The Perfect Cabinet Liner Is The Common Kitchen Item You Probably Already Own

With the way they keep kitchen cabinets cleaner and more organized, shelf liners are a smart solution for any homeowner to use, especially since they're so accessible. There's likely nothing stopping you from upgrading your cabinets right now, considering all the easy DIY liners for cabinets and drawers you can find around the home. In some cases, these can even be better than commercial cabinet liners. If you need a perfect example of how everyday items can transform your storage spaces, look no further than that roll of aluminum foil you normally reserve for wrapping leftovers and lining baking sheets.

As a kitchen cabinet liner, aluminum foil offers more than a watertight, easy-to-clean protective cover for the surface underneath. The metallic sheen makes this one of the most popular shelf liner materials because it reflects light in the cabinet, giving you a better view of everything inside. The smooth surface is easy to wipe clean, and it's affordable enough to replace if a piece rips. Plus, it can add style to the cabinet with the surface protection. The silver foil you have in your kitchen makes a great neutral choice to use in any scheme. But if you try the foil idea and fall in love with it, you can find rolls in colors from pink to blue to gold to give your cabinets the perfect protective complement.

Before doing anything else, clean your kitchen cabinets by taking everything out and wiping down the surfaces. To line them with aluminum foil, measure the inside area you have to cover. Cut a run of foil slightly longer than the shelf. Center it on the shelf, and carefully smooth it by running a stiff card from the center to the edges. It doesn't matter which side of the foil faces up. While the shiny side has a more mirror-like reflection and the matte side scatters diffuse light, the actual brightness doesn't vary much from one side to the other.

With the foil flattened and tucked into the corners, run a utility knife along the edge to cut it to fit. If your cabinet is deeper than the foil, you may have to use two pieces to get complete coverage from front to back. In that case, lay the first piece over on the shelf up to the front edge. Layer the next sheet toward the back, letting the pieces overlap. Now, when you go to sweep crumbs and debris from the back to the front, you won't push any under the foil. The foil may eventually rip from impacts or items pulling it as you move them around in the cabinet, but replacing it is quick and simple. And since it's a kitchen staple, you'll never have to worry about running out of this convenient cabinet liner.