1 Simple Rule to Tame Your Tupperware Containers

Hi, everyone. This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and in today’s video, I’ll share how I keep my food storage containers from getting out of control. 

If there is one kitchen drawer or cabinet that is sure to be out of control messy, it is where you keep your Tupperware or food storage containers. It just impossible to get everything into that space without it looking like a giant mess. Right?  Wrong. 

Now, I’m not one of those organizing geniuses, who can take everything out of a closet, magically get rid of a bunch of stuff and then transform it into something out of Real Simple Magazine, but I do know the one principle that you MUST embrace to keep order in your Tupperware drawer and that is 

Standardization

What does that mean?  It means that you have to choose a standard container for each size of container that you want.  And you CANNOT deviate.  If you are like me, this will be challenging. I have a bunch of different storage containers, which have different shapes, sizes, and volumes. Are you telling me I need to throw these out unless they conform to one of my standard containers?  YES.  I AM.   Well, that is a huge waste!  I can’t just throw those away. YES, YOU CAN.  If that is giving you heartburn, you can use them for organizing or recycle them. Either way, they cannot be in your main Tupperware drawer. You need a strong commitment to standardizing or else this will never work.  Let me point out something for all you cheap-os out there (like me).  Food storage containers are CHEAP.  Really cheap.  You can throw everything you own out and run out and buy yourself with an entirely new set of containers for well under $25. I’m serious. If you want to tame this mess, you are going to have to embrace standardization.  

Why?

Because you are wasting space and time with your diversity of containers. Different containers don’t fit well into each other, so they all need to be stored separately — taking up a lot more space. You need each container to fit well into other like containers to use your space efficiently.  Also, news flash — this doesn’t just mean that they take up less space in your cupboard. It also means you can make the most efficient use of your refrigerator space as well. Here’s an example.  In the same space that I put one giant glass storage container, I can stack all of these storage containers.  I’m always in need of refrigerator space, so this is an important consideration.  And lastly, if you standardize containers, that means you are also standardizing tops, which is a huge time saver. You do not have to waste time trying to find the exact right top for your container if all of your containers of that size are exactly the same. 

My containers

Let me show you what sizes and brands I use.  I have a large and medium sized container that is from the Ziplock line. I also use 2 mid sized containers, one is a store brand and fits  nicely on top of the mid sized container. The other is slightly smaller and is from a line of deli meat that I used to buy. Then I have 2 sizes of screw top containers for liquids.  Just a note that I don't always follow -- square containers use space more efficiently than ones with rounded corners.

Storage

Okay — I will admit that after my kitchen renovation, I have a really nice deep drawer with vertical dividers to put these in, but you don’t need a drawer like this to tame the mess as long as you are serious about standardizing. Mine fit in the drawer like this, but you could put them in a cabinet as well. I would just create a container for tops that you can slide in and out. 

Maybe it goes without saying, but you cannot buy containers that don’t fit into your scheme or add random containers that you have been given.   I put those in a bin that I use for organizing or I recycle them.   If you are not a complete slave to standardization, this will inevitably get out of control again. 

Let me know what you think!  Comments are always appreciated and thanks for watching!