The cabinet under a sink is one of the most awkward storage spaces in any home, with pipes cutting through the middle and a dark, low opening that swallows whatever gets shoved in first. These under sink storage ideas work around those exact obstacles, turning a cluttered cabinet in the kitchen or bathroom into a space where everything actually has a spot and stays easy to find.
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Working around the pipes is the whole challenge, and these ideas solve it without much effort.
1. Install a Pull Out Drawer System
A pull out drawer system solves the single biggest frustration of under sink storage — having to kneel down and reach blindly into the back of a dark cabinet. This under sink storage organizer kitchen slides forward on rails so everything stored at the back becomes just as accessible as items near the front. Installation usually takes only a few screws into the existing cabinet base, and the difference in daily usability is immediate.
Under Sink Pull Out Drawer Organizer
Sliding drawer system that brings everything stored at the back of the cabinet forward into easy reach.
Check Price on Amazon2. Add a Bathroom Pull Out for Tight Spaces
Bathroom cabinets are typically narrower and more cramped than kitchen ones, which makes a slim pull out organizer especially useful since it works within tight side clearances most kitchen-sized units cannot fit into. This under sink storage bathroom pull out is sized for the smaller footprint common under bathroom sinks. It still slides fully forward for access to every corner, even in a cabinet barely wide enough for the plumbing itself.
Bathroom Under Sink Pull Out Organizer
Slim pull out organizer designed for the tighter clearances typical of bathroom sink cabinets.
Check Price on Amazon3. Build with Drawer Slides for a Custom Fit
A pre-made organizer occasionally cannot work around an unusually placed pipe or oddly shaped cabinet, which is when building a custom drawer on standalone slide tracks becomes the better option. This under sink storage drawer slide hardware lets you build a drawer shape that notches exactly around your specific plumbing layout. It takes more effort than buying a ready made unit, but the resulting fit uses every available inch in a cabinet that standard organizers cannot.
Under Sink Drawer Slide Hardware
Drawer slide hardware for building a custom shaped drawer that notches around an irregular pipe layout.
Check Price on Amazon4. Use a Two Tier Cabinet Organizer
A two tier organizer doubles the usable shelf space in a cabinet that would otherwise only hold one layer of bottles sitting flat on the floor. This under sink storage cabinet organizer has an open frame design that fits around the pipe in the middle rather than being blocked by it. Stack taller items below and shorter ones on the upper tier, since the design naturally creates two distinct height zones.
Two Tier Under Sink Cabinet Organizer
Open frame two tier organizer that fits around the center pipe and doubles available shelf space.
Check Price on Amazon5. Add a Portable Caddy for Cleaning Supplies
A caddy with a carry handle lets cleaning supplies travel through the house rather than staying confined to the one cabinet they live in, which matters for anyone who cleans multiple rooms in a single session. This under sink storage caddy rack holds sprays, cloths, and sponges together and lifts straight out when it is time to clean the bathroom or move on to another area. The rest of the cabinet stays organized around it rather than being disrupted every time supplies get pulled out.
Under Sink Cleaning Caddy Rack
Portable caddy with a handle that holds cleaning supplies together and lifts out for use anywhere in the home.
Check Price on Amazon6. Stack Shelves Around the Pipe
Stackable shelves designed with a notch or gap for the pipe let you build vertical storage in stages, adding tiers as needed rather than committing to one fixed organizer shape. This under sink storage stackable shelf clips or stacks together so the configuration adjusts to whatever the specific cabinet height and pipe position requires. Starting with one shelf and adding more later also spreads the cost out if budget is a concern.
Stackable Under Sink Shelf
Stackable shelf units that fit around the pipe and build up in tiers as storage needs grow.
Check Price on Amazon7. Try an IKEA Hack for Under Sink Storage
IKEA’s VARIERA and similar modular bin systems work well under a sink because the individual pieces are inexpensive enough to buy several and arrange exactly around the plumbing without committing to one fixed organizer. Combine small bins for loose items with a tray underneath to catch any drips, and rearrange the configuration anytime the cabinet contents change. The affordability also means experimenting with a layout costs very little if the first arrangement does not end up working as well as hoped.
8. Hang Items on the Cabinet Door
The back of the cabinet door is one of the most overlooked storage surfaces in the entire kitchen or bathroom, sitting completely unused on most under sink setups. An over door organizer with small pockets or hooks adds genuine extra capacity for lightweight items like sponges, gloves, or small spray bottles without taking up any floor space inside the cabinet itself. This addition works alongside any other organizer already in place rather than replacing it.
9. Keep Bathroom Items Sorted by Category
A bathroom cabinet under the sink tends to accumulate a wider mix of item types than a kitchen one — hair products, skincare, cleaning supplies, and backup toiletries all competing for the same small space. Sorting into separate labeled bins by category, even simple ones without an elaborate organizer system, makes the cabinet far easier to navigate than one undivided pile. Pull the relevant bin out for whatever task is at hand rather than digging past unrelated items.
10. Add a Lazy Susan for Hard to Reach Corners
A rotating turntable solves the same reach problem under a sink that it solves in a corner kitchen cabinet — items toward the back become accessible by spinning rather than reaching blindly past everything in front. This works particularly well in deeper cabinets where the pipe positioning leaves an awkward dead zone toward the rear that a straight shelf cannot use efficiently. Load bottles around the full circle and the whole collection rotates into view as needed.
11. Mount a Tension Rod for Hanging Sprays
A simple tension rod installed across the width of the cabinet, just below the sink basin, gives spray bottles a place to hang by their trigger handles rather than taking up floor space standing upright. This frees the entire cabinet floor below for other storage, since the sprays essentially float above everything else. It costs only the price of one tension rod and takes seconds to install with no tools required.
12. Use Clear Bins for Visibility in a Dark Cabinet
The space under a sink is one of the darkest corners in most kitchens and bathrooms, which makes opaque storage containers genuinely frustrating since checking contents means pulling each one fully out to look inside. Clear bins solve this by staying visible even in low light, letting you identify what is inside from the cabinet opening without removing anything first. For more kitchen organization ideas check out these small kitchen storage ideas and these bathroom towel storage ideas.
Final Thoughts on Under Sink Storage
Under sink storage comes down to working with the pipe rather than against it — pull out systems, stackable shelves, and tiered organizers all solve the access and obstruction problems that make this cabinet so frustrating in the first place. Whether the space is in the kitchen or bathroom, the right combination of these ideas turns a cluttered cabinet into one that actually functions. Pick a starting point from this list and reorganize that cabinet this weekend.
Amir Ali is the founder and site administrator of HomeDecorEdge, a modern home decor and interior design platform. Since starting the site, he has combined his passion for interior design, practical styling, and color coordination with hands-on content strategy and site management. He guides authors, curates high-quality articles, and ensures readers have access to actionable, visually inspiring, and user-focused home decor advice for apartments, small rooms, and family homes.