12 Clever Ways to Enjoy Organized Tupperware and Food Storage Containers
Raise your hand if, despite your best efforts, Tupperware and other food storage containers always seem to take over your entire kitchen.
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Does it feel like no matter how much you stack those lids up, they never quite stay put? A piled up mess of lids will make it a struggle to get out the door each morning with your packed lunch intact. And you might just want to forget about saving the plentiful dinner leftovers when you can’t find a container to fit them. You can see why organized Tupperware is total #kitchengoals!
Good news: there are plenty of easy ways to keep your food storage containers from ruining your entire kitchen organization system. And the even better news is that you might have several of these supplies already at home. Which means you’ll save both money and time. (See, you’re already killing it!)
For your kitchen cleaning inspiration, here are 12 ways to get those lids under control.
1. Corral with a carousel.
If the majority of your Tupperware includes tall, square-shaped containers, an organization carousel like this Storage Container Set and Carousel from Lowe’s will be just right. Plastic columns keep stacks in order and prevent them from falling, and the inner space provides plenty of room for lids.
2. Use a mesh divider for easy visibility.
Tired of searching for that exact piece of Tupperware in your kitchen cabinet? Keep things tidy with this see-through 5-Section Pull Out Organizer from the Container Store.
3. Stack lids vertically in a plate rack.
Bet you didn’t know a simple plate rack could lead to organized Tuppeware! Arranging and dividing them by size makes it easy to find exactly what you need. You can source a bamboo dish drying rack for less than $10, then just place it inside your kitchen cabinets—or on top of the counter if you want to keep it within easy reach.
4. Use book bins as dividers.
For a super simple solution to keep plastic containers of varying sizes neat and tidy, turn cloth book bins on their sides and use them as dividers. You might already have soft-sided book bins that you can borrow from the kids’ room, or consider investing in some new ones. But really, any kind of basket or bin will work here (we used these drawer organizers in the photo above)—as long as you can fit it in your cabinet or drawer with the opening side up, you’re in business!
5. Keep lids in check with tension rods.
Small tension rods are a smart way to ensure organized Tupperware. They can help keep lids from getting out of hand, since they can be extended to fit just about any size drawer. Stretch them across the width or depth of your drawer, all the way to one side, leaving just enough room to prop up a stack of several lids on their side. If you don’t have tension rods already at home, you can score a six-pack for less than $15. (Save the extras to create bonus shoe storage in the closet or prop up baking sheets somewhere else in the kitchen.)
6. Separate lids and containers with drawer dividers.
With the help of some drawer dividers and some smart stacking, this drawer is now totally organized—and super satisfying to look at. You can use something like these adjustable organizers, which come in a pack of two for $24, but really any kind of tension drawer dividers are going to help make sense of your mess.
7. Use pegboard to keep containers in place.
Adding pegboard to drawers or slide-out cabinet inserts is another clever way to keep different food storage containers separated and tidy. You can pull this together with simple hardware store supplies, or buy a ready-made pegboard kit for under $20 and assemble it flat inside your drawer. If you want something really turnkey, Umbra makes an adjustable pegboard-inspired kitchen cabinet organizer that you can buy.
8. Store lids in a hidden magazine rack.
The cure for out-of-control lids? Add a magazine rack or file sorter to the inside of your cabinet door for hidden, easy-to-reach and super organized Tupperware whenever you need to put leftovers away. You can make it happen with any narrow wire organizer and stick-on Command Hooks (make sure the organizer has holes big enough to accommodate the hooks). Or find a file sorter that’s designed to be wall-mounted and fasten it to your cabinet door with short screws for a semi-permanent solution.
9. Hack a cereal box.
This might be the quickest, cheapest solution (at least if your family eats a lot of cereal, pasta, or really anything that comes in a box) for better organized Tupperware. Grab a box destined for the recycling bin and cut off the top and one corner to create a magazine-style organizer practically out of thin air. If you want to dress it up, wrap it like a gift with pretty patterned paper, tucking and taping the paper around the cut edges.
10. Create a lid organizer with a drying rack.
If you’re already storing your food container lids in a small bin, but wish the solution was a little tidier, consider this: Snag a roll-up dish drying rack and unroll it across the top of your bin to give your lids neat little sections to slide into. You can buy a roll-up rack like this for $8 online—but they’ve been known to turn up in the dollar store or bargain sections of your favorite stores, too.
11. Buy an off-the-shelf solution.
If all this hacking and DIY isn’t your style, you should know that almost every organizing solution company makes their own version of a food storage lid organizer. The YouCopia organizer has adjustable sections and comes in a few different sizes to fit whatever space you have to sort out. And this one from mDesign is simple and solid, and the acrylic look might match your other organizers perfectly (if not, they make a bamboo version too).
12. Invest in an entire storage system.
If you have a lot to store and you’d prefer to just shell out for a ready-made storage system, the Cadillac of food storage organization has to be this Food Storage Pull Out Pantry from Rev-a-Shelf. It fits a standard 21.5-inch-deep cabinet and comes in two widths, and you can find it for sale on Amazon or Wayfair for around $250.
