Q: I love your blog and often check in twice a day. Thank you for your great work! But I have one question: what do you do at the kitchen sink with the few things you regularly use for washing-up/cleaning the dishes and the table (like a sponge, a dish cloth, a brush, dishwashing detergent, maybe gloves)? Are there good solutions out there that look clean, well-organized and perhaps even cool? What would you suggest to anyone who hates having too much stuff lying/standing around in the kitchen? Thank you and greetings from Europe. -Monica
A: Good question! In a nut shell, we keep a dish cloth folded up next to the sink or draped over the sink itself (as seen below):
And we house our sponge in this wire caddy that suctions to the inside of the sink (so it’s not visible unless you’re standing over it looking in). We also have a caddy with soap and lotion by Cucina from Anthropologie next to the faucet- which really helps two otherwise potentially disparate and mismatched items feel like they’re being “wrangled” together for a more streamlined effect. And we usually have a cute bottle of all-purpose cleaner like Mrs. Meyer’s located on the other side of the sink for easy access when it comes to wiping down the counter or the dining room table from time to time.
Oh and we keep our dish detergent and rubber gloves under the sink since we mainly rely on our dishwasher to do most of the after-dinner work for us (and we have yet to find a cool way to store rubber gloves in full sight). But what about you guys? Do any of you have more sink-side solutions that you’d like to share with Monica to help her whip her kitchen into shape without sacrificing function or form? Let’s talk about how you store your soap, your sponges and everything else you use to get ‘er done in the kitch.
Psst- Want more photos and info about what’s cookin’ in our kitchen? Check out this post, this post and this post for all the deets.
Cecily T says
Ha! This is *always* on my mind when I look at pics of your house; especially your newly redone bathroom; though the same goes for the kitchen! In your bathroom, where’s your TP? How can you keep that open closet looking so nice? (I’ve thought about taking the door off of mine, but I have 3 sterilite drawer sets of medicines, makeup, etc…not so pretty! but efficient).
I’m thinking of saving the small bottles of 7th Gen laundry detergent, peeling the labels off of them, relabeling them, and then putting all of my cleaning liquids in them for the laundry room for bottled stuff, and saving the clear method bottles and doing the same for spray stuff, at least until we can get a laundry room re-do w/ cabinets instead of those nasty contractor installed wire shelves.
Esther says
Hi John & Sherry,
Speaking of kitchens…I absolutely love the big shell in yours that you keep your fruit on! Can you point me in the right direction of where I might find one similar?
Thank you!
Esther Sam
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from zgallerie.com (try searching clam shell)! Oh and it’s faux which is nice. John got it for me years ago and I’m still just as in love with it today.
xo,
s
Lori says
Stephanie, I have 2 tilt-out trays under my sink (I didn’t know such things existed until I accidentally found them about 2 years into living in my house!).
I haven’t had any problem with smells because the sides of the trays that face under the sink (away from you) are shorter than the parts that are attached to the wood fake-drawer. So, it lets plenty of air get to my cleaning supplies. Also, keeping just a couple items in there that are different shapes helps too, so plenty of air circulates. I keep a rubber glove in each tray (so they can’t stick together), and a sponge on one side and a scrub brush on the other.
Hope that helps!
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
we used to have a tilt-out tray in our previous house, and if we put a damp sponge or gloves in them, they didn’t smell. We didn’t put anything in that was soaked, but damp was ok.
I hide a lot of stuff under my sink and in nearby cupboards. I don’t ike a lot of sink (or counter) clutter in our kitchen. Just feels more roomy that way.
Donita says
Thank you for a great info post. ;-) I keep my rubber gloves hanging over the cupboard door under my sink. OK I know YUCK, BUT my daughter keeps me in CUTE kitchen accesories, so they really look cute. Mine are green with retro tops……just buy gloves that match, add a decor touch. I LOVE mine hanging over the edge of the cupboard door, the cuffs hanging on the outside of the door, for cuteness. I have gotten so many comments on how CUTE they are. LOL OK so if you are INTO “CUTE” you will love my idea. LOL *can’t believe how many times I used THAT word.*
Vanessa says
I use this for my sponge (not exactly this version):
http://www.design-3000.de/index.php?sid=ff318aaeffe9dd9c08601ee8dad28335&cl=moredetails&anid=cd54a00398b59cba2.26660329
Now my sponge can dry without smelling and leaving spots on the sink. And it doesn’t fall in the sink all the time, when I drain my pasta.
Briar Oak Wife says
Hello there, I have a cleaning-related question for you and thought that asking on this post was as good as any. What cleanser do you use when you deep clean your hardwood floors? I know you mentioned that you love the Method Omop, as do I, but I have not found a good cleanser to use with the Omop that is good and won’t damage our almost 100-year-old oak floors. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We use watered down Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose Cleaner. Works like a charm without any residue. Plus it’s non toxic which is great for kids and pets who spend time on the floors. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mary says
I use a medium sized flower pot that sits right next to the sink to put the hand soap, dish soap, dish scrubber, and sponge in to keep it all in one concealed place. (We obviously don’t have a dishwasher so we have extra things that need to be out on the counter at all times.) It works well for us!
Briar Oak Wife says
Ah yes, now I remember. You water it down in a squirt bottle and then just spray and scrub away with the Omop? Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup! Easy, peasy. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jennifer F says
So organized and efficient you are in all aspects of the house! This is sorta off topic, but how do you clean your stainless steel sink? I find mine gets dirty and not as shiny all the time and I just can’t seem to get it to look clean and new again. Any ideas? Also, what about garbage disposals? How do you get the smell out of those?
I love your soap/lotion caddy…I am looking into trying to find one for myself :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Good questions! As for cleaning the sink, we like to do a daily wipe-down to keep up with it (trying to clean it more thoroughly every week once it has amassed a bunch of gunk doesn’t seem as easy as some regular daily maintenance). We don’t use anything special- just a wet sponge most of the time. Sometimes some Mrs. Meyer’s soap. As for our garbage disposal, we actually cut a lemon in half and put each half down the disposal (while it’s running of course). It instantly smells fresh and lemony and does a good job of “cleaning everything out” so it’s ready for more use. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Shelley says
I use a microfibre cloth for the dishes and then hang it over the faucet to dry. The other thing I do is microwave it for two minutes after doing the dishes so it doesn’t get that icky smell and then I can easily wipe out the microwave, wipe down the counters right after the dishes are done
jbhat says
I have one! I don’t know if anyone said it already because I haven’t read all the comments, but I keep my sponge and my plastic scraper (one of those little handheld ones) in a plastic dish that is suction cupped to the inside of my sink. You can’t see them unless you are right there. And we run our sponge through the dishwasher every now and again to keep it clean.
Stephanie B says
In my home, we have two long handled scrubber brushes. We keep them in an old glass mason jar next to the sink and they actually look cute. Kinda like flowers in a vase.
Sara says
I keep my dish and hand soap in two olive oil bottles next to the sink on a pretty plate. I have a little ikea vase on there too with daisies in it. I saw the idea somewhere on a blog and love it!
Molly says
I was eyeing some of Ikea’s organizers that someone else posted about above. I especially like this Asker container, which you could use for brushes – http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70105659. I use a sleek organizer that I found at Target — it’s white and steel, with a spot to stand up your brush and with a built-in drying rack for sponges. I also use an Oxo dispenser, which looks so much better than a plain old plastic soap container straight from the store.
Carly says
Man I feel so nerdy, but this post and the following comments have made my week! Such good ideas. :) I just received in the mail today the following “sink junk” update from Crate and Barrel:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=14286&f=30072
I hope it meets my expectations. Thanks all for the tips!
Meghan B says
Responding to Stephanie about the tilt-out drawer…I LOVE my little drawer, and no, the sponge does not get smelly. It dries perfectly every time. I also keep my magic eraser there, as well as the toothbrush I use to scrub down hard to reach places in the kitchen.
Also, here’s a handy way to store rubber gloves: First, I punch a hole in both gloves close to the top of the glove. Then, I hung a Command Hook (one of the really small and thin ones) on the INSIDE of the cabinet door that is below the sink. Now I can hang the rubber gloves on the little hook and it keeps things out of the way! :)
tiffanie says
we have a stainless steel basket with suction cups inside our sink… suctioned to the inside outer wall of the sink. you can’t see it unless you are standing over the sink. it holds our sponge and rubber gloves. they have different sizes, and i’m guessing ours is about seven inches in length and 4 inches in width. we still have plenty of room for dishes and glasses, but we do have a bigger sink. it was my husband’s idea, and it has proven to be very convenient. it is from container store, by the way.
Rowe says
I also hang my rubber gloves on a hook on the inside of the cabinet door under the sink.
Only instead of punching holes anywhere, I just get a small clothes hanger with clips (I got them when I bought toddler clothes from Walmart) and clip on the gloves from the fingertips.
Or you can just use two clothespins and a rope or wire to make your rubber gloves hanger! :)
Amber says
I have my dish soap in an oil bottle as the previous commenter wrote, but my hand soap goes in one of Simple Human’s automatic dispensers. It’s classy looking and AWESOME. My husband has a neat freak streak and this dispenser is perfect for him. I have bought these for 3 other people as gifts. (PS you can probably get the best deal by using a coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond)
Jenna says
I got sick of seeing the dish soap bottle and didn’t like having it stuck under the sink every time I wanted to use it, so I took a lotion pump bottle from my bathroom (that I never used anyway) and keep it sink-side for pretty and accessible dish soap!
Jen says
I use a glass and chrome hand soap dispenser for my dish soap, a funky old BIG mug for the scrubby brush and toothbrush, and the sponge in a suction cup holder. Everything else goes under the sink.
I used to use cute little basket type holders for all the junk under the sink, but the base of the cabinet we have now is like San Francisco – rolling hills – so, everything stands on its own now.
Amy E. says
i’m a total and huge fan of the tilt-out trays! we actually had to sort of hack ours since the panels in front of our sink were too short for the trays that came with the kit. but to answer Stephanie’s Question, if you wring out the sponge before putting it into the tray there should be no problems. cabinet doors do not have air-tight seals, so we’ve never had a problem with dampness or smells or anything like that. we do periodically grab switch out our sponge for a new one when it gets too nasty to actually clean anything. we re-use the spent sponges to help clean out our cat’s litter boxes or scrub brake dust grime off the rims of our cars!
Jessica says
I have never had a dish washer so I’ve been using this number from IKEA for years: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10018194
and I actually like it when the dishes are on it because they look pretty and colourful. I just wish they would do it in powdercoated white.
http://marcelnme.blogspot.com/2009/12/honest-eds.html
Mudroom Boston says
I found a simple white ceramic tub (think a teency version of a handled shopping basket)at TJ Maxx a couple of years ago. It was probably meant for a plant or something, but I use it to house my Mrs. Meyers dish soap, hand soap, counter cleaner and dish brush all together, right on my counter. Totally contained and very simple solution.
Renee Smith says
I have a colander with several “bar mop” towels to replace the paper towels and sponges (our 1950s kitchen still has the clothes washing machine in it, so it is easy to toss the towels in for the next load of laundry… I can’t wait to move that sucker out to the garage!!).
We also have a suction cup brush from IKEA. Otherwise I keep a Caldrea countertop spray next to the faucet to keep everything fresh and shiny. Otherwise we’re pretty clutter free in the counter department.
My aunt uses some posh designer-y rubber gloves that she always hangs on the top of the door under the sink as it closes… they go with her kitchen decor, too, so it doesn’t look like yellow rubber gloves stuck in a door!
Renee Feinberg says
I am loving this blog…. I love your kitchen too….it is the look I was going for when I did mine, but I had a hard time finding a granite that was that light. Are yours marble? I wanted marble but was told repeatedly that it would stain. If you have marble, what are you doing keeping it clean? If it is granite, could you tell me the name of it?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s granite that looks like marble! The best of both worlds. It’s called Pashmina and we got it through the Home Depot. It even comes with “Permashield Technology” so it never needs to be sealed and is super easy to keep clean. No stains after over two years of everyday use! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Jen says
Wow! love the tilt out drawer suggestion! is it easy to install and with no “destruction”.? we rent!
I have no good tips, but have another questions. so do most people use sponges over dishcloths??
I use the latter so was interested to hear so many people use sponges. and i would LOVE a great suggestion for drying out dishcloths!
YoungHouseLove says
Good questions! Anyone care to weigh in? We don’t know about how seamlessly those tilt out drawers install, but we actually use sponges and dishcloths. Sponges for scrubbing pans and wiping down the counter and dishcloths for drying things and wiping our hands. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Julia says
I was seriously inspired by this post and all the comments!
Check out my sink makeover: http://lifeisartislife.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/sink-de-clutter/
I never would have thought of all those great ideas on my own, so thanks!!!