Regain Control of Your Plastic Containers

My plastic containers for leftovers keep piling up in my kitchen. I keep losing lids and they are taking up way too much space in my cabinets. What suggestions do you have?

Pam W.


Plastic containers are probably one of the top clutter problems in most kitchen cabinets. Their awkward shapes, disposability and frequent use make them hard to keep up with. There are many ways that you can transform a messy kitchen cabinet or shelf with a few simple changes.
To begin this project you must first take an inventory of what you already have. Pull the containers out of the cabinet and match all of the lids with the bases. If you are coming up with mismatches, toss the extra lids. If you have a need for it, recycle the bases as quick drawer organizers. If you don’t have a use for them toss them. The less mismatched pieces you have, the easier it will be to store and find your plastic containers.
Next, look at the volume of pieces that you have. Do you have too many for what you use? Have you ended up with a lot of containers that were leftover transports from a holiday? Are all the pieces in good condition? Do you have too many of one size and not enough of another?
If you find that you have too many plastic containers pull the extras aside. If you can’t bear to donate or toss them, save a small portion of them for the next time that you entertain. Pull them out before you put away the leftover food and have your guests fill them for doggie bags to take home. You will be getting rid of the extra containers and helping clean the mess from the party or meal.
Now that you know what you are keeping, consider the best location in your kitchen to store the containers and lids. If you open a cabinet and the containers come pouring out, it is time to rethink your storage strategy. There are several ways to accomplish an organized system.
One way to store the containers if you can afford the space is to put the matching lid on the base and pile the like sizes on top of each other. This way, you always know where the lid is and can grab the size you want off of the cabinet shelf or in a deep drawer.
If your space is tight, try to buy the same brand container every time you refill your supply. The more uniform the containers the easier they are to nest in each other. The lids will also be more universal and less difficult to locate. I suggest either storing the lids on top of the nested containers or neatly in a small container nearby. You can even buy sets that come with universal lids for all the container sizes and spinning bases for easy storage. These fit great in lazy susans or pull out cabinets.
For those of you who need an even less detailed system. I suggest using one of your deep cabinets to store the containers. Buy a large plastic bin or basket to hold all of the bases. Slide this in and out of the cabinet as a pseudo drawer. Use a smaller container to hold the lids. Either choose one that will fit on the second shelf in the cabinet or that will nest on top of the larger container. In this case you can quickly throw the plastic containers in their bin and pull out the two bins on a counter when you have to do a search. No containers will spill out when you open the cabinet and you will prevent them from piling all over the kitchen.

Kristin Mastromarino is a professional organizer and owner of Livable Solutions Professional Organizing and The Organized Lifestyle retail store in Guilford, CT. (www.theorganizedlifestylestore.com). You can e-mail her your questions at Kristin@livablesolutions.com.