them in the bathroom, where you use them); multiple products for the same kitchen job (pick one multi-purpose cleaner and embrace it); gloves with holes (just why?); bulk items or extra containers of the same products.
DIY All-Purpose Surface Cleaner
This special blend works for granite countertops and other kitchen materials with water spots. It also works on stainless steel and linoleum flooring. I love it!
• 4-5 drops of dish soap
• 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
• Fill spray bottle with water
Once you thin out what you have you will be left with two to four spray bottles, nice gloves, a few clean sponges/pads, maybe some plastic shopping bags in a container on the cabinet door, and a few other cleaning products like dish soap, Swiffer refills cloths, and dishwasher powder.
I honestly have only three cleaning products under my kitchen sink. It is hard to resist the gorgeous colors in the cleaning product aisle at Target, I know. I know! The truth is vinegar and a little bleach or elbow grease can clean pretty much anything in your kitchen.
Next step: Pimp it
Once your cabinet under the kitchen sink is empty, you can decide if you really need to buy storage solutions for the area.
There are so many fancy things you can buy for under kitchen sink storage. You can get slide-out drawers or multi-level shelves. You can get little trash bins that just fit around the pipes.
Any of these gadgets can help, but my all-time favorite solution for organizing under the kitchen sink is a tension rod.
When it comes to organizing products, the lowly tension rod steals my little obsessive-compulsive-leaning heart in many situations. Under the kitchen sink is one of them.
![tension rod organization under kitchen sink](https://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20210813174627im_/https://media.angi.com/s3fs-public/styles/structured_-_full_width_image/public/tension rod under sink.jpg?itok=zwMcZ99V)
Keep it clean under your kitchen sink with this simple tension rod solution. (Photo by Shannon Fox)
Get a skinny tension rod used for small curtains (about $2 at the home improvement store) and install it — no tools needed! — near the front of your cabinet, up high. Now you can hang your spray bottles neatly in a row in the front.
PRO TIP: Label the butts of the bottles for easy recognition for multiple users.
Even if you have a small trash can in one half of your under-sink cabinet, the tension rod can still work if it’s high enough.
I’ve seen crafty examples of people using two tension rods under the sink to hold up shallow, lightweight plastic tubs which hold supplies.
Final step: Reload it
As you are putting your products and items back under the sink, follow another basic rule of organizing: store the things used most often at the front. At my house, this is dishwasher detergent, all-purpose kitchen cleaner and garbage bags.
![kitchen cabinet door basket](https://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20210813174627im_/https://media.angi.com/s3fs-public/styles/half_width_with_auto_height/public/over door holder.jpg?itok=lbHWxrcB)
Hang a basket on the inside of your kitchen cabinet door. (Photo courtesy of Mikie Spencer)
If you have a lot of little things like sponges or brillo pads, use a plastic storage container to corral them all together. That way your collection is much simpler to move in order to get to whatever you need behind it.
Or you can store those things on the cabinet door. I especially like these little trays which hang over the cabinet door to hold the things used everyday for quick access.
Speaking of the cabinet door, if you have hangable things, install some Command hooks on the inside of your cabinet doors.
Thinning out your supplies, utilizing vertical space with tension rods and taking advantage of hanging space on the inside of the cabinet door will really help your organizing situation under the kitchen sink.
If you are extra fancy, bored, or want to impress guests who snoop, you may want to decant your supplies into pretty, matching containers under your sink. You could also use pretty labels and trays of course.
Martha would be so proud.
What are your favorite organizing tricks? Share them in the comments section below!
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