I always seek inventive ways to make my everyday life more ergonomic. For this project, I wanted to reduce clutter in my kitchen, and the first area of improvement was to organize some of my frequently used kitchen tools. My measuring spoons and cups often got buried in the utensil drawer or misplaced from its set elsewhere. Solving that issue would improve the organization of my kitchen and reduce stress by providing them with their own designated area.
Goal: Organize my measuring cups and spoons in a way that makes them easily accessible, while preserving cupboard, counter, and drawer space.
Challenges: As I am currently renting, my solution must be non-invasive and easily moveable (no drilling or gluing into the walls or fixtures).
Solution: Use magnets to suspend a rack on a cabinet door that will hold my kitchen tools.
Tools used:
- (12) ¾” x ⅛” epoxy coated neodymium magnet disks
- Length of decorative wood moulding
- (12) ¾” brass-plated cup hooks
- Tube of quick set epoxy
Process:
- I measured my panel between the framing of the cabinet doors where I was going to hang the moulding and cut three 10 ¼” segments from the wood.
- I epoxied a neodymium magnet to each end of each segment (two per piece, six total), making sure the magnets were polarized in the same direction.
I screwed cup hooks into the segments, spacing the hooks so that the weight of what was going to hang on them would be balanced. I put three hooks on the piece that was going to hold my three largest measuring cups, four hooks on the piece for the smaller measuring cups, and five hooks on the piece for my measuring spoons.- I positioned my magnetized moulding on the cabinet, and placed neodymium magnets on the inside of the cabinet door to match the positions of the ones on the moulding.
- I hung my measuring cups and spoons!
For less than $20 in materials (the largest cost being the neodymiums), I have three easily adjustable kitchen tool racks. I can use these on any of my cabinet doors or even hang them on the fridge. Plus, I got to play with magnets.
Because they’re on the outside of the cabinets, I’ve removed the steps of opening a drawer and searching to find them; they are always at the ready. They hang on the doors where I keep my spices, herbs, and larger measuring cups, so they are always in the location where they will be used the most. They are also right next to the dishwasher, so they’re easy to hang up once they’ve been cleaned.
This minor home improvement has significantly promoted organization and flow within my kitchen. I have been using these racks for over a year now, and my spoons and cups have never been misplaced. My solution is non-invasive to my tenancy, adaptable to almost any kitchen environment, and will benefit me for many years.
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