We Finally Found A Better Way To Organize Your Brooms, Mops, And Vacuums

It's the world's greatest irony that the cleaning closet is the one place we can't seem to keep tidy. Nothing seems to fit together, there's never enough shelf space, and awkward tools leave little room for sound organization. Once you arrange your array of cleaners, the mix of mops, brooms, and vacuums that can never seem to stand upright are still there to clutter the corner and fall down en masse whenever disturbed. The tangled mess is an irritating and all-too common situation and one we can't always solve with handy hanging storage systems, like those that use zip ties and hooks. But as Instagram DIYer @homehavenvibes reveals, sometimes the smartest fix is sitting right under our noses. 

Not many of us give the kitchen cabinet toe kick a second thought. Even fewer have ever considered the storage possibilities this 3- to 4-inch-tall cavity affords. Yet, when you're trying to solve the unsolvable and find a place to put your long-handled tools, a converted toe kick could be the perfect spot. Squeeze every inch of usable storage out of your room and organize your brooms, mops, and more without taking space from anything else. All it takes is a custom drawer retrofit to finally get the fix you never knew you needed!

To make your under cabinet organizer, start by removing the toe kick to reveal the empty cavity beneath. Measure and construct drawer boxes with four sides and a thin plywood bottom. Install drawer slides, or construct simple wood runners with a strip of UNMAR melamine edge banding. With the drawers constructed, you can add a faceplate to match your cabinets. Stain or paint a fresh piece of wood, or recycle your toe kicks into drawer fronts if they're in good condition. Finish up with matching hardware, and begin filling your new drawers with your cleaning supplies.

Despite the practicality of adding yet another base cabinet shelving upgrade, an issue you may run into with this project are narrow spaces behind the toe kick. You may not be able to put in a long drawer because of supports separating the base cabinet sections. The support legs could be removable depending on the build, though you'll often want to work with a contractor before taking them out. But even if you're stuck working with a narrower drawer, you can still put it to work for your supply overflow. Use them to organize your whisk brooms, backup cleaning wipe packs, dusters, and other small items to keep your main cleaning closet clear.