Ways to Organize Under Your Kitchen Sink for a Clutter-Free Space

What follows is the part worth saving when a room has to function on a weekday. If there's one spot in the kitchen that always seems to spiral into chaos, it's the cabinet under your sink. Between cleaning supplies, trash bags, random sponges, and all that awkward plumbing, it can be a challenge to keep things neat and organized.

But with the right organizers, it's easy to whip that baby into shape AND keep it that way! I'm sharing what's worked well for organizing the cabinet under my own kitchen sink, and we're tackling my sister's under-sink space too:

Let's jump into organizing the space under your kitchen sink in a way that's practical, easy to maintain, and even kind of pretty to look at! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})

One. Start Smart by Protecting Your Cabinet

Before you add a single organizer, start by protecting the bottom of your sink cabinet. Between plumbing leaks and spills from cleaning supplies, adding a protective liner or waterproof mat is a smart way to prevent water damage and stains. It also makes cleanup a breeze since you can easily wipe your mat/liner down or remove it to rinse if needed.

One option is a waterproof silicone liner with a small lip around it that's specially made for sink cabinets, like {this liner} we added to the sink cabinet in my sister's kitchen:

or {this liner} I have under my own kitchen sink (note that the reason my liner doesn't cover the entire cabinet base is because I have a corner sink cabinet with an irregular shape):

Ideally, you would install the liner as-is so it contains spills and plumbing leaks, but if you have any plumbing coming up through the bottom of your cabinet, both liners are flexible enough that you could cut out holes for pipes if needed.

When choosing a silicone liner for under your sink, get one without a significantly raised pattern on it if you're using rolling organizers since it can keep them from rolling back and forth smoothly.

Another option is to line your sink cabinet with waterproof shelf liner like {this clear ribbed liner} I use in my kitchen drawers:

or an absorbent, waterproof liner such as {this one}. While they don't have the added protection of a lip to contain major leaks or spills, they're less expensive and are an especially good choice for sink cabinets that are a non-standard size or shape since you can cut them to size.

Two. Edit What You're Storing

Next up… the purge! Toss empty bottles and expired cleaners, get rid of duplicates you don't actually need, and relocate anything that doesn't truly belong there. Under-sink storage works best when it's reserved for everyday kitchen essentials like cleaning sprays, dish soap, trash bags, dishwasher tabs, and sponges. The less you store here, the easier it will be to keep organized.

When we remodeled our kitchen, I moved my dish towels from underneath the sink to being rolled up in a drawer using {these bamboo kitchen towel organizers} and it freed up so much more usable under-sink space:

The most important part of organizing under your sink? Making sure it actually works for how you live. Store the items you use most often front and center. Less-used supplies can go toward the back or higher up. And if you're constantly pulling something out, make sure it's easy to grab without rearranging half the cabinet. Pretty organization is great, but functional organization is what makes it last.

Three. Work Around the Plumbing With Specialty Organizers

That big old garbage disposal and sink pipes in the middle of your cabinet are what make organizing sink cabinets so awkward. Instead of fighting it, plan your organization around the plumbing with products designed specifically for under-sink spaces. One of my favorites is {this two-tier adjustable-height organizer}. We used it under my sister's kitchen sink to hold cleaners in the large bottom pull-out drawer and dish towels in the smaller top one:

It's very sturdy with no tipping when pulling out the drawers, even when full of heavy products:

Four. Corral Your Cleaning Pods

Instead of leaving your dishwasher pods in the bulky packaging they come in, transfer them into a simple organizer to keep them neat and easy to access. I buy Finish dishwashing pods in bulk, and rather than keeping the giant cardboard box at the front of my cabinet taking up valuable real estate, I place them in {this organizer} that also holds my steel wool soap pads (sponges would fit well in this top spot too!):

My sister likes to store trash bags under her kitchen sink, so we used {this clear organizer} that holds her dishwasher pods on top and trash bags on the bottom:

Also look at {this organizer} by the same company with containers for pods and other kitchen essentials that sit on top of a trash bag dispenser.

Five. Stop Digging, Start Rolling

One of the best ways to make use of the full depth of your cabinet, without having to dig around in the back to find what you need, is with rolling organizers. I use {this rolling organizer} to hold dishwashing supplies and cleaners under my sink:

and we added {this similar rolling organizer} in the 8″ size under my sister's kitchen sink:

They both have adjustable dividers, which is an added plus for giving everything a designated spot and keeping things from shifting when you pull your rolling organizer out. For my sister's under-sink space, adding a divider up front allowed us to leave a designated space for the small garbage bags she stores under her sink:

Six. Tailor Your Organizers to YOUR Specific Needs

When organizing under your sink, don't feel like you have to use products exactly as they're marketed. Think about what you actually store in the space and get creative with solutions that work for you. For example, I repurposed {this soda can holder} to neatly store my scrub brushes under my kitchen sink.

It's waterproof, it's long enough for even my longest water bottle scrubbers, and it has a flat top that allows me to stack organizers on top of it:

If you like to store plastic grocery bags in your kitchen for reuse, consider using a slim dispenser like {this bag dispenser} that's spring-loaded to keep your bags at the top where they're easy to grab:

Seven. Go Vertical With Stackable Drawers

Clear stackable drawers allow you to use the full height of the cabinet while keeping everything visible and easy to access. Under my sister's kitchen sink, we used three of {these 4.5″ stackable acrylic drawers} that The household has used in several other organizing projects, including for linen closet organization:

They hold her sponges, steel wool soap pads, and magic erasers:

I used the same drawers in my own kitchen stacked on top of my scrub brush organizer. They also come in a taller 6.75″ size if there's something larger you want to store. A strong choice is that these clear bins let you see what you have at a glance, so you're less likely to overbuy or forget what's already there.

Eight. Put Your Cabinet Doors to Work

One of the most overlooked storage spots under the sink is the back of your cabinet doors, so put them to work! Adding door-mounted organizers can free up valuable space inside your sink cabinet while keeping everyday items easy to grab. {These spray bottle hangers} are well suited to holding your most-used cleaners:

Another idea is to install a slim towel bar like {this one} that I added to the door of our under-sink cabinet to hold our dish towel when it's not in use,

You could also add an adhesive or suction cup hook for hanging your dishwashing gloves or install a wall-mount grocery bag dispenser like {this one}.

And with that… we're done! Here's how my sister's under-kitchen-sink organization project turned out:

Now everything is easy for her to see and grab at a glance! And the back third of her cabinets are now completely empty, so she has newly gained space for storage of items she buys in bulk, like paper towel rolls and trash bags.

And here's what my own much smaller under-kitchen-sink space looks like:

Just like my sister's under-sink space, everything I use daily is at the front and straightforward to access.

Nine. Maintain with a Quick Monthly Reset

Once your organizing project is complete and everything under your sink has a home, maintain it with a quick monthly reset. Simply take 2-3 minutes to put any rogue items back where they belong and wipe down the mat if needed. It will go a long way toward keeping this space from creeping back into chaos!

Once you're done organizing under your kitchen sink, you might be inspired to tackle other areas of your kitchen too! These posts have organizing pointers you'll find helpful to get the job done:

Kitchen Drawer Organizer Approaches

Kitchen Cabinet Organization Approaches

Pantry Organization Approaches

Budget Friendly Kitchen Organization Approaches

Thanks as always for stopping by! There are some great deals and sales for Presidents' Day weekend, so be sure to stop by my Shop page {HERE} for links to all of my favorites!

XO,