The Very Last Thing You Should Do with Deli Storage Containers

I’m always on the lookout for new ways to use items I already have — along with brilliant tricks to make my life easier. And when it comes to washing the dishes, I’ll take all the help I can get. That’s why, when I discovered this “bus bin” trick, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner. It’s so smart, and totally free!

When I tried to get rid of all of the plastic in my kitchen (or at least not use them near food to avoid ingesting microplastics), I realized I had a handful of tall deli containers that I wanted to find new uses for. Some of them I used to store my collection of tumbler and jar lids, and one became my designated “bus bin.”

Essentially, I was inspired by a few different hacks I learned about from The Kitchn. There’s this brilliant restaurant tip, where a “bus tub” is used to collect ingredients or soak dishes, which you can mimic at home with a plastic shoebox to hold dishes and utensils in soapy water to let them soak before loading them in the dishwasher or handwashing. Then there’s this editor-loved, mom-approved dishwashing trick of keeping a bowl of soapy water next to you while you do the dishes. There’s another editor on our team who puts her dishwasher’s utensil basket in the sink as a “sink caddy” so she can easily pop it back into the dishwasher (and make sure the utensils all make it in). 

Essentially, when I’m doing the dishes — I don’t have a dishwasher — it makes it so much easier to clean my silverware once it’s already been soaking in suds. I keep one food storage container filled with soapy water to put utensils, straws, chopsticks, and other small gadgets in. 

I just use old takeout containers I already have, but any vessel works. Whether a knife has bits of salmon scales or dried-on frosting, or my silicone straw has coffee stains, putting them in my bus bin means less scrubbing (and effort) for me when I go to clean them. Plus, they aren’t just sitting at the bottom of my sink, causing a bigger mess. It essentially turns it into a DIY workstation sink — for free! I can also use it to dab my sponge or brush in for a little extra soap power.

Although it’s usually just me I’m cleaning up after, this is also a great hack for busy families. Kids can put their utensils directly in the bus bin to cut down on cleaning time and streamline the dishwashing process. It would also be great for hosting or dinner parties to have a place to collect all of the silverware before loading up the dishwasher, and it’s a great way to put someone to work who offers to help. So before you toss those old deli containers, consider alternative uses!

Would you try this “bus bin” trick? Let us know in the comments below!

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The Very Last Thing You Should Do with Deli Storage Containers