Under-sink organizing ideas for a small kitchen
Ideas for a small kitchen sink cabinet, from trash bag dispensers to a door-hung pod holder, each matched to a problem and its dimensions.
In a small kitchen, the cabinet under the sink does the work of three. It holds the trash bags, the dishwasher pods, the sponges and every spray bottle you own, and it usually does so in one heap. A roll of bags is wedged behind the bleach, the sponges are sitting in a puddle, and a bag of plastic bags is bulging out from between the pipes and the wall. The trouble is rarely a lack of space. It is that the floor of the cabinet is doing every job at once, and the inside of the door is doing none.
The ideas below split the work up. Some use the cabinet floor, and some move things onto the back of the door. Each one names a problem, the product that answers it, and the dimensions that decide whether it fits.
Before you buy: measure the cabinet
Take these with a tape measure, with the cabinet emptied:
- Inside depth and width of the open floor, at the point where the pipes leave the most room.
- Clear height from the cabinet floor to the underside of the sink basin, at its lowest point.
- Door thickness, if you plan to hang anything over the door. The two DoorStash products below fit doors up to 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) thick.
- Space behind the closed door, between the door and anything standing on the cabinet floor.
Write the numbers down. Every product below lists its own footprint, so the comparison takes a minute.
Idea 1: Loose trash bags, so give the roll a dispenser
The problem: a roll of bags on the cabinet floor unrolls, tangles and ends up under the bottles. The idea: keep the roll in a box that dispenses one bag at a time. The SinkSuite® Trash Bag Dispenser from YouCopia holds a club size or standard roll of 13-gallon garbage bags, and its cradle base and wide front opening let the bags come out smoothly. The top tray lifts off, which makes reloading easy and gives you a spot for extra storage. A soft, non-slip base keeps it in place and won’t scratch, and it is made to weather under-sink conditions without warping. It can also be stacked.
The fit: it measures 7.4 inches (18.8 cm) deep, 10.0 inches (25.4 cm) wide and 8.1 inches (20.6 cm) high. It sits on the floor, so you need an open patch at least that wide and deep, and 8.1 inches (20.6 cm) of clear height. If you buy bags in bulk, this is the one to look at: it takes the club-size roll.
Idea 2: Pods on the floor, so hang them on the door
The problem: the tub of dishwasher pods takes up floor space you can’t spare, and it is always in the way of something taller. The idea: move it to the inside of the door. The DoorStash® Dishwasher Pod Holder from YouCopia holds 50+ dishwasher pods in a flip-down bin that hangs over the cabinet door. A top tray holds small items such as sponges and brushes. A steel bracket with soft, non-slip padding fits over standard doors up to 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) thick, and no installation or tools are needed: you hang it and load the pods. The plastic is BPA-free recycled plastic in speckled white, and the steel has a brushed nickel, anti-fingerprint finish.
The fit: it measures 6.1 inches (15.5 cm) deep, 11.8 inches (30.0 cm) wide and 10.1 inches (25.7 cm) high. Check that the door can close with 6.1 inches (15.5 cm) of space behind it and that nothing tall stands directly in the way.
Idea 3: Sponges and brushes in the puddle, so give them a tray
The same two DoorStash products have a small tray built in, and that answers a different problem: a sponge on the cabinet floor stays wet and gets lost behind the bottles. The tray on the pod holder is meant for small items like sponges and brushes, and the DoorStash bag dispenser has a removable lid that doubles as a storage tray for sponges. If you only need somewhere for a sponge and a brush, one of these does it without a separate caddy.
Idea 4: A cabinet full of sprays, so go vertical with pull-outs
The problem: sprays, cloths and gloves are stacked three deep, and the one you want is always in the back. The idea: use two drawers, so everything stays visible. The 2-Tier Pull-Out Cleaning Organizers from Sorbus have two clear, pull-out drawers with built-in handles, so you can reach items at the back without making a mess. The maker lists sprays, cleaners, sponges, brushes, cloths and gloves among the things it suits. Clear, stackable drawers let you see the contents at a glance, the rust-resistant 2-tier design stays steady on non-slip silicone pads, and assembly needs no tools.
The fit: the overall size is 11.8 inches (30.0 cm) long, 7.5 inches (19.1 cm) wide and 11.8 inches (30.0 cm) high. A cabinet needs at least 11.8 inches (30.0 cm) of clear height at the spot where it stands, so measure under the basin first.
Idea 5: A bag of bags, so hide the recycled ones behind the door
The problem: plastic grocery bags pile up in a bulging bag and spill out whenever you open the cabinet. The idea: give them a holder on the back of the door. The Ashley Over the Cabinet Recycling Bag Holder from Spectrum is a steel holder that stores plastic bags neatly inside a standard cabinet door, keeping them out of sight. Bags come out one at a time from the bottom opening, and it hooks over any standard cabinet door without drilling.
The fit: the maker lists its size as 15.25 by 8.25 by 4.25 inches (38.7 by 21.0 by 10.8 cm). Its smallest measurement is 4.25 inches (10.8 cm).
Choosing by what is going wrong
| Problem | Idea | Key spec |
|---|---|---|
| Bag roll tangles | SinkSuite dispenser | Holds a club size or standard 13-gallon roll, 8.1 inches (20.6 cm) high |
| Pods take up floor space | DoorStash pod holder | Holds 50+ pods, hangs over doors up to 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) thick |
| Standard bag roll, hung on the door | DoorStash bag dispenser | Standard 13-gallon roll only, not for bulk rolls |
| Sprays and cloths pile up | Sorbus pull-out organizers | Two clear drawers, 11.8 inches (30.0 cm) high |
| Plastic bags spill out | Spectrum holder | Hooks over any standard door, 15.25 by 8.25 by 4.25 inches (38.7 by 21.0 by 10.8 cm) |
Idea 6: No floor to spare, so hang the bag roll too
The DoorStash® Garbage Bag Dispenser from YouCopia is the door-hung alternative to the SinkSuite. It dispenses a roll of 13-gallon kitchen garbage bags through a large front opening, but the maker says it is not suitable for bulk rolls. Its removable lid helps you load a roll quickly and doubles as a tray for sponges, and the steel bracket fits over doors up to 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) thick. It measures 6.7 inches (17.0 cm) deep, 10.6 inches (26.9 cm) wide and 10.3 inches (26.2 cm) high. Choose it over the SinkSuite if the floor is the scarce space and you use standard rolls.
Putting it together
A small cabinet works best when each job gets its own spot. Put the bag roll in a dispenser, either on the floor or on the door. Hang the pods and the sponges off the floor, and keep the sprays in drawers you can pull toward you. Send the plastic bags to a holder on the door. Before you buy anything, count how much door the pieces need: two door-hung items each project several inches into the cabinet, so make sure the door still closes. Check the current price at the retailer before you buy.