Most families have a habit of collecting plastic containers and Tupperware. From margarine containers to sour cream cups, plastic containers make excellent little storage units for leftovers, work lunches and even to hold nails and screws. But when your kitchen becomes overrun by plastic containers and Tupperware, you know it’s time to do some organizing.
Organizing Plastic Containers and Tupperware: Assess Your Need
When deciding which containers to throw out and which to keep, the question shouldn’t be, “What could I use this for”, but “What do I use this for?” Switching those two words can make quite a bit of difference, especially if your cabinets are overflowing. Just because you have an eventual use for something doesn’t mean that you should hang on to it; after all, if you find a use for it in the future, you can always use something else. Organization isn’t just about finding a place for everything, but also about weeding out the things you don’t use.
Organizing Plastic Containers and Tupperware: Metal Bins
One of the problems with organizing plastic containers and Tupperware is that we have a habit of throwing all of it into a large cabinet in the kitchen. Then, when you need to find a specific one, you have to wade through all the others in the hopes of finding it. To avoid this organizational nightmare, install metal or plastic bins in your cabinets for separating sizes/shapes of containers. You can even buy bins that attach to sliding rollers on the sides of the cabinets so they can be pulled out. Have one bin for each of the sizes of containers and one for lids (unless you store the containers with the lids on).
Organizing Plastic Containers and Tupperware: Number the Lids & Containers
If you store your containers and lids separately, one of the hardest parts is matching the two when you need them. To avoid that mess, number each of the containers and lids so that they correspond. You can have more than one lid and container with the same number as long as they are the same size, and you won’t be rifling through your lids and trying multiple options until you find the right one.
Organizing Plastic Containers and Tupperware: Leaky, Stained & Mismatched
If you have containers or Tupperware that don’t have matching lids, throw them out. The days are gone when it seemed sufficient to cover a container with aluminum foil – bacteria can enter much easier through foil than through a heavy-duty lid. The same goes for leaky containers that don’t hold food well and containers that are stained from chili or spaghetti sauce. I guarantee that you’ll collect more containers in the future, so don’t mess around with ones that don’t suit your purpose.
Organizing Plastic Containers and Tupperware: Matched Sets
My wife is an organizational nutcase (sorry, honey), and she can’t stand it when things are a mess. About a year ago, she got fed up with our vast assortment of Tupperware and threw everything out. She and I went to Wal-Mart and purchased a 65-piece Tupperware set for fifteen bucks, and we’ve never used anything else since that day. A set makes you feel better because everything matches, and you don’t have to struggle to find what you need. Some even come with a rotating holder so everything stays in its place until you need it.
