Organizing under the sink

Well hello there! I trust you are relishing those precious last few weeks of summer. As much as I lurve fall … decorating, hot cider, hay rides, gorgeous fall foliage … there is something so special about summertime, no? Let’s enjoy it while we can!

Don’t let yourself get pressured into the fall (and Christmas, dare I say it) stuff that is being stocked in the stores. It’s carraazzaayy, people. I love this saying,

“If you have one eye on yesterday, and one eye on tomorrow, you’re going to be cockeyed today.” 

                                             ~Author Unknown

Nuff said. OK, on to a topic that many of you know to be near and dear to my OCD heart … organizing my cleaning supplies. Yes. I realize I’m sick, folks. Admitting it is the first step toward recovery, right?

Here is how I organize under the kitchen sink.

Efficiency is key with this setup and I can honestly say it works really well for me.

I use rubber gloves when I do dishes and kitchen cleanup because, well, nasty food totally skeeves me out. I found the white clips on clearance at Staples for $1 and thought, Hmmmm. What a great way to store my rubber gloves! My previous method of tossing the gloves toward the back of the cabinet when I was finished was not really working.

Placing my main cleaning supplies in a caddy really revolutionized my cleaning efficiency. I know. It’s the little things, right? I got the idea from an excellent book called, “How not to be a messy: The ultimate guide for the neatness challenged” by Sandra Felton.

The caddy system works because you can take all your cleaning supplies with you from room to room and you don’t have the expense of stocking every sink with supplies, or the hassle of traveling back and forth to get stuff. Plus, this is a great method if you have little ones and you want to reduce the chance of them getting their hands on harmful chemicals.

Speaking of avoiding harmful chemicals, I mostly use Shaklee’s non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products.

If you also use Shaklee, or are thinking about switching to Shaklee, here’s a free guide on how to mix and use the products for any job you have. Shaklee cleaning guide

Another thing that works for me is hanging a towel on the door — easy access and no towels flung around the room to give me hives. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

I also store my Swiffer refills, dishwasher detergent and dish scrubbers here. The drawer pulls out, so I can easily get to the stuff in the back of the cabinet when necessary.

Well, there you have it. My under-the-sink organizing strategy in a nutshell.

Oh. One more thing. In case you have the insane thought that I’ve got it all together, check out the countertop right next to the sink.

Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Enjoy summer!