The Cheap Kitchen Organizer You Shouldn't Buy At IKEA, According To Reviews

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It's amazing how you can create a whole kitchen organization system with nothing but IKEA products. The Swedish home furnishing brand's drawer dividers and cabinet organizers are renowned for their ability to simplify and enhance the cooking experience, but not every product is a home run. The UPPDATERA Spice Rack, for instance, is not exactly beloved by IKEA shoppers. The spice organizer may cost just $4, but it's only rated 2.3 stars from 21 reviews, with the oldest dating back to 2022. These bad reviews make it a kitchen organizer you might want to avoid buying. 

Made from polypropylene plastic, this spice rack is meant to be used horizontally inside a drawer and combined with other organizers from the UPPDATERA collection, such as the utensil tray. Its sloped, stepped, and angular surface should hold the different jars in place, but customers have complained about its inefficiency, claiming the containers roll around inside the drawer instead. Others have expressed frustration over the reduced number of jars it can actually carry, ultimately stealing space instead of adding it. 

UPPDATERA products are known to be the ultimate drawer organizer combo from IKEA that keeps utensils neat and tidy, so it's no wonder buyers expected the same level of excellence from the line's spice rack. The high expectations only made the disappointment worse. One reviewer called the item "pointless," arguing it's more of a nuisance than a need. "They must be used inside a tray and they only fit two of the spice jars side by side — too small for three, too large for two, leaving spaces and they wobble," they explained. The same sentiment was echoed by many other unhappy customers, who ultimately set the rack aside or returned it. 

Luckily, there are plenty of ingenious alternatives on the market. For example, you can solve your kitchen storage problems with a convenient spice rack for cabinets – the budget-friendly Joseph Joseph Spice Rack Organizer. This contraption is attached to the underside of shelving, allowing you to make the most out of the empty space at the top of your cabinets. If you're married to keeping your spices in a drawer, however, the Mulush Store Spice Rack Tray comes in three materials (bamboo, acrylic, and iron) and is customizable. You can use each single piece, which is 13 inches wide, to create the perfect configuration for your needs.