Try This Dollar Tree Storage Hack For Deep Pantry Shelves You Can't Reach

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Barring those lucky enough to have a broad budget to install half-depth cabinets to make your kitchen feel more spacious, most of us have to make the best of clunky, standard-sized builder's cabinets with countless square inches of dead space. Once you've stacked your pans, cleaning supplies, or food storage containers on the lower shelf, all the usable space is occupied, with lots of empty air above them. Not to mention the common issue of items in the back expiring or degrading because you simply forget that they're there.

One solution is to renovate your cabinets with pull-out shelves to keep them organized and more easily access things stored all the way in the back. Even if large-scale renovations aren't possible, it's still pretty easy to DIY this very solution by making your own rolling baskets. All you need are plastic or metal wire baskets that fit into your cabinets and some wheeled plant caddies like Tosnail's 10.5-Inch Round Metal Plant Caddy with Caster Wheels that come in a three-pack for about $19. Attach the caddies to the baskets, and you're good to go.

Since the caddies mentioned are round with just three wheels, you'll likely need two per basket to keep everything from tilting when you roll it in and out of the cabinet. Attach the caddies with zip ties or heavy duty gardening wire to keep them from shifting or falling off. Small elastic or Velcro straps should work, too, provided you can secure them tightly enough.

The key to successful DIY rolling storage is making sure that the items you use to make it can fit and move inside your space. For instance, it might be practical to have two rolling baskets per shelf to make it easier to store different categories of items, such as cleaning supplies versus rolls of tin foil and parchment paper. In this case, be sure to carefully measure the inside of your cabinet to determine the size of your baskets — including the height of the plant caddies you decide to use. Flat, wire caddies like those listed are pretty versatile, but your space may require something more low-profile.

Plastic and wire baskets or wooden crates are also better for this project than wicker, as wicker isn't as sturdy or easy to clean as the other materials. Plastic is best for cleaning supplies or storing surplus condiments and other things that might leak. Wire baskets make great makeshift "root cellars," as they allow airflow that'll keep produce fresh. Wooden crates are usually more heavy-duty than the other two and work for heavy bags of rice and beans, or sturdy appliances like mixers and flour mills.

It's also worth noting that this storage solution is best for larger items. Small kitchen essentials like dry measuring cups or little bags of rubber bands will get lost easily in large baskets. Instead, use Command hooks to cleverly store smaller kitchen items by hanging them inside cabinet doors.