The DIY Rag Storage Hack For A Cleaner, More Organized Kitchen

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Kitchen rags — most everyone has them stuffed in a drawer somewhere in the kitchen. Yes, there is a way that you can double the lifespan of your paper towels, but rags are a sustainable option that's better than wasting countless dollars to buy endless rolls. In some circumstances, rags even clean better than paper towels; microfiber cloths in particular can hold a lot more water than a thin sheet of paper towels. But instead of leaving them in a haphazard pile, consider one of the numerous ways to organize those rags so they're easy to grab, look nice, and take up less space in your kitchen.

If you're particularly crafty, you can repurpose toilet paper rolls as a decorative rag holder. When you've collected at least six empty rolls, use binder glue like Teawoo's Book Repair & Binding Glue Kit, which dries clear, to glue the rolls together in a triangle. When the glue is dry, you can get creative and paint the rolls fun colors that match your kitchen if you wish! Set it in a cabinet or punch a hole toward the edge of the top roll and guide a ribbon through to hang the rag organizer on a hook in your pantry or on the wall. Roll up your rags and stuff one into each roll. You can make this hanger bigger or smaller as needed by adding more rows of toilet paper rolls.

Okay, so maybe you're not the crafty type, and painting and gluing is not your forte; don't worry, though — there are plenty of easy and effective ways to store kitchen rags that make use of other objects around the house. For instance, a wine rack storage hack made for serious home bakers is also perfect for kitchen rags. Roll a rag and slide it into each slot of a wine rack, like the Soduku Rustic Wood Countertop Wine Rack; you can even put your cleaning sprays on top. If you have space in a cabinet or pantry, use a small decorative basket for clean rags, and then hang a small mesh laundry bag like Kimmama's Laundry Mesh Wash Bags to hold used rags that you're not ready to put in the wash yet but don't want to leave sitting out on the counter. Or, if you've recently bought new sheets or a shower curtain and still have the plastic bag, those usually have a hook on top and make the perfect bag for storing clean rags, just hang the bag inside a cabinet.

Well-organized kitchen rags can truly be a timesaver when cooking — putting rags in the wrong spot is a seemingly small kitchen organization mistake that could leave you in a pickle when it comes to quickly cleaning up messes. You can even organize your rags within these various systems based on their use, whether countertop, floor, or dishes, so that you always know where each designated rag goes.