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Out of Sight or On Display: Where Do You Keep Your Paper Towels?

by on Sep 7, 2012

 

One of our ongoing housekeeping goals is to keep crap stuff off our kitchen countertops. Not only does it look neater (obviously), it also makes things easier to clean, and it makes the counter space look much more expansive. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting one of those in-drawer knife holders so I can get rid of the big block, but my paper towel storage stumps me.  We try to use as few paper towels as possible for environmental reasons, but I still like to have them in easy reach just in case. Such a mundane item, paper towels, yet a staple in many kitchens, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has wrestled with deciding where to hide–or not hide–them.

Spectrum 76771 Over The Drawer/Cabinet Paper Towel Holder, Brushed Nickel

Of course I’ve considered mounting a holder inside a cabinet door, like the one pictured above (Amazon, $9.99), but we really don’t have room. (I measured it and the roll would run into my cleaning supplies & etc.) Plus, our hands are oftentimes wet/dirty/whatever when we reach for a paper towel, so that would mean we’d get the cabinet and knob wet/dirty/whatever too.

easy tear wall mounted paper towel holder

Mounting an under-cabinet holder is out of the question as it would block our under-cabinet lighting. 

This next one could work in our pantry cabinet, but, again, there’s the wet/dirty/whatever hand thing. (Organize.com, $6.99)

created at: 09/07/2012

I’d love to have something like this next one. I’ve measured the openings under the kitchen sink, but they’re too small and the sink behind is too big. 

created at: 09/07/2012

If I had an abundance of cabinet space, I might even consider doing this:

Paper Towel Holders Kitchen Storage at Cooking.com

Alas, I’m afraid–until we wean ourselves off paper towels entirely–we’re stuck with a simple ‘stick-like’ holder (I chose this one from The Container Store, $9.99), which is fine for now as we can tuck it out of the way against the refrigerator so it’s not terribly obvious. And if get really OCD about the stuff on the counter, we can always stash it in the pantry cabinet. 

Tips to organize to keep your paper towels

 

SO–where do you keep your paper towels? In plain sight or tucked away sight unseen?

P.S. Here’s a good, non-judgmental article about paper towel users living in an eco-friendly world. 

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1 Comments

  1. I have a grand total of two feet of free counter space in my tiny kitchen so this was a bid deal for me. I got an under the cabinet holder from the Container Store and mounted it with command strips to the side of my fridge with the free end sticking up. We got the kind that clicks as you turn it so it can’t spin freely. Works a treat! No counter space wasted.