The cabinet under my bathroom sink used to be a black hole. I would buy a new bottle of contact solution because I could not see the one I already owned — it was buried behind a rusted can of shaving cream from 2018 and half a bag of cotton balls that had somehow gotten wet and fused into a single mass. Every morning involved crouching down and pawing through chaos.

Last spring I spent one Saturday afternoon fixing it. Now I can find anything in under three seconds. Here is what actually worked.

Measure first

Before buying any bins or organizers, measure your cabinet. Write down the width, depth, and height — but subtract three inches from the height because you have to account for the plumbing pipe running through the middle. Most under-sink cabinets have a U-shaped pipe that eats up prime real estate, and every organizer you buy needs to fit around it.

Stackable drawers beat bins

I tried bins first — the kind where you toss everything in and close the lid. Bad idea. Stuff still got buried. What actually works is a two-tier stackable drawer unit that slides out. One drawer for daily stuff (toothpaste, floss, face wash), one drawer for occasional stuff (extra razors, travel sizes, nail clippers). The top of the unit holds taller items like hair spray and mouthwash.

The key is that the drawers have to be clear or wire mesh so you can see what is inside without opening them. Opaque drawers defeat the purpose.

Command hooks on the door

The inside of the cabinet door is free storage that nobody uses. Stick a few small Command hooks to the door and hang your hair ties, a small mirror, or a mesh pouch with bobby pins and tweezers. Just make sure nothing hangs low enough to catch on the shelf when you close it.

The ruthless purge

Take everything out. Throw away anything that is: expired, mostly empty, something you have not used in a year, or that sample you got from a hotel in 2019. I filled half a trash bag. The stuff that survived went into one of three piles — daily, weekly, rarely — and only daily and weekly stuff went back in. The rarely pile moved to the hallway linen closet.

Now my morning routine does not involve archaeological excavation. I open the cabinet, slide out the drawer, and everything is right there.