Say Goodbye To Cluttered Kitchen Cabinets With A Simple Dollar Tree Solution

The path to a clutter-free kitchen doesn't always have to involve throwing things away. Instead, a simple DIY craft using just one item from Dollar Tree can turn a kitchen cabinet from overflowing to organized in minutes. All you need are a Cooking Concepts Metal Cooling Rack from Dollar Tree (listed at $1.25) along with a couple of common household tools and hanging hooks, and you can make custom wire wall-hanging baskets that free up loads of kitchen storage space.

The beauty of this Dollar Tree hack, besides the low price, is its versatility. You can fashion the shelves into a few different sizes based on the items you plan to put in them. They're particularly well-suited for storing and organizing spices, which tend to accumulate quickly, but these shelves can also hold other light pantry items, such as sauces, oils, and dry goods. 

The shelves can hang in several other areas around the kitchen. Some handy spots include the inside of pantry or cabinet doors, right underneath cupboards, and any open space on the side of a cabinet or a kitchen wall. Add one close (but not too close) to the range to keep your most-used seasonings, oils, and recipe cards handy when cooking, or use one for small bags of sugar, flour, and other baking supplies near your stand mixer. You could even hang one next to the sink to hold dish soap, sponges, and gloves to open up your under-sink storage area. It adds convenience while helping you stay organized. No longer will you have to fight through an avalanche of jumbled items every time you open your kitchen cabinet.

It only takes a few quick steps to turn a Dollar Tree cooling rack into a kitchen shelf, and it's an approachable task for DIYers of all skill levels. Using pliers, twist the two short sides and the three middle wires of the cooling rack with two 90-degree bends, forming it into a "U" shape. Next, twist and flatten the cooling rack's four grooved legs to ensure it hangs flat against the wall. Finally, attach your brand new shelf to the wall or pantry door with Dollar Tree's Self-Adhesive Plastic Hooks, using two or more hooks to hold the makeshift rack by the top horizontal wire on the back.

If you're having trouble sizing the shelf, count the number of wires running horizontally in each section. The Cooking Concepts cooling rack has 12 horizontal wires, and the shelf you're building has three sides. The side that goes against the wall should have five horizontal wires, and the side facing outward should have four horizontal wires. That leaves the base of the shelf with three horizontal wires, an ideal fit for spice jars, which are generally between 1 ¾ and 2 inches in diameter. Feel free to adjust the dimensions to store slightly larger items, like olive oil, sugar, flour, or any other item that will help you declutter your cabinets.

While many people may prefer a minimalist kitchen design to a maximalist one, you can decorate wire shelves without going over the top. The creator at YouTube channel Tarot with Jo, for instance, shows how to cover a wire spice rack in burlap, complete with an ornamental flower to complement a rustic kitchen. The only tools you need are scissors and a hot glue gun. Simply wrap a strip of burlap around the wire shelf and cut the strip when it starts to overlap. Use a hot glue gun to adhere the burlap to the shelf's vertical wires. For a pop of personality, you can buy Floral Garden Polyester Burlap Ribbon in numerous colors at Dollar Tree.

Another way to customize your wire shelves is to label them with chalkboard tape. Grab some Jot Chalkboard Stickers, or stop by a local crafts store for chalkboard labels. Just stick a label to the wall above or below each of your wire shelves to specify what each shelf is holding. This decorative add-on will work beautifully with a modern farmhouse look in the kitchen, and it all started with a simple cooling rack from Dollar Tree.