Don't Throw Out Old Kitchen Boxes, Before Making The Perfect Silicone Baking Mat Storage

Silicone baking mats are a great and functional addition to any kitchen. Their ability to be reused makes them more environmentally friendly than alternatives like parchment paper. Plus, they are even better than parchment paper for ensuring even heat distribution and baking at higher temperatures. They are also quite durable and easily washed as long as you avoid making the mistake that makes cleaning silicone baking mats much harder. Unfortunately, silicone baking mats can be a bit difficult to store properly. One way to store your baking mats that is easy, affordable, and space-saving, though, is to reuse old, empty boxes of parchment paper, wax paper, aluminum foil, cling wrap, or similar products.

For this hack, all you need to do is gather the old boxes, make sure they are empty, and roll up and insert a silicone baking mat. If you are looking to finish off a box of parchment paper for this storage solution, explore some genius ways you should be repurposing parchment paper around the house. While just placing the rolled-up mat inside the box is an adequate solution, you can also upgrade your storage box in a couple of ways. Make sure you label the box, and if the box has a sharp-toothed edge meant for cutting through the box's original product, cut off the sharp edge. This can help protect your baking mats from scratches or other damage. Then, you can place the box where you typically keep your parchment paper or just any space where it will fit in your kitchen.

There are a few reasons that this box method is such an effective way to store your baking mats. Silicone baking mats should be stored either flat or loosely rolled. Folding the mats can cause permanent damage in the form of creases and wrinkles. If you simply roll up a mat and place it somewhere in your kitchen, there is the potential for it to get squished by another object and form a crease. Placing it in a box, however, will give it additional protection. The box will also help the mats avoid damage from sunlight, which can cause the silicone to deteriorate over time. Finally, the stickiness of the silicone used for the baking mats makes them prone to collecting dust and other debris that can be difficult and annoying to remove. By putting clean mats in boxes, you reduce their contact with dust, hair, and more, leaving them nice and clean for their next use.

If you have multiple mats, you will want multiple boxes to avoid rolling too tightly, which can take up significant space. You will want to make sure the boxes are large enough for the same reason. If the boxes are not the ideal shape for your kitchen, you may be interested in more simple hacks that will save you space when storing silicone baking mats. Overall, repurposing these old kitchen boxes into effective storage for your baking mats is a great way to give new life to an item you would otherwise recycle or even throw in the trash.