Organize Your Spices So You Can See All Of Your Options With This Smart Hack

Whether you rent or own your home, there may come a time when you struggle with storage, especially in the kitchen. Finding a space for small appliances, bowls, dishes, cups, and other essentials can often lead to kitchen cabinets that are crammed with various items, making it hard to grab just what you need without making a mess. Renters especially struggle with finding a home for all their necessary items, and since renovations aren't an option, they have to get creative with the way they store their stuff. Enter one of the easiest and affordable kitchen hack heroes, the tension rod. This will allow you to organize and store all of your spices so they're easy to see at a glance, thereby also freeing up valuable kitchen counter space.

Tension rods are a versatile organization tool to use throughout your house thanks to the wide variety of lengths and adjustability they offer. They're also typically very affordable and can cost under $5 each. In addition, they're perfect for renters who are low on space because they're easy to remove, yet make a world of difference when in place. In addition to organizing your spices, tension rods can also keep your plastic food container lids organized in the kitchen. Here's how to use them to keep all your spice jars neat and tidy inside a cabinet.

Start by measuring the width of your cabinet to make sure you buy properly-sized rods. While tension rods can easily be adjusted, you should still measure to save yourself the hassle of having to return to the store. Look for rods that can hold at least 1 to 2 pounds. Place the first rod at the back of the cabinet slightly below the top of the cabinet or the bottom of a shelf. Then, place the second rod directly in front of the first. If necessary, you can add a second layer directly below. Allow enough room for the spices to lay horizontally with the lids facing outwards. Alternatively, you could just use one tension rod per row and stand the spices up like they would be on a normal shelf.

If storing your spices horizontally, label the lids to make it easy to see what you need quickly when you open your cabinet. Either sort your spices and use a label maker or just make DIY stickers with tape and a marker. Don't have a spare cabinet and still want to enjoy this organization hack? No problem. You can just place the rods inside of a drawer to divide it up to store spices alongside other items. 

Before placing your spices on their new "shelf," take time to look at each spice container for its best-by date. If it's past the date, remove it from the pile and set it aside. Furthermore, while spice experts say that well-stored ground spices can keep fresh for at least a year, this isn't a fast rule. You can tell if your spice is past its prime by looking at its color, smelling it, and tasting a small bit. When spices expire, they don't become harmful to eat like perishable goods. Instead, they lose their potency and flavor over time, so they should still be replaced. Don't just toss them out though, as there are several ways to use "expired" spices throughout your home and garden.

Once you've gathered the spices you want to keep, decide the perfect place to store them in your kitchen. A cabinet or drawer is an excellent choice, provided it's not too close to a heat source like your oven. Spices are best stored in a cool, dark space away from heat and moisture. If you want to store your spices in their original containers, that's fine. However, pouring the spices into new containers may be beneficial when storing them on a tension rod, as all the jars will be the same size, making them easy to store. Any new container you decant the spices into should be airtight to ensure the best quality.