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How to organise food storage containers

Containers are kitchen essentials — to store leftovers, bring lunch to work or school, or organise your fridge and pantry — but the clutter they cause can be a real nuisance. Get rid of the frustrating mess of mismatched containers and missing lids and check out how you can get them sorted once and for all.

A white-tiled pantry has IVAR shelves of natural pine with full and empty glass jars and plastic containers stored on them.

Container storage in a cabinet

If you want to keep your empty containers, jars and bottles in a cabinet instead, there are clever and budget-friendly solutions you can use to divide the space in an optimal way and maintain a good overview. Forget frustrating games of kitchen Tetris to fit everything in! You’ll thank yourself every time you open the cabinet door and are able to find exactly what you need at once.

  • Shelf inserts of different widths and heights add more usable storage surface in an instant, allowing you to use the entire height of the cabinet without having to stack things on top of each other. That way you won’t have to deal with an avalanche of containers and lids if you want a specific container at the bottom.
  • Wire baskets which can be clipped onto the shelves are perfect for lids and for storing empty water bottles or thermoses that tend to roll around. The beauty with wire baskets is that you can see what’s inside them, even if they’re placed high up in a cabinet. And best of all — both shelf inserts and wire baskets come in different sizes and can be moved around to meet your ever-changing needs.

A white kitchen cabinet with shelves has several kitchen items stored on VARIERA shelf inserts and in PÅLYCKE wire baskets.

How do you organise containers in a drawer?

A kitchen drawer is an excellent place for empty food containers, as you get an eagle-eye’s view and will quickly find what you’re looking for. With some practical and affordable accessories, you can get organised in no time:

  • Drawer dividers prevent containers from sliding around and getting disorganised or chipped. The dividers are easy to adapt to the height of the drawer and can be moved around to fit your needs. Here, containers are placed in one compartment and the lids are sorted according to type in the other two.
  • A pegboard is another way to organise the drawer, keeping all items neatly separated and easy to find. The adjustable pegs make it easy to customise the drawer according to content.
  • If you have glass containers, you may want to consider a drawer mat to protect both the kitchenware and the drawer from scratches.

Whether you’re using a drawer divider or a pegboard, it’s best to store the lids vertically. It allows them to airdry if they’re still a little wet after the washing up and you can easily find the one you’re looking for.

A kitchen cabinet has two drawers, one with drawer dividers and one with a pegboard, where containers and lids are stored.