How to Organize Under the Kitchen Sink

Welcome to week three of my 2017 Whole House Challenge.  We're winding things down in the kitchen with just 3 areas left to tackle: under the sink, using the space above the cabinets, and the fridge. 

Today's project is: the space underneath the sink

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If you've been doing this challenge with me let me be the first to congratulate you!   This is definitely a commitment. And like all commitments, it's often difficult to see it through to the end. But look how far we've come. Only 3 weeks into the new year and we have:

1. Cleaned and organized our utensil and junk drawers 
2. Purged and categorized our food cabinets and pantry
3. Reigned in the plastic storage containers.
4. Arranged our kitchen stations. 
5. Learned tricks to organize those tricky areas like the blind corner cabinet and the Lazy Susan

Whoo hoo!  If you've gotten a bit behind, no worries.  Just click on any of the highlighted text above to catch up.

Today's project involves an area of the kitchen most us try to avoid. It's the black hole of the kitchen. The under sink cabinet. Most people - like me - shy away from organizing this area because of all the awkward plumbing.  But as we shall see, there's a way to work around that too

So let's get started shall we.  Here is the space before it was cleaned up.

Items needed to organize under the kitchen sink:

• A clear open space to spread things out
• A box/bin for donations
• Your favorite cleaning solution
• Protective liner for your cabinets (optional)

The Process: Empty, Purge, Sort, Scrub, Analyze, Return

1. Empty the entire cabinet
2. Purge anything that is expired. Save a reasonable amount of shopping bags and toss the rest. 
3. Sort and group items according to their type. Toss or donate items you don't plan to use. 
4. Scrub down all the inside of the cabinet with your favorite cleaning solution.
5. Analyze your space. How can you arrange it so that it will be easily for you and others in the home to 1) Find what they need, 2) Assess what needs replacing, and 3) Return things to their place.  (An organized space will take you F.A.R)
6. Return the items to the cabinet

If you plan to shop for organizational items for this area be sure to use this handy worksheet to take accurate measurements around the piping. Remember to record the following measurements:

• The space from the front of the cabinet to the back 
• The space from the cabinet ceiling to its floor
• How much space there is from the side of the cabinet to the first piece of plumbing DO THIS ON BOTH SIDES. 

So after a bit of planning, here's how it all turned out. 

Remarkably, the process only took me about 35-40 minutes! It certainly makes me wonder why on earth I put it off for so long.  In my haste to get this most loathed task done, I completely forgot to take pictures of the cabinet before I styled it. My apologies. 

I reduced a massive collection of plastic bags, and tossed a ton of unused vases. Now I have a place for everything I need.  I even had enough space to put my tiny kitchen herb garden supplies.  

P.S.  There's just one more thing I'd like to share with you.  I am so appreciative of the support that I'm receiving through this challenge, that I'm compelled to give a little something back.  Drum roll please...

Yes, I'm going to host a giveaway.  I'm still in the process of working out the details, but will announce more on this in tomorrow's newsletter. What??? You've not yet signed up?  Well, now might be a good time.  I promise it will be worth it.  To sign up for my newsletter click here. 

Are you still with me?  Tell me please, how do you like this organization challenge so far?