Quick and clever kitchen storage solutions

Sometimes it seems like your kitchen is a magnet for clutter. If yours is in need of some organizing, check out these quick and clever kitchen storage solutions.

• Hanging measuring cups inside a kitchen cabinet to free up drawer space.
• Position and mount a wood strip so that the cups will hang between the shelves and allow the door to close completely.
• Mount a second strip for your measuring spoons, then screw in cup hooks on both strips.

• Most kitchen base cabinets lack vertical storage space for big, flat cookware like cookie sheets and pizza pans.
• To create some vertical storage space, just remove the shelf inside most cookware cabinets, then cut a vertical panel of plywood and wedge it into the cabinet so that you'll have enough space for your pans and sheets.
• Next, fasten the plywood divider at the cabinet bottom with furniture braces and at the top with a strip of wood.
• Drill holes in the plywood for the adjusting pins that are matched to the holes on the side of the cabinet.
• Trim the shelf to length and set it back into the cabinet.

• An empty rectangular tissue box makes a convenient holder for small garbage bags, plastic grocery bags and small rags.
• Simply use a thumbtack to stick the box to the inside of a cabinet door.

• Don't let shopping lists, phone messages and to-do notes clutter up counter space.
• Mount a dry-erase board and a plastic bin on the inside of a cabinet door with double-sided foam mounting tape.
• The bin will protrude into the cabinet, so be sure to position it where it won't collide with shelves or the stuff inside.
• Get the board, bin and tape at a discount or office supply store.

• Countertops are a landing pad for paper — mail, news clippings and other assorted notes.
• Get that mess off the counter with folders and a file holder.
• If there's not a suitable vertical surface, get a file holder that sits on the countertop.
• It will take up less space (and look neater) than a stack of loose papers.

• Plastic grocery bags turn up everywhere these days, so you might as well corral them for reuse.
• First, cut the top and bottom off a two litre (half gallon) plastic soft drink bottle with a utility knife.
• Make the hole in the top about eight centimetres (three inches) in diameter.
• Next, use small screws and washers to mount the bottle on the back of a cabinet or closet door with the 8 centimetre (3 inch) opening down.
• Stuff the bags into the bottle and pull them out as needed.

• Small spice containers use shelf space inefficiently and are difficult to find when surrounded by taller bottles and items.
• Use a small spring-tension curtain rod as a simple shelf.
• It's easy to install and strong enough to support the spices.

• Use those leftover closet racks as cabinet organizers.
• Trim the racks to length with a hacksaw and then mount screws to the back side of the face frame to hold the racks in place.
• The back side of the rack simply rests against the back of the cabinet.
• Now you can easily find your soup and check the rest of your inventory at a glance.

If your kitchen is in need of organizing or you just want to spruce the room up, just follow these quick and clever kitchen storage solutions.