Home Organizing Storage How to Organize Tupperware and Other Food Storage Containers Finally get the mountain of plastic bowls and lids under control. By Leslie Corona Leslie Corona Leslie Corona is the Senior Home Editor at REAL SIMPLE magazine. She has been styling, organizing, writing, and reporting on all things in the home space for a decade. She was previously at Good Housekeeping, HGTV Magazine, and Parents. She has shared her expertise on the TODAY show, Cheddar, and local television news outlets. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 21, 2023 In This Article View All In This Article Declutter everything first Get the right equipment Clean and prep your spaces Decide how you store your lids Don’t buy round containers Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: David Petrus Ibars/Getty Images You know you’ve entered adulthood when opening your cupboard and seeing a mishmash of plastic containers and lids stresses you out—and the dream of seeing them neatly stacked just delights you. (Bonus points if you also live in fear of them avalanching out of an upper cabinet when you open the door just a crack.) Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly Professional Organizing, explains one of the biggest reasons her clients have trouble with food storage containers is they have zero systems in place. “Then you’re rummaging through a pile five minutes a day,” she says. (We want to add that it’s at least five minutes a day for some of us extra-chaotic folks.) 6 Things All Organized Kitchen Cabinets Have in Common But did you know that you can actually live in a world with Tupperware organized in tidy rows? And even better, did you know you can actually keep them that way?! Jamie shared some of her best strategies for finally corralling all those containers—read on to conquer your cabinets once and for all. Declutter everything first Set aside a good chunk of time to pull out all of the containers from your cabinets and drawers, and inspect everything to get rid of anything defective. “Let go of any pieces that are broken or are missing their matching lid,” Jamie advises. Nix anything that’s extra-dingy too, as plastic containers especially can get grody over time. And obviously, ditch anything you’re just straight-up not using—it’s easy to stash all of those plastic takeout containers thinking you might use them to store future leftovers. But recycle them, donate them, or use them in other places in your home, like storing hair accessories in the bathroom. Optimize your cabinet or drawer with the right equipment How you choose to arrange your containers will mostly depend on the space you’re working with, and you’ll likely need a little help from some supplies to maximize those spaces. Note that you definitely want to declutter before adding any organizing accessories to your cart—you might end up paring down so much, you’ll find you need fewer supplies than you expected. If you’ve got a lower cabinet, Jamie suggests using long, rectangular bins like these from Container Store. They’ll function similarly to drawers, so you can easily slip them in and out to access everything. Upper cabinets or shelves can get shelf risers to keep stacks nice and separate, plus divided lid organizers to prop up lids and make them easier to spot. Expandable dividers are excellent for drawers, but if they’re super-deep, there are peg board-type products specifically designed for that scenario. Jamie spoke in favor of drawers, saying, “At Horderly, it’s our ideal solution for food storage. It makes it easy to see and find everything.” Clean and prep your spaces Before you start filling up your cupboards, wipe the interior surfaces with a microfiber cloth and your choice of all-purpose cleaning spray. You can follow this step up by placing a grippy liner in your drawers to prevent items from jostling around, but Jamie cautions that this doesn’t work as well in a cabinet. “A shelf liner will make it harder for bins to slide in and out,” she says. And if you want something to stay organized, don’t make any step harder than it needs to be or you’ll never keep it up. Decide how you want to store your lids Keeping lids paired with their matching half is extra helpful but not always the best use of space since it can make it harder to stack items. But separating them means fumbling around to find complete sets every time you open your cupboard. So what’s the best way to store lids? In Jamie’s experience working with clients, it kind of depends: “This really comes down to personal preference and space, but it's usually best to keep lids separate so you can nest containers and save space.” If you’re one of the lucky few who has the space, then by all means, store containers with the lids on! Lids might still be wet from washing, so separating them will let them air-dry properly, Jamie points out. Snapping them onto the bowl when there’s still water in the crevices might lead to trapped moisture in the sealed container. Don’t buy round containers in the future Round shapes are a cardinal sin in organizing. If you’re planning to refresh your collection of containers, pick up rectangular or square-shaped ones, Jamie recommends. They’ll use up every square inch in the fridge or cabinet, whereas bowls leave lots of unusable space. Jamie’s favorite storage containers are these square glass ones from Container Store and this Pyrex Snapware set. Both recommendations feature lids that lock on and seal tightly thanks to a rubber gasket, and the latter option has a few round shapes in the mix for anyone who just can’t let go of curves. How to Organize Kitchen Cabinets—So You Can Actually Find Everything You Need Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit