Plastics/Tupperware Drawer Makeover
When we moved house in August 2019, I thought we’d be renovating the kitchen sooner rather than later. So - shame of shames - I never properly set up my Tupperware drawer. And y’all, it’s been niggling at me. So I finally dealt with it and wanted to share that (A) I too have areas of my home that are disorganised, and (B) There is a magic method to Tupperware organising that is tried and tested (by yours truly).
First, the principles I follow when tackling the Tupperware
First pair up bottoms and tops. Any orphan bottoms to be repurposed elsewhere in the home (see suggestions at the bottom of the post). Any orphan tops to be recycled if possible.
Store tops and bottoms separately.
Store tops “vertically” - it means you can easily see the lid you need without rifling through a pile (that’s the fast-track to a jumble of plastics).
Nest bottoms together to save space.
Finally, if at all possible, store your plastics in a large, deep drawer rather than in a cupboard. Being able to have a “top down” view makes it easy to see and grab what you need. Plastics stored in a cupboard are fiddlier to access and put away, especially for younger members of the house. If you don’t have a drawer, I have some tips below on how to create one.
Before….
….After
Products used:
I stored our drink bottles in this can storage container from Kmart. It stops them rolling around when I open the drawer and gives me a clear place to put them away when they’re not in use. (https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/clear-can-holder/1937320)
I use a pot lid holder to keep my vertically stored lids nice and tidy. My one is from Ikea but we get reemed on the prices here as parallel importers try to clear their stock 😡 (https://www.urbansales.co.nz/ikeavarierapotlidorganiserstai…). This one from Storage Box would do the trick too: https://www.storagebox.co.nz/…/spice…/plate-lid-rack-bamboo…
I stored my small lids in this Kmart container, it stops them from roaming about when I open/close the drawer (https://www.kmart.co.nz/…/clear-deep-drawer---narro…/1930312)
How to create a Tupperware drawer in a cupboard
Simply add a pull out storage drawer! I love these two from Kmart:
You can follow the same principles as above (tops and bottoms separately, vertical lid storage using the pot lid rack), just on a smaller scale. You will probably need at least two of the large drawers, and depending on the size of your plastics collection, you may need more. I would store bottoms in one drawer and tops in another drawer.
Once you’re set up, you simply pull/roll the drawer out as far as you need to take out/put away your plastics. Much easier than rummaging around in a cupboard, creating container chaos!!
Where to use your orphaned bottoms
Kids rooms - pens, note pads (vertically stored), hair ties, treasures.
Bathroom - medicine, beauty products
Pantry - spices, packets, single serve snack foods
Now... not every drawer is the same size and shape as mine, so the exact set up may not work for you. It will take a little bit of trial and error, but I promise that once you have cracked the perfect Tupperware Tetris set-up, this WILL stay tidy for a long time. And once you crack it, and are obsessed with it, even if your toddler comes and hulk smashes the lot, resetting it will be a 2 minute job. Yaaaassss!!