There’s one part of the kitchen that’s nearly impossible to keep tidy. It’s not the cabinets, the refrigerator or even the junk drawer. It’s the leftovers container area. In my kitchen, we call it the “Tupperware pit,” because it’s a deep drawer stuffed with containers. They’re all different materials, shapes and sizes; some have lids, some had lids at some point.
Our friends at Family Handyman have a brilliant solution to the conundrum of the Tupperware pit. It’s such an easy and affordable DIY!
Here’s the Trick
Divide your drawer into two sections. Keep lids separate from containers—and store them standing vertically. This frees up space in your cabinet to stack containers in a logical fashion. Plus, vertical lids are easy to arrange by size.
Marie Kondo has more simple tips for tidying your kitchen.
How to Create a Divided Drawer
You’ll need to buy a tension rod, available at many hardware or big-box stores.
Step 1. Empty the drawer
Take everything out of your container storage space. Wipe it down if necessary. If any container is missing a lid, or if you have a lid without a mate, ditch them! (Lidless containers can be handy for other kitchen storage uses, like chip clips or loose herbs like bay leaves.)
Need to replace your Tupperware? These are our most-used containers.
Step 2. Make a lid corral
Insert the tension rod to one side of the drawer, leaving most of the space clear for the bulkier containers.
Step 3. Sort by shape
The secret to nesting storage containers? Sorting them by shape. Square, rectangular and circular containers should stack amongst themselves, largest at the bottom to smallest on top. Place your least-used shape in the back of the drawer, and your most-used in the front. Separate lids by shape, too, and then stack by size. Slide the lids into their corral. The tension rod should hold them up; lower it to contain the shortest lid, if needed.
Step 4. Enjoy!
Relish the painlessness of grabbing a container. No sweating, swearing or tears required.
Find more sanity-saving DIY projects from Family Handyman.
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