85 UHeart Organizing: Think to Organize Under the Sink

My new IHeart contributors are really kicking my rear into organized gear.  Seriously, I have to revisit our chore chart process, clean out my car and now I get to reorganize under my kitchen sink.  And you know what?  I LOVE THAT!  I am such a fan of what a little inspiration can do to re-energize the organizing bug!  Here is Cassie from Hi Sugarplum, to share her super fab under the sink organizing update.

I am thrilled to be hanging out with you all today...or I guess being from Texas, I should say "all y'all!" Jen is one of my favorites, and I often refer to her blog as the Mother Ship. I can't start an organizing project {like my Family Drop Zone or Pantry} without consulting here first.

I was walking around my house brainstorming for my first contributor post, and as soon as I entered the Kitchen, I knew what I had to do.

We'd renovated it two years ago {the 1980s called and wanted it back}, then brightened things again with a new wall color last Fall, but a dirty secret was hiding behind these lovely shaker cabinet doors.

A hot mess of cleaning supplies, drippy sponges, rags and a busted-up bucket. The pull-out drawer is great, but not if there's no organization to it! So I tackled this nasty little secret...and pulled it off for under $20!

The first step is always the ugliest....clearing everything out. This is when my family cowers in the corner leaves the room, they know mommy is having 'an episode.' After purging the outdated stuff, I group them by like products.

The drawer has suffered some water damage from leaky pipes and wet sponges, so I first laid down some protective vinyl. Next up is assessing the available space....and in this case, there's not much! I think this is the largest disposal and pipe system the builder could find?!?

Bulky spray bottles take up the most space, so I utilized the gap behind the plumbing by hanging a $3 tension rod. It takes a little trial and error to get the rod as tight as possible, and balance the bottles on either end. The handles perch on the rod, freeing up more space below.

Next I arranged a collection of inexpensive plastic buckets like a puzzle, and filled them with the remaining cleaning products, grouped by category.

I needed to make sure the low-hanging pipe wouldn't prevent the drawer from pulling out {stuff trapped in the back is what started this whole mess!}, and little buckets from the Target Dollar Spot were a perfect fit. They are great for corralling smaller items like sponges, rags and dishwasher pellets.

We store the bulk of our paper towels in the Laundry Room, but now I have space to keep a few rolls at my fingertips.

Furniture stain goes in Ziploc bags as well, just in case they leak.

I like to keep my counters clutter-free, so I utilized the space on the cabinet doors for paper towels and dish rags.

My cabinet doors aren't deep enough for nails, and I didn't want to use over-the-door hangers because it would muck up the clean lines of the cabinets when closed, so Command hooks and strips to the rescue!

A plastic basket is hanging from another set of Command hooks, and great for wet sponges and brushes...the slats give them air to dry, and the separate basket keeps them from getting lost among the bigger things.

Here's what we all live for...the Before & After!

Now my Kitchen counter and sink is also sponge/rag/brush/paper towel free! Ah, it does my OCD heart good.

And while the cabinet under the sink isn't as pretty as an Organized Pantry, it comes pretty dang close! But don't be surprised if the pipes get a coat of pink paint someday. Isn't that what any good DIY-blogger would do?!

'Fess up....are you hiding some dirty secrets in your cabinets? Have you met an organized cabinet that didn't get your heart racing?

"Hi, I'm Cassie, a DIY and design-obsessed Texas girl, and lover of travel, fashion, sarcasm and Mexican food. When I'm not hanging with my sweet and funny family, you can find me kicking the '80s out of our home, one budget project at a time, on my blog Hi Sugarplum!"