Let’s get organized!

I have a plastic bin in the pantry that holds 3 water bottles, 2 insulated wine cups, an extra soda stream bottle, 2 travel coffee mugs, insulated thermos and insultated beer holders. Probably takes up less space than the water bottle holders above…

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I have cabinet door spice cabinet; I write the spice name on the perimeter of the lid for when the shelf obstructs the name.
I would have one spinner for baking types and one for savory - I’d put the tall containers in the center and short ones at the perimeter of the spinner.

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Great idea on writing on the lids! Thanks!

How/where do y’all store bags of chips and boxes of crackers? I have zero desire to, “decant” those. Maybe I need to put them in my Lazy Susan that I am still trying to determine a use for??

We have no special holders, but we use 2 or more each when we ride our bikes, plus have the metal water bottle that holds exactly 1 bottle of wine and keeps it cool, plus the metal water bottle not used for biking that keeps water cold, some that had handles on them we could use when we were hiking (they collapsed for putting in suitcases too), and probably others. Plus my kids have shaker bottles they drink out of (put protein powder in them but then just use for water all day). There’s a whole industry out there :slight_smile:

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This. That labeled wooden-slit thing that just fits atop the sandwich/freezer bag boxes is an example of a solution to a non-problem. I’d be very careful of buying anything that doesn’t solve a real problem and will probably end up on the Bag a Week thread, like any type of specialized dryer rack that just screams, “I’m too lazy to dry this right now.” Why not just dry the item? Or let it sit upside down on a rack/grate in the sink if it’s too narrow for a towel? So many of these organizer items are better at lining the pockets of the manufacturers than lining drawers and cabinets that can be organized just as well or better with small boxes and containers you already own.

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Came home and counted - 6 “water” bottles - and that’s after culling some. I’d also put 2 Tervis cups in a holder or the like. I could maybe pair down to 4 if I really wanted to - but we do use these 6 for different purposes - plus 2 are identical besides color - which is one each for H and I on a long car trip.

Regarding cereal and crackers and such. First of all chips - I eat them as fast as I can. :wink:

I leave them in original packaging and my organizing tip is to buy less varieties - no more than 2 boxes of cereal at a time (I rarely eat it anyway) , only Ritz crackers unless there is a special dish/occasion.

And yeah the chips, keep in packaging and only have one chip and one tortilla chip open at a time.

Couldn’t have done all this though when three kids were at home.

Nope ; ). I have certain bottles I use for certain activities and I have plenty of room for them.

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I use blue painters tape and sharpies to mark all my containers. It’s not super-beautiful, but it’s easy to spot.

My DD convinced me to buy the OXO vacuum containers, I am very happy with them for crackers as with grandkids we have days between uses and different types, kid v adult, so those are sorted and no more ziplocs floating around. I didn’t even know it’s a thing, but apparently I am now so fahncy since I put my cereal in them. Who knew? Me, fancy! I just like them remaining fresh and not having cardboard boxes tumbling around on the roll out shelves. Same with that baggie thing, I can see the appeal in not having bent up baggie boxes that got caught in the drawer edge

Spice organization, I have two narrow upper shelves, one has a lazy susan on the bottom shelf with commonly used spices, organized in groups like “Mexican” "traditional chicken (roasemary, thyme, marjoram, sage, Provence), etc. Then I have a tiny cupboard with all the “sweet” stuff on the left- vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc

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OMG, I’m not ashamed to admit that between those shaker bottles and the single serve blender/smoothie cups, I was never so happy to see my sons go back to college after winter break! Between the two of them and H (who uses them also), I was constantly battling counter clutter b/c I had no room for these things in my cabinets.

With four kids, we accumulated a never ending amount of water bottles thru gifts, giveaways, etc. No sooner would I donate some, and someone would bring home another from a party. Thankfully with only one kid still at home, who was also a trained Yeti rep at the hardware store where she worked, we were able to get rid of all the water bottles and replace with Yetis we store in the mudroom in a box when not in use. She got a nice discount on Yeti products which was very nice!

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For water bottle and misc items, I have a tub (like used for holding dishwater) in one of the lower cabinets.

Chips and crackers are stored in our pantry. It’s a big (but not monstrous) pantry, with quite the variety of items. Most canned goods are on an organizer unit inside the door.

I love my spice drawer. It’s not that well organized and labeled, but it’s easy to find stuff in it without too much shuffling around.

Re the ziplock type bags, if you wash them give them a really really good shake, and then turn them inside out and give them another few really good shakes. They dry much faster that way. I usually dry mine over a big wooden spoon in our dish drainer, but you could put multiple spoons in a big glass or jar and dry them that way if you don’t want to buy a special product.

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I keep my tools and supplies by the cooktop: spices in a shallow drawer with a Rev-a-shelf insert to the right of the cooktop and spatulas etc. in a drawer right under the cooktop.

The insert can be cut to size to fit the drawer.

https://www.amazon.com/Rev-Shelf-4SDI-18-Drawer-Insert/dp/B00H45N5MY

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I use a bar mat to dry things like water bottles/hand washed insulated mugs. The black mat looks nice left on the counter in my opinion.

Also, denture tablets are nice for tea/coffee stains on stainless steel mugs/bottles, as well as flower vases.

Edited to add a link with a photo. Black Bar Mat (12" x 18"): Shop WebstaurantStore

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My D has me hooked on Stashers reusable silicone bags, to use in place of ziplock bags. I love them and have a pretty big assortment that is mostly in constant use. They can be washed in the dishwasher, and if I need to dry the inside I hang them on the outer prongs of our dish rack, which are meant for glasses (yes we have a dish rack next to the sink.) I still have boxes of plastic bags but don’t use them much at all anymore. They have moved from a kitchen drawer to the pantry closet - the Stashers look so much nicer in the drawer!

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The reason I like the collapsible “dryer” above is that it’s a very small footprint in use and I can put it away when not in use.

I have a big aversion to any dishes/cups/utensils left out in view - I don’t want anything left in a drainer (don’t have one). My husband has a very annoying habit of bringing a glass of water to bed - and in the morning bringing it to the kitchen - and just leaving it on the counter - drives me nuts! You used it, put it in the dishwasher or clean it, dry it and put it away!

No dishes left in the sink either!

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Thread inspired me to buy wire racks for the inside of my pantry cabinet doors. Bought the command strip ones that are meant for showers. Now I need all of us to leave the right amount of clearance on the shelves themselves (so the doors will shut). We will see! Thanks everyone for the ideas. For so many years I’ve been losing track of the stuff deep in the shelves, maybe this will increase visibility…

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I have a divided sink. On the right side, I keep a low/flat rack (mainly to keep the dishes from breaking). It’s a bit of a compromise. Drying dishes are somewhat out of sight, but if there are big pots or bowls stacked up we see them. I’ll admit that with kids gone, lots more of that big stuff goes through the dishwasher since I don’t like to wait many days before running.