DIY Kitchen Storage Ideas for Decluttered Counters, Organized Cabinets, and More

Spice racks will make your motley spice jars more accessible and easier to use. Tony Design/Shutterstock

Whether it’s used to prep a quick afterschool snack for the kids or to cook a gourmet holiday meal, the kitchen is the heart of the home.

As such, kitchens can also quickly become the most cluttered areas of most homes, filled with pots and pans, high-end knives, pretty cutting boards, aromatic spices, and wonderful culinary gadgets that make life easier—and, unfortunately, all manage to get in the way of the actual cooking.

The first step is to clean off the counter. Unless there is an absolute ton of storage space in the kitchen itself, move that decorative but rarely used bread maker, ice cream machine, waffle press, and similar appliances to a secondary location. At the same time, pack up other infrequently used items such as holiday dishes, serving bowls, cutlery, and extra pots and pans and move them out as well.

If there’s no pantry available, they can be safely stored on a garage or basement shelf. For tiny apartments, consider the upper area of a closet, or even under-bed storage.

As professional chefs know, the first step to culinary inspiration is a clutter-free workspace.

Instant Gratification

Although the basic white, plastic cutlery organizer remains a staple in many kitchen drawers—and for a good reason, since it works!—there are more expansive and attractive options worth considering.

Multi-piece drawer trays, available in clear plastic, wire mesh, and wood, can be used to create a custom layout that can add structure to those “junk drawers” full of chip clips, pens, rubber bands, and other saved bits, as well as to create dedicated areas for the most-used utensils and tools, such as a manual can opener, pizza cutter, measuring spoons, kitchen shears, spatula, rolling pin, whisk, tongs, food thermometer, and more.

Other options include wood or bamboo adjustable drawer dividers that allow for an even more flexible fit (instead of trays of a specific size), and pegboard-style inserts to hold things in place.

Got a hobby woodworker in the family? Then the solutions are limited only by one’s imagination. Once done, keep in mind that many of these designs work to organize bathroom drawers equally well.

Kitchen drawer organizers are ideal for tidying up cutlery, kitchen tools, and odds and ends. kasarp studio/Shutterstock

Spice of Life

When it comes to all those little bottles of delicious—and easily disorganized—spices and seasonings, there are several clever solutions.

Drawer racks keep the bottles slightly tilted to fit efficiently in even shallow drawers with the labels easy to read. Most systems are expandable, if desired. If drawer space is at a premium, consider a simple spice riser that puts each row of bottles at an increasing height on a cabinet shelf so they’re easy to see and reach.

Two-level, pull-out spice racks fit even more spices onto a standard cabinet shelf, as will a simple two-level Lazy Susan. Mounting snap-in spice racks to the inside of a cabinet door is another convenient option that can keep the most common seasonings at hand, while the rest can be stored farther from the prep area.

Curated Cabinets

There’s nothing more annoying than wanting to use the bottom pan on a stack of pans. But luckily, turning jumbles into joy doesn’t have to be expensive. Set a pan drying rack in the cabinet to create instant raised storage and separate the pans. Match it with a lid holder mounted to the cabinet door, and one for cutting boards as well. These items can often be found at dollar stores.

A less permanent solution, particularly for rental tenants, is a large, over-the-cabinet door organizer (mounted with hooks, so no drilling required) that can hold cutting boards, cookie sheets, aluminum foil, wax paper, and more.

Do you have a stash of water bottles? Get a specialized water bottle holder, or repurpose an old wire or plastic wine bottle holder to keep them from rolling out every time a cupboard opens.

Food storage containers in the kitchen are like socks in the laundry—one half of each set is at hand, but its mate is often missing. Solutions range from lid organizers with adjustable dividers to those that store both lids and bottoms.

The Big League

Items lost to the back of deep cabinets can easily be a thing of the past. Full-extension pull-out shelves are a game changer for everything from cookware to a well-stocked pantry. They come in full-drawer widths as well as two- or three-pack slide-out cabinet organizers. They are available with solid bottoms (like a cabinet shelf), or vented bottoms (to allow more airflow).

Take things up a notch by organizing these “shelves” with kitchen drawer organizers. The shelves typically have low sides, which will hold the drawer organizers in place. Pull-out wire shelves and wire baskets are also available.

The most frustrating area of any kitchen is the hard-to-access storage space where the lower cabinets are on the inside of a corner. The good news is that DIY blind corner pullouts make even those tough areas fully functional. They come in left, right, and universal options.

Lastly, turn chaotic under-sink cleaning supply storage into two grab-and-go cleaning caddies: one for general home use and a second one for windows. They’ll look good and save lots of time.

Pull-out shelves make losing items to the back of a deep cabinet a thing of the past. Olivier Le Queinec/Shutterstock

Efficient Eats

When organizing food storage, put the snack foods out of sight to lessen the temptation (if you don’t see it, you won’t eat it). In your storage area, put healthy favorites up front.

Savvy Shopper

Keep like items together, whether it’s canned fruit, veggies, pasta, or baking supplies. It’s efficient when planning meals and cooking, but best of all, it allows you to keep an eye on inventory and stock up on sale items.

Cabinet Alternative

Wish you could add more cabinets? Consider a rolling kitchen cart. Designs range from wire basket shelves for produce storage to small mobile islands with chopping board tops for additional prep space.

Vertical Storage

Lucky enough to have a separate pantry? Hang an over-the-door (no-drill) pantry organizer for canned goods and other excess items. The door to an attached garage works equally well, but keep in mind that the garage may get hot in summer and cold in winter.