How to store garbage bags under sink

Each week I receive a lot of organization questions. However, a topic I’m questioned about most often is small space organizing. And nothing gets smaller (or tighter, darker, damper, blah-errr) than the space under your kitchen sink. Why do we always want to pack everything away into this tiny space? No matter how big or small your kitchen is, the space all of us have under our kitchen sink is pretty much the same.

Here’s the kitchen in my new house…

Yup, it’s tee-niny. I can’t wait to demo the space at some point. (read = when I win the lottery) You can count on seeing images of me, smiling, sledgehammer in hand. In the meantime, I’m making the most of this cozy little space…

Especially the space under my kitchen sink…

** Pay no attention to the fact some of my cabinet doors don’t close. That would be from re-painting the cabinets before move-in. 

This week I’m organizing this cabinet and tomorrow you’ll see the final result of my efforts. But today, I’m sharing a very easy DIY project that anyone of any skill level can tackle with success. Took me all of 60 minutes – maybe. This is one of those projects that will forever keep giving in return. It’s a game-changer, friends!

Most of us keep trash bag rolls under the kitchen sink. If you’re a Costco or big box store shopper, you know how cumbersome those oversized rolls can be. I was struggling to keep my rolls together and within reach in this tiny space. So I decided to DIY myself a little trash bag organizer. Check it…

Ack – can you even believe this?! So easy!

And the supply list couldn’t be simpler…

Materials Needed For

DIY Trash Bags on a Roll

After cutting my dowel down to size, I sanded the ends. This will keep the wood from catching on your trash bag roll…

Then I gave my dowels a shot of white spray paint. This step is optional…

While the dowels dried, I got to work hanging the brackets…

To do this, I just measured where I wanted each bracket to hang under the sink, marked my holes making sure it was level, and then drilled a little hole…

Then I screwed the brackets into place with a screwdriver…

I used 2 brackets sets because I wanted to hang both kitchen and oversized trash bags. Oh yea!…

Now that the brackets are hanging, time to insert the dowels through the trash bag rolls…

Yes, this is the one step that requires some patience…just a little. As you’re pushing the dowel through the middle, a couple bags will come out the other end. No biggie! Just pop those into the bottom of your trash can, under the bag you’re currently using. Just takes a little patience, but I promise you – the dowel will go through (as pictured) and they will hang beautifully!

Once that’s done, all you have to do is set the dowel inside the brackets…

I placed each set about 13″ apart. I wanted a little overhang to ensure the dowels wouldn’t bend. And they don’t. This is super secure and beyond easy to grab a trash bag right from the roll. Even though this space is tight, you can see there is still plenty of room under the rolls…

For just a few bucks and about an hour of time (that includes paint dry time) you have organized trash bags on a roll!

Sure, you can buy a trash bag dispenser at the store, but why bother? These 10 clever ideas use items you already have around the house–and that you were probably going to toss in the garbage, anyway.