Under The Sink Storage + Keeping Our Counters Clean

Disclaimer: Grove Collaborative sponsored this post. All opinions and photography are our own. Grove Collaborative is also running an amazing offer for our readers. More details on the FREE products you’ll receive below!

I’m back and surprise surprise, I have ANOTHER cabinet organization post to share with you today (you can see the first cabinet organization post here). I hate to bombard you with details of every nook and cranny of our new kitchen, but these topics have been super popular around here lately.

Maybe it’s the new year, maybe it’s the Marie Kondo craze, or maybe it’s because you truly are our kind of people… organization lovers just like us! It’s probably a combo of the three but we’re choosing to blame it on the latter.
Organization lovers, let’s talk our love language again today — all things organizing. Today’s topic? Under the sink storage because this a potential problem area that can quickly become out of control without a plan.

Under the Sink Storage Problemeasy ways to organize under the sink

I absolutely love Casey’s under the sink storage solution and I’m happy to report it still looks just as organized as it did when she shared this project last year. But I found out soon after our sink was installed that I couldn’t copy her amazing setup because an oversized farmhouse sink significantly impacts the storage space available under it.
kitchen sink after makeoverHaving the farmhouse sink of my dreams is well worth the sacrifice of space, but it meant I needed to create a plan to utilize this space a bit differently than she did.

Under the Sink Storage Solutiontips for under the sink organization

My solution was two-fold:
1. Make sure everything inside of the cabinet had a specific home
2. ONLY store products we consistently use and love while eliminating everything extra

Identify What We Needed

I’m guilty of saving extra stuff in my cabinets, drawers, and closets in case I need it someday. This is a practice I’m trying to eliminate in our home since it results in accumulating “stuff” we just don’t need. While the stuff accumulates, it becomes harder and harder to keep the space organized.
organizing under the sink made easyThe first step in this process was identifying items we use all the time and include only these items in the cabinet and nothing more. The items that made the cut included:
  • Sponges
  • DIY Cabinet Cleaner (tutorial coming soon)
  • Extra Garbage Bags
  • Special Rags for Cleaning Black Cabinets
  • Dish Soap
  • Counter Spray
  • Extra Cutting Boards

Making Sure Everything Has A Home

My number one strategy in maintaining an organization system is making sure everything has a home. I found this is the one and only thing that works for me. To make this happen, I grabbed some storage bins to fit the products I wanted to store.

I made sure I had a small bin for the sponges, a small bin for the rags, large bins for the spray bottles, and the biggest bin to corral everything else neatly.

containers under the sink for rags and spongesI found that giving everything a “bin” helps keep me accountable but also makes it super simple for Matt to maintain the system as well. It’s just so much easier to put something back “where it belongs” when there’s a space waiting for it to return to.

Being Intentional

Everything about this area is so intentional, which is a game changer for the function of this space. Not only does everything have a home, but we only keep items that we use often.
grove dish soap dispensersThat goes for on top of the counter too. I got these two soap dispensers and sponge set from Grove Collaborative and LOVE them. One soap dispenser has a subtle dish graphic, indicating this soap is for the dishes. And the other dispenser has a leaf print, indicating that one is for handwashing. Genius!
grove spongeThe brush set is also a cute accessory that gets a lot of attention in our kitchen because it’s so accessible. I poured some dish soap on the bottom of the jar so all I have to do is press down on the sponge and it is soapy and ready to do work!

Our Favorite Kitchen Products

Now let’s talk about our must-have kitchen cleaning product for keeping our countertops clean, since I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this lately.
black cabinets with open shelvesWe LOVE our white, quartz countertops. They’re a part of the Allen + Roth line at Lowe’s; the name is “Ariel”. I love the subtle texture within them because they surprisingly hide more than you’d imagine. However, we have found that if something dark spills on them, it’s important to wipe it up quickly so we don’t risk staining the counters permanently. I had an issue with this when I dripped a few drops of vanilla extract on the counter and didn’t wipe it up right away.
how to clean white countersWhen I did get around to wiping the drips, a subtle stain was left! Thankfully, I was able to get it out but now we never let anything dark sit on the counters longer than it has to. This quick response time + this Caldrea spray has been the perfect combo to maintain our counters while keeping the kitchen smelling ah-mazing!!

Cleaning White Countertops

We try to clean our counters once a day after dinner is over and lunches are made for the next day. Unless we’re home all day, which usually means I’m wiping the counters far more than once!

On “easy” days, I usually use this Caldrea spray right on the counter and wipe them down with a clean rag.  On days where our counters see more abuse, I’ll use the same Caldrea spray with a sponge instead of a rag. The sponge allows me to get some of the more stubborn stains/residue off without having to scrub as much.

how to clean white countersOnce I’m done wiping, the kitchen seriously smells amazing. At this point, I’ll take out the garbage. I love that when I come back into the house, the fresh scent makes our whole house feel fresh and clean.

It’s important to note that Caldrea products (like this amazing spray!) are only available online so I always turn to Grove to fulfill my order (along with a few other fave cleaning products).

Free Gift Sets!

If you want to smell this amazing product first hand, you will have to order it online because Caldrea is only sold online. Fortunately, our friends at Grove are offering a FREE gift set for new customers who spend at least $20 at check-out.

This gift set will include…

Make sure you use THIS LINK in order to have access to this offer. If you’re already a Grove customer, you’ll receive a free pack of the Grove walnut scrubbers.

Organization Requestsorganizing under a farmhouse sink

So there you have it, the scoop on how we keep our new kitchen counters clean and our cabinet under the sink organized! I’m running out of nooks & crannies to share, but if you are a fellow organizing lover who has a request… let us know! You know that we’ve never met an organization project we didn’t love.

Bridget

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The Year of Casey

Hey there!

I’m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.

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