A tour beneath my kitchen sink

Arguably the lifeblood of my home

Ahhhhh, the cabinet below the kitchen sink. What a wonderful place no one ever wants to clean. Or organize. Or look at. The space is often used to store regularly used items such as trash bags, cleaning supplies, dishwasher tablets, extra sponges, yadda yadda. It’s never glamorous nor attractive. And I’m not about to tell you that it should be.

That said, a cabinet that receives this much daily use ought to be functional. I grew up in a household where the entire cabinet was basically one mass of stuff, minus the very front part where we stored things like extra dish soap and sponges. By the time I got around to clearing it out after many, many years, I was shocked to discover some of the stuff that was back there! Take it from me — this is no way to keep your kitchen sink cabinet. That space is extremely valuable.

My under-sink cabinet stores all of our garbage. This includes trash, recycling, and compost. Because these three bins take up the majority of the cabinet space, I have to make sure the rest of the storage is streamlined and tidy. Otherwise, things could get out of hand… fast.

The Sink Cabinet

In all its unglamorous glory, this is what the cabinet under my kitchen sink looks like. The garbage bin (no. 3 in the key) is accessed by a third door not shown in this image.

1. Dish brush, great for water bottles and the coffee carafe

2. Rubber gloves

3. Garbage bin

4. Recycling bin

5. Compost bin

6. Regularly reached-for cleaning supplies

   1. All-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, Earth Scrub, extra dish soap, Sal Suds, vinegar jug

7. Essentials

   1. Scrub Daddy, bowl of baking soda, compact fire extinguisher

8. Drawer 1

   1. Trash bags, Barkeeper’s Friend, Le Creuset enamel cleaner, funnel, allen key for the disposal, plant pot, drip tray

9. Drawer 2

   1. Extra sponges, carbon filter for the compost bin, plant pot, cut flower food

10. Mesh bag with dirty dish towels, rags, and cloth napkins

    

    The drawers' contents.

Some things that made my cabinet more efficient

1. Clipping my rubber gloves up rather than tossing them on top of something allows the inside to dry in the event that water gets in them

2. A mesh bag for dirty rags allows the damp cloth to breathe, preventing mildew and mold. That said, a very wet rag should be given time to dry out a little before tossing under your sink.

3. The bowl of baking soda greatly reduces smell. You have to replace it every month or so for it to do its job.

4. Keeping all my trash tucked away makes helps keep smells at bay in the kitchen. It also looks nicer, and makes better use of space in my small kitchen, where three bins of trash would certainly be in the way if they were out.

5. A compact fire extinguisher is a great addition to any kitchen sink cabinet. Make sure to check the tab regularly to ensure that it’s still useable.

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What’s under your kitchen sink? Any tips for an efficient space?