15 Creative Ways You Can Use a Lazy Susan

I have a confession: When I first started professionally organizing, I didn’t understand the hype about lazy Susans. I avoided using them in my and my client’s homes because I thought they were a waste of space and ineffective overall.

But then I slowly realized that I was wrong. A lazy Susan is one of the most versatile (and space-saving and efficient) organizing supplies on the market. Now, I use them in almost every area of my apartment and am quick to suggest them to clients, friends, and now you!

Lazy Susans are great at corralling similar items together so that you can find those items more easily and keep your cabinets and surfaces substantially cleaner. Because of their shape, it is best to store round items on them. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but the more you do, the more you’ll maximize the surface space of the turntable itself.

 Here are all of my favorite ways to use lazy Susans.

I keep two nine-inch lazy Susans inside a cabinet near the stove to store these essentials. The one closer to the stove holds the things I use regularly, like the avocado oil spray bottle and balsamic vinegar. The other contains less-often-used ingredients, such as soy sauce and hot honey. Feel free to use them to separate sweet from savory condiments in the pantry.

Rather than storing spice bottles in a drawer or a long shelf riser, consider keeping them contained to a lazy Susan. Consider a two-tier version if you have more height than width — especially if you plan to place it on the counter. If you have awkward corner kitchen cabinets, try using oversized turntables to fill the space and prevent things from getting lost in the back.

If you often buy in bulk, this might not be the best option for you. However, if you tend to keep just a few cans on hand at a time, then toss them onto a lazy Susan so they stay organized. Again, choose a two-tier turntable, as long as shorter cans can fit on the lower level.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, only keep round jars on a lazy Susan, such as the ones you might have with decanted nuts, seeds, or chocolate chips.

Refrigerator doors can only hold so much and if you’re a condiment aficionado like myself, sometimes you simply need more room to hold your bottles of Buffalo and BBQ sauce. A small lazy Susan placed in the fridge can not only corral the overflow, but also makes it much easier to clean up any spills.

I contain all of my bathroom cleaning bottles — from the shower spray to the toilet bowl cleaner — on a 10-inch lazy Susan under the sink. You can use one under the kitchen sink as well for the products you use frequently. Like a lazy Susan in the fridge, spills are less complicated to wipe up and won’t leave stains on the base of the cabinet.

Do the same things tend to rest on the kitchen island day in and day out? If you and the rest of the family struggle to keep it clear, at least try to contain the clutter to an aesthetically pleasing lazy Susan. It’ll look intentional as opposed to chaotic.

Whether you store them in the kitchen or linen closet (never in the bathroom, as heat and humidity can reduce the potency of pills), place medicine bottles like ibuprofen and antacids on a turntable. I have one in the cabinet above my coffee maker for my vitamins and supplements so I can remember to take them as my coffee is brewing in the morning.

I’ll never forget the look on my client’s face when I took her everyday products that were shoved into drawers and scattered across the vanity and then placed them on a pretty acrylic two-tier lazy Susan. It cleared significant space and let her see everything in one small spot so she could spend less time getting ready each day. Do the same, especially if you lack a medicine cabinet, with your toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, and moisturizer.

There are plenty of ways to store toilet paper, and this is one of them. I have a 15-inch lazy Susan at the base of my linen closet where I stack as many rolls as can fit, getting them out of the plastic packaging and staying dust-free behind the closed door.

I keep all of my hair styling bottles, like dry shampoo and mousse, on a lazy Susan in my linen closet. I don’t use them daily so they don’t need to be front and center in the bathroom, but I still would like them to be readily available. You can do the same with skincare serums and body lotions or oils.

This can go in the linen closet or even closer to the outdoors, such as in the mudroom or garage. Add bottles of sunscreen, aloe, and bug spray to a lazy Susan so you don’t forget them on your way out to the pool, beach, or backyard.

Lacking drawer space in your desk? Place a divided lazy Susan on top to sort and store binder clips, pens, and rubber bands so that they’re tidy and handy in a pinch.

In the playroom, keep the kids’ crayons, markers, and colored pencils in order by also using a divided turntable on top of their craft table.

I have a small laundry closet with a single shelf, so for smaller laundry items I use regularly, such as lint rollers and dryer balls, I use an 11-inch divided lazy Susan to keep them sorted and accessible.