The TikTok Dollar Tree DIY You'll Want To Try For Tidy Kitchen Counters

Countertops can easily become a mishmash, with many of the things you may use regularly taking up valuable real estate and creating chaos. Spices and other small essentials we reach for when cooking can be some of the worst offenders for countertop clutter, with organizational racks and other storage means often costing a pretty penny. TikTok user @hometalk recently unveiled a cute and useful dollar store DIY that tames cluttered counters and gives you a neat and tidy means of storing small containers (via TikTok). It uses only a few wood containers from Dollar Tree, paint, and some wood glue to create the perfect countertop organizer at an affordable price. 

To make this DIY, you will need eight small crafter wood trays and four small wood crates. While compact, the organizer is the perfect size for smaller jars and bottles that tend to pile up on counters while still keeping them nearby and accessible. Once everything has a spot, the result is a dramatically more open cooking workspace.

To create your wood organizer, begin by painting or staining your trays and crates as desired. You can do them all one color or alternate the color as @hometalk does for additional visual interest. Lay them on their sides out in a rectangle or square, end-to-end, to create a box with a hollow center, using wood glue liberally to adhere where the boxes meet on the sides and back. Add a second layer of boxes on top. When the cube is finished, lay the small crates flat and upright along the top, gluing them to the framework.

When the glue is dried, fill your organizer with spices, shakers, or condiments. It's also great for creating a coffee or tea station filled with coffee pods, sugars, honey jars, boxes of tea, or loose bags. Put it on a table or center island to keep necessities in easy reach, like napkins, silverware, sugar packets, and more.  

Customizing your DIY counter organizer can go far beyond mere paint and stain. Leave it with a natural wood finish and add decorative vinyl or drawer liner sheets to the inside of the trays to add cottage-style interest. Use acrylic or wood paints to add decorative details to the raw wood containers. Chalkboard paint is also available and can be used to create a chic bistro look. Use black lacquer paint for a shiny modern version. For even easier access to all sides, add a lazy Susan glued to the bottom to make it spinnable. These wood crates are great for other types of organization as well, including crafting a taller Dollar Tree organizer.

This inexpensive organizer is quite versatile and can be used in spaces like bathrooms, where it can hold cosmetics or nail polish. Try it on a desk where you can fill it with jars and other small containers to hold things like paper clips, binder clips, and rubber bands. On a dresser, you could also line it with cork sheeting for a great way to store earrings easily and visible with other kinds of jewelry stashed in the top bins. In a craft room or art studio, it's perfect for holding jars of paint along the side and markers in the top bins.