Most of us keep our collection of herbs and spices in a cabinet, but this can get messy and frustrating. And if you have a small kitchen without a lot of cabinet space, it is downright obnoxious! Luckily, there are tons of ways to make your own spice containers and spice racks in no time at all. In this article, we’ve outlined a few easy ways to get your spices and herbs organized, no matter what kind of kitchen you have. Check out these three ideas for quick and easy spice storage solutions.
1. Spice Drawer
One popular and easy way to organize your spices is to make a spice drawer. There are lots of ways to do this, but in general, it works best if all your spices are stored in the same type of bottle or jar! You won’t want them to vary in size or it might be a bit trickier to pull together.
We’ll discuss two ways to execute this spice storage idea: the dowel method and the clothespin method.
The Dowel Method
For this method, you will need two simple wooden dowels. They can be any thickness, color, or shape. The main thing is that they fit in the drawer you want to use.
Before you start gluing anything, make sure to measure your drawer carefully. This will ensure that your dowels fit the drawer and that they are centered (assuming they don’t reach fully from one side to the other, as mine don’t). If they aren’t quite as long as the drawer is wide, you might want to make some light marks in pencil to make sure you position them in the center.
Make sure you also measure to make sure the bottom dowel is as far from the bottom of the drawer as your spice jars are tall. In other words, if your spice jars are four inches tall, position the dowel about four inches (maybe a quarter of an inch more) from the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dowels, positioning each one the same distance apart.
Next, use a thin line of hot glue or several dots along the dowels to secure the dowels in the drawer.
(Alternatively, you can also arrange them so that they are flush with one side of the drawer, which will let you put other items on the opposite side.)
Once you have completed these steps, all you need to do is place your spices in the drawer! The dowels work as drawer separators to keep them from rolling haphazardly every time you open or close it, so you can always open the drawer and read the labels easily.
The Clothespin Method
The clothespin method is a good way to make temporary drawer dividers that keep all your spice containers nice and visible. This is a good DIY spice storage solution if you live in an apartment where you can’t make any permanent changes!
With this method, the clothespins function essentially like tiny pallets on which your spice containers rest. This works perfectly if your containers are hexagonal in shape and not round.
To start, you will need a variety of clothespins — I used four for each spice container. Feel free to use more or fewer depending on the size of your jars!
This method doesn’t use any glue, nails, or other permanent fixtures. All you have to do is clip a few clothespins onto a straight piece of cardboard. Space them about an inch apart. Each of these acts as a “bed” for one jar. Continue for as many jars as fit in your drawer.
This isn’t a perfect method and you might have some space left over. Feel free to turn the clothespins sideways as I did if they fit better!
2. Hanging Spice Rack
If you don’t have a lot of cabinet or drawer space in your kitchen, you may want to consider making a hanging spice rack. This spice storage solution is an incredibly simple method that requires just a few very basic materials that you probably already have at home.
To start, you will need something to act as a hanger for your spice containers. Depending on how you do this, you probably won’t need glue or any other securing mechanism! I decided to use a bit of embroidery floss, but if you prefer, you can use flower wire, yarn, twine, or whatever else you please.
Because my spice containers had a divided lid, I didn’t use any type of glue. I simply unscrewed the cap and threaded the embroidery floss through the larger side of the lid.
Then I tied the embroidery floss in a firm knot and screwed the cap back on to the bottle.
All that’s left to do is to hang it up! If you want to go as simple as possible, just put some nails in the wall to hang your spices. Some people prefer to use Command hooks or screw hooks, both of which are easy to find.
Alternatively, you can use a premade hanger to arrange your spices, which doubles as a nice piece of decor for your kitchen. This often works best if you have a larger number of spices and want to avoid putting a lot of nail holes in your wall!
You can also do this method with jars or other containers that don’t have divided lids. In this case, you will want to use a dab of hot glue on the back or lid to secure twine, floss, or wire. Make sure it is thoroughly dry and hang normally!
3. Magnetic Spice Jars
Ideally, you want your spices to be arranged in a way that is clear and organized so you can see them all together. Some people enjoy putting them on the front of their fridge to keep them within reach and easy to see. This spice storage solution is also a great alternative if you don’t have a lot of cabinet space in your kitchen!
The simplest way to put together a magnetic spice storage arrangement is to use metal containers! Then it is literally as easy as using a double-sided magnet to keep the containers in place. However, even if you have regular spice jars, you can still make a magnetic spice jar display.
To start, get some magnets. You want ones that have a flat front so that they can hold on to as much surface area as possible, reducing the risk of a jar coming loose and falling.
Then it is time to grab your trusty glue gun and get to work!
This craft works best if you have permanent spice jars that you don’t need to throw out. However, you can make it work by reusing the same containers of any kind. Use a glue gun to add a moderate amount of hot glue to the front of the magnet, keeping it as centered as possible.
Then attach your spice containers to the front of the magnet, holding them in place until the glue holds firmly. Don’t hang them on the front of your fridge until the glue is completely dry, or you will risk them falling!
This is a great way to keep your herbs and spices organized, especially if you use a lot of seasoning in your cooking! It is also quite eye-catching, so don’t be surprised if your guests start asking about your unique fridge display (and don’t be surprised if you end up using a jar of oregano to stick a reminder on the fridge!).
If you have a lot of jars to put onto your fridge-front display, you might want to buy a pack of plain black magnets in bulk. You can find these at most craft stores, and they are made to be attached to other objects, which keeps things simple.
FAQ
How Do I Organize My Spices?
The best way to organize spices often depends on your personal preferences, but there are a few good things to keep in mind!
When in doubt, label, label, label. You might think you don’t need to, but there is nothing worse than opening the wrong spice jar, especially if your spices are kept in jars rather than factory-made containers. You can buy stick-on labels at any dollar store and label by hand. Or if you prefer, get a label maker for home use!
Secondly, get rid of the clutter! We all accidentally buy two of a type of spice at one point or another. Wherever possible, conglomerate all your duplicates so that you have fewer containers taking up space.
What Can I Use To Make a Spice Storage Rack?
The sky is the limit when it comes to DIYing a spice storage rack! You can find tutorials all over the internet for making spice racks out of wood or even metal. This is also a great opportunity to upcycle old materials and reduce waste.
How Do I Alphabetize Herbs And Spices?
Keeping your herbs and spices in alphabetical order is one of the simplest ways to keep track of them. To start, take everything out of your spice cabinet and put it in one place where you can see it clearly. Then, combine any duplicates into a single container wherever possible. After that, all there is to do is to put the spices into alphabetical order, labeling if necessary.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed our three simple spice storage solution ideas. Do you have an idea of your own, or a unique way you store your spices? We’d love to hear about it. Share it with us in the comments below.