Homeowner transforms kitchen cabinets with unexpected storage hack: 'I love this idea'

Finding ways to reuse items around your home while maximizing storage is an exciting two-for-one. Someone on Reddit showed how they found a clever way to put old magazine racks to good use in their pantry.

Posting a photo on the upcycling page, one Redditor shared how they are storing their onions, garlic, and potatoes.

The picture shows four wire mesh magazine holders on the shelf of their pantry. Each holds a different vegetable — they also maximize vertical space on this shelf. They bragged, "I love this idea!"

Epicurious wrote on the best ways to store things like onions, explaining that they "should be kept in a cool, dry space away from direct sunlight, moisture, and heat … good ventilation is key." This means that these wire containers are an incredible choice, and keeping them in the pantry is also a way to maximize their shelf life.

Finding more ways to keep your ingredients fresh and cook at home can save you time and money at the grocery store, as "roughly 40% of the food we buy ends up in landfills, but simple steps can make your purchases last longer." This means that many families are tossing around $1,500 worth of food into the bin.

In addition to the monetary loss, food that ends up in landfills can cause outsized climate-warming pollution.

One of the most potent planet-warming gases is methane, and it is around 80 times more potent than the more well-known carbon dioxide. Organic material releases methane gas as it breaks down in landfills. In fact, the EPA wrote, "Wasted food causes 58% of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills."

Luckily for this person, their ingenious storage means they are much less likely to contribute to these problematic numbers. Folks on Reddit were impressed with their cleverness.

"That's a cool idea and it would take up less space than my current arrangement," wrote one person.

Another commenter explained, "I use the cardboard ones to store small drink tumblers stacked to save space. Also, roll up drying cloths stacked in them."

What single change would make the biggest dent in your personal food waste? Not buying food I don't need 🧐 Freezing my food before it goes bad 🧊 Using my leftovers more effectively 🍲 Composting my food scraps 🌱 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Someone else simply added, "Brilliant!"

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