Friday, November 19, 2010

Under Sink Re-Do

OK, so this doesnt really qualify as a "re-do" because I never really set up the under sink cabinet, I just put stuff under there when we moved in, and occasionally since. It wasnt serving the purposes I wanted it to serve. This was on my "to-do/to-blog" list but I was inspired to finally do it, by my blog crush Jen at Iheart Organizing and her Solution to over reliance on wastefull paper towels. (check her out, youll heart her!)

THE BEFORE:
Ok, I know this isnt as bad as it could be, (its WAAYYY better than my old apartment was) but I didnt want it to get bad. And i was tired of not having anywhere for my dirty dish towels, and I would precariousely balance my drying rack inside when it wasnt used. I also wanted to steal Jen's idea with the paper towels, and also store my disinfecting wipes there too, so I wont use them more than needed.


Many items in here belonged in here, but I really dont think the boxes of extra plumbing supplies need to be there (they've been there since before we moved in.) they moved to the attic with the rest of the loft construction "spare parts".


The stack of wire shelves were left over from my old apartment, our cupboards didn't have adjustable shelves, and the extra shelves were a great solution for dishes, canned goods etc. I just didnt need as many in our loft... I will likely find other uses for them (like I already did in my cleaning supply cupboard), in the meantime, they can sit at the back of the cabinet.


After cutting my hand up pretty bad washing a drinking glass (it busted around my hand)

~ 8 stitches, eek!, I promised my husband I would use bottle/cup brushes for our glasses from now on. I had one, I just didnt ever feel like getting it out and switching from sponge to brush for the 2 glasses in the sink, This solution gave the new brush, and the old one, (I now use for icky-er dishes) an easy access home that also allows them to dry after use. I'm a big fan of Command Hooks! (there are printable coupons on their website)
While I was sitting on the floor, I decided to refill my dish soap pumps. (I'm 6 months pregnant, who knows when I can get down to the floor/then back up again?) I love having dish soap in a pump built into my sink (its where the sprayer hose is on other sinks)

If you do not use your sprayer hose, you can get a kit at Home Depot to convert the sprayer hole into a soap pump.


The dispenser bottle is kind of a pain to reach past the plumbing underneith though. It was still 1/3 FULL after 3 months, so its not a big deal to refill once in awhile, its worth NOT having another soap bottle on the sink, or having to get it out from under the sink. The refill bottle is also cheaper, and now has a home at the back of the cabinet. I really love Dawn Direct Foam. It uses lots less water than traditional dish soap, and cuts grease better, its perfect for hand washing a few dishes. I use the regular soap for a sink full of dishes, but the dawn is used for a few items at a time. Their website describes it's wonderfullness better than I do.

Nothing in this Re-Do is mind boggling, just a simple solution that was over due.

AFTER:

On the left is a shower hanger organizer thing leftover from my old apartment, It fits nicely in here to house extra sponges, scrubbers etc.


The new towel hamper is actually the bucket I use for mopping floors (very rarely, I use a swiffer mop usually), with things shifted around, it can sit under the sink for towels, EXACTLY why I wanted to do this Re-Do. At mopping time, I will just empty the laundry into the bathroom hamper.

The AFTER picture does look a bit more cluttered than the before, but the area is serving more purposes (decluttering more visable areas elsewhere), and everything has a home now.



Also after wearing a rubber glove over my stitched up hand, I got used to it (never really did before) I fully intend on stealing another one of Jen's great ideas: (she hearts command hooks also!) I just need to pick me up some of those clips for the other cabinet door...


COST of Project: $FREE so far... everything I had on hand.

you can get a 3 pack of the The command hooks for about $3 at Walmart though

I found the command clips online for $5.99 each, hopefully I can find a better deal than that...


I am also super impressed with Jill's under sink organization that only took her 30 minutes to fix this problem:


{Edited to add: }

Thanks a lot Command Hooks Facebook page for linking up to my blog! Your products really make organizing sooo much easier!

and

7 comments:

  1. Great job! I love the way you hung your gloves! Ouch! That poor hand.

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  2. Very nice job! That hand looks like it really hurts!

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  3. Sorry about your hand..ouch!
    I love the command hooks idea on the doors, will have to use that. Great job.

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  4. Most of the soap pumps you could fill from the top of the sink. I just pull out the pump and squirt the soap in. The only problem is it is hard to tell how full it is. Great job on your organizing.

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  5. Oh! oh! Oww! (stiches) That looks bad but the cabinet looks good! :)

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  6. Looks great. Love the glove idea. I have done that with a glass years ago and still have a scar.

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