'Everyone Needs One': The $6 IKEA Find Shoppers Swear By For Taming Pot Lid Clutter

When you're cooking dinner, is it easy for you to grab the exact pot lid you need without shifting items around in your drawer? If the answer is no, then an inexpensive organizer product from IKEA — the OSTBIT plate holder – could be worth a look. Although the makers of this product may have originally intended it for plates, its upward-facing pegs and sturdy design make it useful for tidying up an unruly collection of lids. If you use it this way, it could help maximize organization in a small kitchen -– though it's also a handy item to have around regardless of the size of your space.

This simple, $6 wooden rack is a favorite among IKEA customers; it boasts a 4.7-star rating on the Swedish retailer's website, with over a thousand reviews. "Everyone needs at least one," one happy customer said, adding, "You don't realize how helpful they are until you start using them." Made from bamboo, the OSTBIT has six slots for lids in between its pegs. It measures 11 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 3 inches tall. As a result, it's relatively compact, so you should be able to fit it in most cabinets and deep drawers. Leaving it on your countertop is also an option if you have enough surface area to spare. However, you may want to use some of Martha Stewart's best countertop organizing tips if you're going to do this.

There are plenty of other reasons why IKEA customers love the OSTBIT for storing pot lids besides its compact design. "The bamboo material doesn't scratch my cabinets," one reviewer wrote. "Highly recommend this item, it's solid but light and holds 6 pan lids," another noted. If you need space for more lids, putting multiples of this product together to form one continuous rack is straightforward. As one reviewer pointed out, "I lined two up against each other and you can get an extra slot by doing so." Do you have lots of big and small lids that need to be stored together? Not to worry — this product "holds many different sizes of lids," according to another one of IKEA's customers.

There are a pair of drawbacks to the OSTBIT that are worth knowing about before you buy one for your lid collection. The first is that the product isn't expandable. In addition, reviewers say it isn't ideal for wet locations and that it might get moldy if you use it as a drying rack or place it right next to your sink. If you're only concerned about this second drawback, you could try applying a layer of food-safe wood finish to the OSTBIT since it may slow down moisture intake. Tung oil or mineral oil should do the trick. If you're put off by both of the OSTBIT's drawbacks, IKEA's $8 expandable, stainless steel VARIERA pot lid organizer might suit you better. Alternatively, you could try out a smart pot lid storage hack that uses command hooks instead.