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Post by bbkeef on Jul 30, 2014 13:51:55 GMT
 Update: added a photo of the laundry area. See the huge cupboards? The right ones are the ones where laundry soap is stored. I'm still looking for a kitchen photo. ![]() My kitchen is small and lacks adequate cupboard space. I have 2 very large cupboards above my washer and dryer which happens to be open to the kitchen (I know-very weird layout). Do you think it's ok to store canned goods, spaghetti sauce, cake mixes and thinks like that above the laundry soap and bleach? On the bottom shelf I would have the laundry soap, bleach, etc. The second shelf would be the canned goods, jars, boxes, etc. I could rearrange the laundry cupboards completely and take over the cupboard above the dryer which currently has all my DH's junk in it. WDTPT? |
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Jul 30, 2014 13:55:25 GMT
Why wouldn't it be ok? Are you concerned about the chemicals in the laundry supplies leaching into the food?
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Post by Peace Sign on Jul 30, 2014 13:58:06 GMT
I don't have much cupboard space either, and when I buy things at a stock up sale, I put them in my spare bedroom closet. It's my scraproom, really. I would think whatever designated spot you want to use is just fine. I don't think the heat/humidity or chemicals would be a problem with cans. If you have boxes of things, you could put them in sealed containers if you wanted.
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Post by bbkeef on Jul 30, 2014 14:08:14 GMT
Yeah I guess it seems odd to me to store food near the bleach. Just to ease my mind, I might swap the bleach to the right side of the cupboard and put the food on the left. There is no divider in the cupboard, just shelves. I could also find room in the basement I suppose, but I know that I would forget stuff down there.
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Post by anxiousmom on Jul 30, 2014 14:09:38 GMT
I had some ziplock bags stored in an enclosed location that had fabric softener and laundry detergent. I bought the ziplocks during some kind of crazy sale and stocked up, so by the time I got to the last couple of boxes, the plastic in the ziplocks had absorbed the scent (oils? chemicals?) of the laundry products.
I had to throw them away-both the ziplocks and the food. The scent (or whatever) was transfered to the content of the ziplock bag and tasted funny, never mind the scent-chicken should not smell like Downey.
So while I think that cans would be okay to share space with laundry products, I am not sure that I would be comfortable with anything else that could potentially absorb the scent (or whatever it was.)
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Post by melanell on Jul 30, 2014 14:10:09 GMT
I think it's okay.
I don't know how much space you have in the laundry room, but I've also seen thin, but deep, drawer units that fir in between a washer & dryer and hold all of that kind of thing. Then you can use all of the cabinet space for food.
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Post by melanell on Jul 30, 2014 14:11:32 GMT
Also, if you have any extra wall space in your kitchen, my parents fit a huge amount of food into a relatively small freestanding wooden jelly cupboard.
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Post by bbkeef on Jul 30, 2014 14:31:23 GMT
Unfortunately there is no wall space. I will try to post a picture later. I have a very "unique" kitchen/entry layout. And by unique I mean "bless my kitchen's heart".  |
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Post by myshelly on Jul 30, 2014 14:59:30 GMT
I would look for other solutions first.
For example, is there any space between your washer and dryer or between them and the wall? There are great thin shelves on wheels made for just that purpose. That's where I keep my detergent, etc.
Do you have space between your fridge and the wall? My friend lives in an apartment with limited cabinet space and she bought a very thin tall shelf that slides between her fridge and the wall. She stores food there.
Do you have a dining room? A jelly cabinet or buffet with doors in the dining room would make great food storage.
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Post by bunnyhug on Jul 30, 2014 15:03:28 GMT
I was just thinking that perhaps transferring your laundry supplies to glass containers might help with smells, etc transferring?
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Post by dulcemama on Jul 30, 2014 15:09:32 GMT
Unfortunately there is no wall space. I will try to post a picture later. I have a very "unique" kitchen/entry layout. And by unique I mean "bless my kitchen's heart". I think I have that kitchen too. My cupboards just don't work somehow. I always thought that you just fit whatever you have into the cupboards you have but it just doesn't seem to be true. No matter how I arrange things, my cupboard space just seems awkward somehow. |
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 30, 2014 15:20:14 GMT
It would be perfectly fine.
If you feel weird about it, just keep the food items on the shelf above the laundry stuff, so that if the laundry stuff spills, it won't drip down onto food items.
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Post by Barbie on Jul 30, 2014 15:22:36 GMT
My cupboard space is awkward too. First, there's not enough of it. Second, there's not enough height for things like bottles of sauces/marinades or for most boxed items to stand upright. If I remove a shelf to get the height, I've lost an entire shelf of storage that I desperately need. And it seems like there's not a single cabinet large enough to hold everything that should be stored together logically. Right now, I have bags of chips stored with my crockpot and fondue pot and George Foreman grill. I have cooking wine and marinades stored with cereal boxes over the sink!
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Post by sacteach on Jul 30, 2014 15:29:29 GMT
Are there other things in your kitchen cupboards you'd consider moving to the laundry closet that you don't use as frequently to make space for the food items- maybe some small appliances that aren't used regularly, formal or holiday dishes, storage containers, mugs, etc. I know I have a few shelves in my kitchen with things that I rarely use.
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Post by Ellie on Jul 30, 2014 15:37:59 GMT
Unfortunately there is no wall space. I will try to post a picture later. I have a very "unique" kitchen/entry layout. And by unique I mean "bless my kitchen's heart". I think I have that kitchen too. My cupboards just don't work somehow. I always thought that you just fit whatever you have into the cupboards you have but it just doesn't seem to be true. No matter how I arrange things, my cupboard space just seems awkward somehow. Yes, I think I have a "bless my kitchen's heart" as well (love that). I swear it's a larger kitchen that my previous one, but the smaller one just worked better! Things fit better. The flow was better. |
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Post by bbkeef on Jul 30, 2014 15:45:23 GMT
Yes yes yes! The kitchen cabinets are just awkward. I feel like you people understand me! I like to stock up when things are on sale (and I am a person that buys 2-4 of what is on sale, not 10-20) I do like the idea of finding a slim storage thing for between the washer/dryer-I do have a few inches of space there. I also think that I could move some of the small appliances to the laundry cupboard. I just need to re-organize the whole area and maybe I'll like my house again. Thanks everyone for your awesome ideas.
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Post by colleen on Jul 30, 2014 16:33:40 GMT
I feel your pain. Before we remodeled I had to use the hall closet as a pantry. The person who designed the kitchen wasn't a cook and you could certainly tell.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 30, 2014 16:41:16 GMT
I would see if I could take over dh's side of the cupboard  And yes, I feel your pain. We have a galley kitchen and our pantry is on the other side of the house in the walk in closet that was built off our family room  |
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Post by heartland on Jul 30, 2014 16:49:56 GMT
I too have a teeny tiny kitchen that has no room for anything extra in it, literally all the wall space is taken up with doorways or cabinets/appliances. It sucks. What I resorted to was one of those 2door metal cabinets with shelves in it, think industrial. This sits in the breezeway/garage-ish area that I have attached to my house. I also have a freezer out there too. Not heated, so I have to somewhat watch was goes out there, but has totally allowed me to stock up a nice little pantry of items, and keep the kitchen relatively tidy and organized too. Is there somewhere in your house you could do something similar? |
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Post by lurkingsince2001 on Jul 30, 2014 17:06:01 GMT
The previous resident in our current place put her laundry soap,etc. in the pantry closest to the washer and dryer. Makes sense, right? Except whatever she used so contaminated that pantry that it was useless for any food product for at least the first year and a half no matter how much I cleaned it or let it air out. Anything put in there took on the smell or taste, chips, things in bags or wrappers, paper towels, baggies. It was awful as it was the only pantry space in the kitchen. I ended up having to convert 2 closets down the hall into pantries! I use that pantry for my blender, crockpot, hand mixer, etc.
Try it with cans if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it for anything else.
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Peamac
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea # 418
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Post by Peamac on Jul 30, 2014 17:31:48 GMT
Unopened cans or jars should be fine, but I wouldn't put boxes there. Some laundry cleaners have such a strong smell, you'd never be able to get it out of the food! Can you put the laundry chemicals in the garage (if it's right next to the door to the garage, that is)? Do you have a front hall closet you can use for part of a pantry? Can you put rarely used kitchen things (stock pots, cake plate, griddle, etc) in the laundry area or front closet to make room in the kitchen?
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Post by bbkeef on Jul 30, 2014 18:16:22 GMT
Oh you silly pea-ple...along with the horrible kitchen layout, the garage is not attached to the house! Odd you say? I say crazy for Minnesota. Anyway, I agree with op's that I am afraid the food will taste off or strange if in the same cabinet as the laundry stuff. I think I will start with the small appliances in that cupboard and see if I can free up some room by the stove. I do have space in the dining room closet I could commandeer too. All this discussion has really helped!
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Post by mdoc on Jul 30, 2014 23:14:42 GMT
I don't see why not, although I'd probably leave the food (except for canned goods) in the kitchen and move other kitchen stuff in there - preferably things that aren't used as often as others. I have a HUGE cabinet in the powder room located just off my kitchen (it replaced a large shower that was removed from that space several years ago) and I store kitchen stuff in there. The proximity to bathroom cleaning supplies and the toilet paper has never bothered me.
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Post by bbkeef on Jul 31, 2014 13:25:24 GMT
BTT for picture
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Post by phoenixcov on Jul 31, 2014 13:33:55 GMT
Take over DHs cupboard if you can put his stuff elsewhere that is.
Then you could keep your washing supplies and cans etc separate.
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