ramblings of a reluctant homemaker
A food stockpile isn’t very useful if the food expires before you can use it. I recommend doing a purge of your stockpile about twice a year. Do your freezer items in one quarter and your pantry items in another.
Read More Spring Food Stockpile Cleaning – Cooking with the Ingredients on Hand
If you’ve been following my adventure to get my spice cabinet organized, then you’ll be glad to hear that my project is finally completed.
Note: I mention some of the organizers I personally ordered for my project. The links are affiliate links. If you plan to order an organizer, please consider using the link to help support Crabby Housewife. I only recommend items I’ve personally used and find superior.
The organizers I chose were two of the Copco 2555-0188 Non-Skid 3-Tier Cabinet Organizer and the Copco 2555-0187 Non-Skid 2-Tier Cabinet Turntable. Let me mention that I loved the turntable. It spins very smoothly and is the perfect size. Unfortunately, my cabinet setup did not allow me to use it as it was too tall.
Instead, I broke it into two pieces and threw out the legs that convert it into a two-tier setup. Now, I have one circular holder that does not spin and one that does. I chose to put the additional spices I wanted to get off my counter on the spinning one as I use those the most and I put extra containers of salt and food dye on the one that does not spin as I use those very infrequently.
Here are some tips that will help you organize your spices. These are things I learned along the way.
Have more than one can of the same spice? I tend to stockpile and I had two black pepper cans, two cinnamon, etc. First, make a commitment here and now that you’re going to stop buying way ahead of what you need. There is only so much room to store things and there really isn’t a reason to have three of the same spice as they take a long time to use up anyway. More than likely, the spice will grow stale on you before you use it.
Next, see if you have just a tiny bit left in any of the containers. You might be able to combine containers so you only have a single one instead of two or three. I was able to do this with my garlic powder. I had a tiny bit in one jar, so I just poured it over into the other and threw the empty jar away.
With the black pepper tins and the cinnamon tins, I was able to stack two cans on one shelf. As I empty the one, I will change this by not stockpiling so much at once.
As you can see from the pictures, my spice cabinet looks 100 times better than it did. You can actually see what is in there and not have things falling out on your head when you reach for something.
Keeping it organized can be a bit more of a challenge. I’m going to insist that people put things back where they get them and only take out one item at a time so there is no confusion. Also, when I have to replace a spice, the canister will need to be the same size as what is currently there. Otherwise, I risk things being too tall to see around or having to reorganize. No worries, though. You can always empty a new container into an empty old container.
I wish you the best of luck with reorganizing your spice cabinet. It is a big job, but it is so satisfying to see the end result and it makes cooking much easier.
Now that you’ve decluttered your collection of spices, keeping only the ones you actually use an that are still fresh, it is time to figure out how you’ll organize your spices. As I started to research this, I felt completely overwhelmed. There are a wide variety of spice organizers on the market and there are DIY ideas out there, too.
I narrowed it down to some of the most useful organizers as I was doing my search. Note that while some of these organizers have affiliate links, I have only included the ones I think would work well. If you do decide to order, the affiliate links help support Crabby Housewife.
First up is the Spicy Shelf Patented Spice Rack and Stackable Organizer. I seriously considered this one as a way to organize both bottles and cans with some space in front for salt or vinegar, etc.
Ultimately, I did decide against this one. I wasn’t sure it would fit well with the way my cabinets are set up and I wanted to ensure I could use my space to the best of my ability. However, it is very reasonable at only $9.99. If you have a lot of spices, you might need two of them.
I like the neat appearance of YouCopia Chef’s Edition SpiceStack 30-Bottle Spice Organizer. Even inside the cabinet, it makes my OCD happier. However, there were a couple of draw backs for my spice collection.
I would have had to purchase bottles as cans wouldn’t fit. I don’t want to invest that much in my organization project, because I’m cheap.
I also wasn’t overly thrilled with the price as I’d need two of them minimum. This spice rack would work great for someone with only a handful of spices they use frequently, though. The cost is $39.99 and it is Prime eligible.
The Copco 2555-0188 Non-Skid 3-Tier Cabinet Organizer is the one I ultimately went with along with another one, which I’ll share in a minute. The reason I went with this one is because it is simple and makes use of both upper and lower space in my cabinet.
I also like that I can stacks cans and bottles on it and that I can put the spices I used most often in front, but still see what is in the back. This one runs $7.99. I ordered two.
I also ordered the Copco 2555-0187 Non-Skid 2-Tier Cabinet Turntable. I thought this was the perfect compliment to my spice organizers, because I can store salts, sprinkles and some other things that are harder to organizer on this turntable. I can easily spin it to locate what I need at any given time.
I’m also thinking of ordering one of these to organize my medicine cabinet, which is my next project. It looks about like my spice cabinet and I can’t find anything.
This turntable runs $12.99, so is still very reasonable.
I haven’t yet ordered them, but I am also seriously considering some magnetic spice tins to keep spices at hand that I use frequently.
Stainless Steel Magnetic Containers Multipurpose Spice Tin Rack Perfect Kitchen Storage 6 Piece Set looks like a good one to start with and runs $19.95 for the set. I’ve added it to my wish list.
The reason I was considering these was I was thinking about placing a magnetic board inside my cabinet and attaching them there. I love the way they look, how easy they are to organize (you can also stick on the side of your fridge or on your stove, although heat can destroy spices, so not sure about that one), and that they have both a shaker and a pourer on the lid which you twist to access.
However, my concerns with these came from the reviews I read. First, people said that they were not air tight and that moisture got in and hardened their spices. I can’t stand that. Next, they aren’t very large, holding about 2 ounces each. That means I’d still have my jars with the additional spices to store. So, my storage solution wouldn’t take care of my messy cabinet.
I still really like these, though, and likely will order them and use them for something. They are just so cute, aren’t they?
As you can see, deciding which spice organizer to use is no easy task. Which one works best for me may not work best for you. A lot will depend on they setup of your kitchen and how many spices you have as well as what types of containers they are in.
Once my organizers arrive, I will share the finished project with you in photos. If you aren’t already signed up for my newsletter, I send out a weekly update of new articles so you never have to miss an update.
We have been doing some decluttering recently. With any house, after you live there a few years, things just collect. We’ve been here 11 years, so we’ve collected a LOT of clutter over that time – again. My first project in 2016? To organize my spice cabinet.
I have a ton of spices. I like to cook. I like to try new things, new spices, new creations. However, that also means my cabinet looks like the picture above. Yep. It is rather horrifying. In addition to that, I have a round spice holder on my counter top that I’d like to get rid of because my kitchen counters need to be decluttered as well.
I thought you might enjoy sharing this journey with me as I explore the best way to get this cabinet organized. I’m sure many of you are suffering from messy cabinet syndrome as well, although likely you are more organized than the picture above. This is my cabinet at its worst ever.
So, the first step is cutting the clutter. When it comes to spices, they do have a shelf life. In addition, when I bought my spice rack, it came with some blends that I never use or rarely use. It’s time for them to go. Yet, I love the little round spice jars the set came with, so I will be keeping those to put some of those canned spices in.
Things that can go:
Now that everything is inventoried and things thrown away, I will move on to Step # 2 – choosing organizers. Check back tomorrow to read more about my spice cabinet organization adventure. You can also sign up for my newsletter to get updates on new articles each Friday straight to your email box.
Grommet curtains offer a custom look to rooms, but I often find that the selection is limited on the patterns and styles available. Add something like needing room darkening abilities and it is almost impossible to find a design that matches your personal tastes and decor.
The best design and instructions I’ve found are at One Good Thing by Jillie. She covers how to measure, cut, sew a simple seam and add the grommets. We are in the process of redecorating, so I can’t wait to sew up some new curtains for my bedroom and later my living room.
