Simple RV Pantry Storage Solution From The Recycle Bin
Two years ago, when my sister asked me to find a new purpose for her stash of empty Sea Salt containers from her breathing machine treatments, I accepted the challenge, not knowing exactly what that would be. But I recognize a good container when I see one, and being an avid recycler, there was no way I was going to let them end up in the trash bin.
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This idea didn’t come to me quickly. The containers may or may not have sat in my junk closet for a year or so. No judging…
Eventually, I realized these containers were the perfect food-storage hack for the limited space in our RV kitchen. This month’s Do It Over Designer’s Blog Hop theme is to repurpose something from the recycling bin. So with a little online creativity, waterproof sticker sheets, and a fabric storage box to contain the bottles, I think this is one of the best RV kitchen storage ideas I have come up with so far.
THIS POST IS PART OF THE ‘DO IT OVER’ DESIGNERS LINK PARTY. A GROUP OF DESIGNERS WHO TAKE SOMETHING OLD AND/OR UNUSED AND ‘DO IT OVER’ INTO SOMETHING NEW. THESE ITEMS CAN BE FOUND IN CLOSETS, BARNS, GARAGES, YARD SALES, THRIFT STORES, YOU NAME IT!
This project is going to make our next RV season so much easier in the kitchen.
For anyone who has ever spent time living in an RV, you quickly realize that kitchen and food storage are a big deal.
While learning to be a new RV owner and weekend warrior, I’ve made many food-prep and storage mistakes over the last two years. I vowed at the end of the RV season last year to figure out inexpensive storage hacks to make things easier on us this year.
Storage solutions for most RVs are a challenge, even for the experienced RVer. Especially for the RV cabinets intended as food pantry storage. Like most RVs, our RV has a tiny kitchen with limited storage. Reality is that if a kitchen item is too bulky or heavy, it will shift and slide during towing. Oftentimes, falling out of the cabinets on a particularly bumpy road. After one particularly hard trip over roads under construction and two blown tires, the mess we found inside the RV was just as discouraging.
It made me realize I needed to be better prepared and eliminate the use of heavy cans or glass containers in the cabinets. As well as find ways to keep items from sliding around at all.
In the last few weeks, to prepare for our first trip in March, I have been researching and sourcing ways to maximize the limited space in our RV kitchen cabinets while also purchasing lightweight, shatterproof, and inexpensive kitchen items at IKEA.
Another thing I have realized is that you don’t want to plan on cooking hot dogs for every day of the trip, either. There are just so many other wonderful recipes to adapt and enjoy for campfire cooking, but you do need to plan ahead.
Which brings me back to this repurpose project. The lid for the sea salt container has both a pour spout and a shaker side. Perfect for carrying small portions of dry goods and seasonings for whatever meals we plan for the trip. They are lightweight, and the tight seal keeps bugs and critters out.
Two simple steps to create custom RV storage containers.
The only two steps needed to repurpose the sea salt bottles for easy storage containers are custom labels and a holder to keep them upright and stationary when the RV is being towed.
Steps that were easy to achieve with my Cricut machine to make custom stickers and a trip to IKEA for collapsible fabric bins.
I know not everyone has access to so many of the same-sized containers at once, nor to a Cricut machine. But you can still use this idea for your RV kitchen cabinets by saving shredded Parmesan cheese containers and making handwritten labels with easy peel-and-stick labels. I also found similar spice bottles for sale on Amazon with customizable labels.
Using the templates available in Cricut Design Space, I created custom stickers with all the small food preparation items I think we will use this year, including sugar, brown sugar, BBQ seasoning, tea bags, pasta, rice, and even nuts and candy. I’m sure I will think of even more during the year.
I used the Print Then Cut sticker-making feature for the Cricut machine to make several sheets of custom labels. Each waterproof sticker fits easily on the outside of the plastic containers.
The fabric Drona boxes from IKEA are a great way to sort and store them in the RV pantry cabinets for easy access. After each trip, I can bring the fabric boxes and plastic containers back to our home and store them easily until the next trip.
The nerdy designer in me is also thrilled to have labels and fabric boxes in coordinating blue and gray colors!
For now, our RV trips are usually just a few days at a time, so these containers are the perfect size for simple meal ingredients and snacks. I don’t have future plans to become a full-time RVer. However, we will upgrade our RV in the next few years for longer trips, and I can envision these repurposed containers as part of the larger RV kitchen storage as well.
The best part is that I won’t have to pay the extra cost for more of these plastic bottles to use as storage containers in the RV. I will continue to bring more of these sea salt bottles home from my sister’s house the next time I go home to North Carolina. I am already thinking about other uses for these plastic bottles in the RV and at home.
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Please visit the other talented bloggers who are participating in the ‘Do It Over’ challenge this month, listed below.
Hugs,
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected.
Such a clever idea! I’m a big fan of saving empty containers too, and adding pretty printed labels makes it even more fun and satisfying
Thanks Elvira
A very clever recycle, and such a space saver when storage is limited.
This is such a great organization hack for your RV Donna. I love that they all match and look so nice in their little drawer caddy, too! I’m all for using recycled jars and containers for storage, but I never like how they are all mismatched and look like a bunch of old containers! Yours look so pretty! 😁
What a great idea and solution for storage containers for an RV, Donna! You might have to “patent” this idea for other RV users, too (just kidding about patenting)- but that’s how good your pantry solution is!
Those are such fun little containers and I love the way you’ve repurposed them. They are fabulous with those labels attached and I bet you’ll get a lot of use out of them!
These are brillant Donna; I ‘m bookmarking this idea! I’d love to go RV’ing in our retirement years and explore Canada!
Very nice! We live in a 40ft RV full time on our own 6 acres while we homestead the land. Storage options are always appreciated.
Great way to stay organized! Another good idea was to make labels! Happy travels!
You’ve found the perfect storage solution for RVing, Donna. Food-safe containers in a smaller size that won’t break – a win all the way around!
I love how you say you recognise a good container when you see one! 😀
It’s like a “good box”. when you get a nice sturdy box that is much too good to just throw away, I honestly think it’s important to keep these things for the perfect repurpose.
Your repurposed containers are perfect used like this, the fact they are all the same and you’ve created the smart labels means you’d never know they weren’t sold for this exact use.
What a great upcycle Donna! I would imagine you could also use sprinkle cheese containers too, something I know we have! Do you get as tickled as I do when you come up with an idea to save something from the landfill? I do not have an RV, but I can use this idea in so many other ways, thank you for your inspiration!