Taming the Tupperware – Tip Tuesday

Today we’re digging deeper into the one area of the kitchen that most people simply can’t manage – Tupperware™ containers. As a professional organizer in Boston, I’ve seen this scenario time and time again: you have a drawer or a cabinet space overflowing with tops and bottoms to various containers. Take, for example, the photo above. When it comes time to piece a lid and bottom together, tragedy ensues. My friends, as much as you may think this is unavoidable, you can actually organize that Tupperware™.

To start organizing your Tupperware™, follow these three tips that I always share with my professional organizing clients:

1. Only buy and use square Tupperware™. By sticking to one shape, you can rest assured that the containers will fit together. Square containers also fit into cabinets and/or drawers better without wasting space. Think of a grid of containers that can directly fit next to one another, versus circular containers where there is wasted space in between.
2. Nest, nest nest – Make sure to separate your container bottoms and lids. Set your container bottoms inside of each other. Use a basket or another square container to corral the lids.
3. Ask yourself how many containers do you actually need? A lot of times we accumulate these containers, and we only use a fraction of them, thereby wasting precious kitchen space. Take a quick analysis one week and see how many of these you actually use. If you don’t use half of these containers, donate them or store them in the basement to use during the holidays or to handout leftovers after large parties.
4. Edit what is worn or cracked. When a lid or bottom gets too yucky to use or it is cracked, throw out or recycle it and it’s mate. There’s no sense in hanging onto a container that is unusable.

Take these professional organizing tips into consideration, and in the future, packing lunches and putting away leftovers will be a lot easier!

Photo: Remarkably Domestic