Organizing the Kitchen

Our RV kitchen drawers are long, narrow, and deep. With a width of only 8" to deal with, I quickly realized that it was going to be quite difficult to find a silverware organizer that would fit. I finally found a 7" organizer and bought two. Once they arrived and fit nicely in the bottom of the drawers, I couldn't help but wonder how to make use of all the height space. There is a company called InterDesign that sells a wide range of clear, heavy duty plastic containers for kitchens and bathrooms. These little caddies are an RVer's dream come true. I bought two that are 8" by 8". Then, I found some stick mount hooks at Wal-Mart and attached them to the sides of the caddies. Now, they slip right into the drawers, providing extra storage space. When I need to access something underneath, I simply lift up the caddy, get what I need, and put it back in.

 

  

On the front of the cabinet, under the sink, I had some blank space. I decided to attach some Dollar Store baskets with clear Command strips. Voila! Now I can store quick access items there. Inside the cabinet under the sink, I placed some stick mount hooks to the inside of the door to hang dusters or other hangable items for easy access. Towards the back of the cabinet inside, I placed a large shelf to provide two layers of storage, taking advantage of the height in there. Towards the front, I used some of my old black wire mesh office organizers like this one and this one (from when I worked full-time, yuck) to store cutting boards, potholders, trash bags, aluminum foil, saran wrap, and wax paper. This keeps everything neat and organized while providing quick, easy access.

  

We are lucky enough to have a small pantry in our 5th wheel, so I try to organize it as best I can to fit as much as possible in the tiny cabinets. One set of items that can take up a lot of space are spices. I've seen many different ideas and even tried a few before deciding on what works best for us. First, I tried buying one of those plastic mop holders that I saw all over Pinterest as a hanging spice organizer. It wouldn't stick to the side wall above the stove because there was no hard surface behind the wall to put pressure on it and it kept falling. So, I broke them into smaller sections (easy to do since there are grooves) and placed them inside one of my pantry doors, which are solid wood, so they held nicely. Problem was, the spices didn't fit securely enough and kept falling when we would open the pantry door. Several spices broke open and spilled all over the floor and/or the lids would get cracked/broken when they fell. So, I finally ripped the organizers off the door and bought some more 3M Command Strips Clear Medium Caddies and hung them on the door. Beautiful, organizational, and works like a charm.

What did I do with the valuable wall space on the side of the stove? I bought a magnetic knife strip and hung my knives so that I could trash my bulky, countertop hog of a knife block. I had to use two screws to support the knife strip. I hate putting holes in the RV, but sometimes it's just a necessary evil to provide the support you need. After all, I'd hate for a knife to fall and stab someone in the foot, so I figured I better make sure it all stays put.

What kitchen storage hack do you love most?