“Where is the glass cleaner?” My wife asked me that from the kitchen, and I knew exactly where it was. Buried behind three other bottles under the sink, in the back, where it always ends up. I had to get on my knees and pull everything out just to reach one bottle.

The under-sink cabinet is where cleaning supplies go to die. I finally fixed it with something meant for shoes.

Why a shoe organizer works

Those clear plastic over-the-door shoe organizers have a dozen or so pockets. Each pocket is exactly the right size for a spray bottle or a can. Hang one on the inside of a pantry door, a laundry room door, or even the inside of a closet, and suddenly every bottle has a home.

You can see everything at a glance. No more pulling out the whole cabinet to find one thing. No more buying a second bottle because you forgot you already had one.

What goes in each pocket

• Spray bottles sit upright and are easy to grab.
• Sponges and scrub brushes stay dry instead of mildewing in a bucket.
• Small tools like a squeegee or a grout brush tuck into a pocket.
• Gloves and rags get their own spot instead of disappearing.

One thing to get right

Put the organizer somewhere dry and away from direct heat. Most of them are fabric, so you do not want them in a steamy bathroom directly next to the shower. A laundry room door or pantry door is ideal.

Also, be honest about weight. These pockets are not built for gallon jugs. Keep the heavy stuff on a shelf and use the organizer for the everyday bottles.

It made a real difference

I have not gone hunting for a cleaning product in weeks. The glass cleaner is exactly where it should be, and I can actually see that we are running low before we run out. For a ten dollar organizer, that is a lot of sanity back.