Beat Kitchen Cabinet Clutter With This Easy Shelving DIY

It almost feels like there's no good way to store canned goods. Stacking them leads to labels being hard to read, cans in the back being hard to reach, and the inevitable toppling. Lazy Susans, bins, or pull-out baskets are all decent options, but they're also often a waste of space, and gadgets meant to help store and access cans really only work if they're used for storing several cans of the exact same item. 

However, there's a handy DIY hack using wire shelving that wedges right into your cabinets, whatever their size, and allows you to see, access, and store all your canned goods with ease. Best of all, it's quick and easy to install, using inexpensive materials and only basic skills.

The main component of this trick is wire shelving meant for closets, available at Lowe's, for instance, for around $15-$20. Or, you can repurpose the wire shelving you already have in your existing closets for no additional cost. You'll also need either a hacksaw or some bolt cutters, both of which are also available at Lowe's. That's it, and the whole project can be done for around $40.

Measure your cabinet and cut your wire shelving to fit. You can either use a hacksaw or snap the shelving apart with bolt cutters. It shouldn't take too much strength, but be sure to cut the shelving about ½ an inch shorter than the interior of your cabinet. Also, bear in mind that the shelving itself comes in varying lengths. There's no need to buy a 6-foot piece of shelving if you only have a 2-foot wide cabinet. 

A 4-foot wire shelf will be less expensive anyway and can be used to create two tiers in your cabinet if you have enough interior height — all you need are two screws, drilled only halfway into the wood at your preferred height, to settle the front of the shelf on. You'll notice these shelves have a lip along one length too. When used to remodel your closet, this is meant to hang downward. However, for this hack, you'll install the shelf with this lip facing upward to prevent cans from rolling out. 

Slide the shelf into the cabinet in an upright position with the lip at the bottom, then pull the upward-facing lip forward. The back of the shelf will wedge in on its own. This doesn't waste any more space than any other option, and your cans will all be visible. Moreover, your cabinets are meant to hold several heavy appliances, cookware, and stacks of dinnerware, so the weight of the cans won't be a problem.