How To Free Up Kitchen Counter Space With This New IKEA Storage Essential

An organized and orderly kitchen isn't something that just happens — it requires thought, effort, and execution. If your kitchen has a number of items that are cluttering your countertops, there is still hope. The truth is that many individuals' kitchen countertops are filled with a wide array of items that might not need to be housed where they are. That doesn't mean that you necessarily have to clear cabinet space to re-home countertop items. Instead, you may experience a large degree of luck by simply acquiring the right container, such as IKEA's new storage essential.

The IKEA 365+ Food Storage Basket ($7.99/2-pack) is a recent release, comprised of two metal baskets in colorful hues: yellow and green. They are compact in size, making them easy to fit into whatever spare room you have on your countertops, but they are still large enough to fit the small essentials that are currently spread all over your surfaces. While they are sold as open mesh baskets, they are compatible with the IKEA 365+ Bamboo Lid ($5), if closed storage is more in line with your preferences and needs. If paired with the bamboo lids, the IKEA containers become stackable, thus organizing your vertical space and keeping your precious countertops clear.

Depending on the state of your countertops, you'll want to modify how you use these containers. Thanks to their compact size, they can be easily placed in a number of spots throughout your kitchen. Use them to hold odds and ends that accumulate throughout the day (as a sort of catch-all bin, if you will). You can also use them during meal prep to hold small fruits and vegetables, like lemons or snacking peppers. Just remember to keep them refrigerated between uses to maintain their freshness.

While ingredients are a large part of kitchen operations, they aren't the only everyday essentials that might be taking up countertop space. Use them to hold items like rubber bands and food clips as a decorative solution to keep kitchen counters clutter-free. Similarly, you can place charging cables in them or hold disposable napkins, which will keep these items dry and from sprawling everywhere. 

Options truly abound for how to employ these in the kitchen — you can even place your reusable coffee cup lids in them or fill them with single-packaged snacks inside, like beef jerky sticks, granola bars, or fruit snacks, providing an approved snack station for families with young kids in the house.

While there is so much to love about these IKEA 365+ mesh baskets, there are a few caveats to bear in mind. Firstly, depending on where you live and how prevalent fruit flies are, you may want to avoid positioning them permanently on the counters if they are going to hold some sort of produce. That's because the mesh metal paired with fruits that are left out can make for the perfect fruit fly invitation. That doesn't mean they can't be used for countertop food storage; just opt for items that don't bring swarms of bugs with them, like garlic cloves. You can also place containers of spices in them, so long as you place them out of direct light and away from sources of heat.

In terms of care, you'll want to avoid exposing the mesh to water, since they are metal and can easily be damaged. This means that they should never be placed in the dishwasher. That doesn't, however, mean that you shouldn't clean them ever. A good solution to keep them fresh is to wipe them down with a damp cloth periodically. Otherwise, you can simply dust them from time to time, which will ensure that they maintain their crisp and cute appearance while helping you say goodbye to cluttered kitchen countertops.