The cabinet next to my stove is 5″ wide. At first I thought it would be perfect for spices. Then I tried to actually use it. There simply wasn’t enough room to maneuver. I would have to pull down many bottles to find what I was looking for. My first solution was using a Linus Packet Holder. It made it a little easier because I would pull out a bin that had all the spices, but I still had to rummage through bottles. I wanted to be able to see my spices, but with this method, I could still only see what was in the front. It was better than nothing, but I wanted more!

Then on a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond, I saw a spice rack that was just what I needed. It is called Swivel Store. (They don’t seem to carry it there anymore, but you can find it elsewhere online.) It was one of the “As Seen on TV” items which often seem to be good ideas, but don’t always work. It claimed to take up only 4″ of space so I thought I had finally found the solution to my tiny 5″ cabinet. They also had some small 99 cent spice jars there. I bought several knowing my big oversize Costco spices would never fit in this rack- or any rack for that matter.

I tried it out and I have to say that it does really work for me. I filled up the spice jars with my most used spices and labeled them, putting the big spice bottles up and out of the way until refill time. My Trader Joes spices fit as they were. Now I can see 20 spices in the space that used to only show the 2-3 spices in the front. I love sliding the rack out and quickly grabbing what I need to cook. This made a very small and inconvenient cabinet a useful, organized, and maximized space.

You never know when you might find the perfect product to help your particular situation. Always make sure you measure the dimensions of your cabinets and spaces to ensure that things will fit!