Easily Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets With This Simple IKEA Spice Rack Hack

Getting the organization in your kitchen cabinets just right can be the difference between cooking being a delight or a chore. If you find yourself avoiding your kitchen instead of loving it, it might be time for some reorganizing. Even if you've done a couple of rounds, this time tackle it armed with a secret weapon — the BEKVÄM Spice Rack from IKEA. Don't be fooled by the word spice in the name. This simple shelf can be used for far more than holding your chilli powder and oregano.

When it comes to assembly, all it takes is four screws and you're done. If the lighter shade of wood doesn't match your cabinets, the aspen wood takes a stain well. Use it as is, stain it to the shade you want, paint it, or varnish it. Whatever you do, it will look great and elevate the level of kitchen cabinet organization. You'll need to get wall mounting screws as they're not included. Make sure you buy screws suitable for the surface you'll be attaching the shelf to.

The multipurpose spice rack is one of the IKEA buys to optimize a small kitchen, as it can be used in different ways to free up much-needed storage space in your cabinets. Highly affordable at only $7 per rack, it's affordable enough to get as many as you need to organize every chaotic space in your kitchen. Turn kitchen stress into a blissful oasis with everything you need at your fingertips.

You don't always have to mount the spice rack for it to be useful. Create a neat coffee and tea station by placing one rack in your cabinet with the rod towards the shelf for stacking cups. Place another rack in front of it, in its regular orientation for jars of tea, coffee, sugar, sweetener, and creamer. Pairing the two shelves this way makes the cups more accessible while keeping the jars tidy. Taller cabinets offer the option of mounting another two racks higher up, one the intended way and another upside down. Use hooks on the rod to hang mugs, making double use of the excess vertical space.

Another great way to free up shelf space is to mount a few racks on the inside of a cabinet door. Use the racks as dispensers for items like kitchen paper towels, cling film, lunch wrap, or aluminum foil. If tearing is a problem, make a built-in tear-off strip. Salvage the sharp metal cutters from cling film boxes and simply glue them to the underside of the bars. 

If you're looking for decorative ways to store your favorite cookbooks at home, use spice racks mounted on the inside of cabinet doors. Not only does this give you extra stacking space, but it keeps your cookbooks inside a cabinet instead of an open bookshelf, which protects them from the oily grime that settles on items in a kitchen.

The beauty of using spice racks with cabinets is that you're not limited to the space inside. Utilize the bare side of kitchen cabinets to maximize storage with a genius idea. An unused cabinet side gives you a great area for mounting a few spice racks. Whether you use that space for chopping boards, recipe books, a small plant, or a few decorative elements is up to you. If there's enough bright light, you may even be able to use it for a small indoor herb garden.

The underside of cabinets is often a neglected yet functional area. Mount spice racks upside down and use the rod for hanging storage. Get some IKEA KUNGSFORS Stainless Steel S-hooks and hang cups, cooking utensils, or dish towels. For greater storage capacity, pair an upside-down spice rack with SUNNERSTA containers. These useful containers have a built-in hook that fits over the spice rack rod. They offer extra storage space for quick-grab cooking utensils or ingredients and come in beige, blue, orange, and white to blend in with your kitchen style.  

One of the most appealing aspects of these spice racks is their adaptability. Whether you mix and match them by attaching one upside-down rack to another that's the right way up, or join two alongside each other for extra length, they offer remarkable versatility. Cluttered kitchen cabinets stand no chance when faced with the IKEA BEKVÄM spice rack.