Small kitchens are the best way to stay in shape – you’re walking laps between the sink and the stove all day. But things get complicated quickly when you’re figuring out where to store your pots and pans and that air fryer you promised yourself you’d use every week.
Not to worry, DIY kitchen hacks to save space are all inexpensive. Some of them require a drill and 20 minutes. For others, all you need to do is think differently about the space you already have.
That Gap Next to Your Fridge
See that skinny gap between your fridge and the wall? Stick a rolling cart in there. The slim one you can pull out when needed.
Chuck your spices, oils, or random tins in there. Roll it back in when you’re done. Takes about five minutes to set up.
If your fridge side is exposed, magnetic baskets work too. Stick your kitchen roll or tea towels there instead of leaving them on the worktop.
Also read: Who is Ruby Wax?
Under the Sink Needs Sorting
Be honest – what’s under your sink right now? Probably a mess of cleaning stuff, bin bags, and things you forgot you had.
Get some stackable drawers or over-the-door baskets. Suddenly, it’s organised instead of chaos. Dishwasher tablets in one bit, spray bottles in another.
The door itself is wasted space. Command hooks cost nothing and hold your gloves, sponges, and washing-up liquid. Makes a massive difference.
Use Your Walls
Most kitchens have empty wall space nobody uses. Floating shelves cost about twenty quid and give you instant storage for plates or mugs.
Pots and pans take up loads of room in cupboards. Hang them instead. Get a bar mounted on the wall, add some S-hooks, and done. You can grab what you need without digging through cupboards.
Pegboards are even better. Buy one from B&Q, cut it to size, and mount it on the wall. Hang your ladles, measuring cups, spatulas – all those little tools cluttering up drawers.
Also read: Coleen Nolan Grandchild Bliss – Heartfelt News That Brings Her Life New Joy
Door Storage Gets Ignored
Got a pantry door? Over-the-door baskets hold kitchen towels, placemats, or veg.
Same for cupboard doors inside. Command hooks hold measuring spoons, oven gloves, and tea towels. Costs next to nothing.
Lazy Susans Actually Help
Stick a lazy Susan in your corner cupboard. Suddenly,y you can reach everything instead of losing jars at the back.
Works in the fridge too. Put condiments, jam jars, and random sauces on a lazy Susan and spin it to find what you need.
Costs about a tenner. Saves loads of aggravation.
Pull-Out Drawers Stop You Crawling on the Floor
Deep cupboards are annoying. You’re on your hands and knees trying to reach the pasta at the back.
Install pull-out drawers. Buy them at most DIY shops, and fit them into existing cupboards. Pull the whole drawer out instead of digging around.
A proper game changer for small kitchen storage hacks that make life easier.
Drawer Dividers for Your Messy Drawers
Your cutlery drawer looks fine. Your other drawers? Probably a jumble of wooden spoons, spatulas, and random gadgets.
Get some drawer dividers. Some expand to fit your drawer. Everything gets a home. You can find stuff without rooting around.
Magnetic Strips for Knives
Mount a magnetic strip on your wall. Instant knife storage. No knife block taking up worktop space.
Works for metal utensils too, such as ladles, measuring spoons, and anything magnetic.
Space-Saving Kitchen Cupboard Ideas for Tall Cupboards
Tall cupboards are great for big stuff, but awkward for small things. Install a second shelf or get stacking organisers.
Those tiered shelving units let you see everything instead of stacking tins on tins and forgetting what you’ve got.
Wire shelving is cheap and adjustable. Stick one in your tall cupboard. Suddenly, you’ve doubled storage space.
Sort Your Junk Drawer
Every kitchen has one. Batteries, rubber bands, takeaway menus from three years ago, mystery keys.
Sort through it. Chuck out what you don’t need. Get a simple organiser for what’s left.
How to Organise a Small Kitchen Without Cabinets
Not all kitchens have loads of cupboards. That’s when you need space-saving kitchen organisers that work anywhere.
Rolling carts with shelves hold dishes, appliances, or pantry items. Stick wheels on them, move them around as needed.
Wall-mounted shelving holds plates and mugs. Makes everything visible without built-in cupboards.
Hanging racks for pots keep your most-used stuff within reach.
Appliance Cupboards
If you have a toaster and a kettle and a coffee machine, and a mixer all on your worktops, then you are losing huge amounts of space. Make or buy an appliance cupboard. Keep your small appliances in there when you’re not using them. Pull them out as necessary. Keeps your worktop clear for actual cooking.
Clear Containers for Dry Goods
Nothing makes a cupboard feel cluttered like bags of flour, sugar, pasta and rice. Purchase storage containers with lids; clear ones are best. Decant everything into matching containers.
They stack better than bags. You can see what you’ve got. And you won’t accidentally buy a third bag of rice because you didn’t remember you already had two.
Hooks Fix Everything
Seriously. Hooks solve so many problems. Under shelves for mugs. On walls for aprons. Inside cupboard doors for measuring cups.
Command hooks work if you’re renting. Proper wall hooks are cheap and hold more weight.
Above Your Cupboards
If there’s a gap between cupboards and the ceiling, use it. Stick decorative baskets up there for things you don’t need every day.
Or display some plants or cookbooks.
Chopping Board Storage
Chopping boards are flat but awkward. If you stack them, they take up loads of room. If you lean them, they fall over.
Get a vertical organiser. Slots them sideways so they take up less space. Pull out the one you need.
Some people mount a magazine rack inside a cupboard door and store books there. Works well.
How can I use DIY kitchen hacks to save space in a small apartment?
If you live in a small apartment with a small kitchen, then you can also save space in your kitchen. You can use these hacks in addition to the ones which we have already mentioned.
- Use tension rods inside cupboards to create dividers for baking trays. Two quid from Poundland.
- Mount an old wooden crate on the wall for open shelving. Free if you’ve got the crate.
- Repurpose glass jars from pasta sauce as storage containers. Just wash them first.
- Use magazine files to organise baking trays vertically. A couple of quid from IKEA.
- Stick an old cake stand on your worktop to create two levels of storage for fruit.
What Matters
You don’t need to do all this. Pick what solves your biggest problems.
- Running out of worktop space? Get appliances off the counter.
- Can’t find anything in the cupboards? Sort out some organisers.
- Messy drawers driving you mad? Get some dividers.
Also read: Bobby Brazier Really Worth?
Bottom Line
Small changes add up. You don’t need a complete renovation. Just a bit of thought about how you use your kitchen.
The best storage is what you’ll actually use. There’s no point in installing something complicated that you’ll ignore after two weeks.
Keep it simple. Focus on your biggest annoyances. Don’t stress about making everything perfect.
