Kitchen storage secrets

[ardbark]

So I'd be interested to hear (read) about tips and tricks folks have developed over the years for packing up the kitchen (or bath, basement, etc) for the road. It can be scary to open cabinets after being on twisty mountain roads all day, and I bet many of you have learned (the hard way) how to best pack to keep stuff more or less in it's place.

Rattling dishes and bowles, those favorite coffee cups that neither stack nor stay in place, pot, pan and lid storage tricks, whatever. My moho is chocked full of odd-ball shapes and I'll bet many you have dealt with the same issues and come up nifty little tricks to make life both less stressful and quieter while going down the road.

[JimM68]

I wish my cabinets would stay closed under thos conditions.
Eating shattered corel is no fun!

[Diwizi]

Dish towels between the pots, pans and lids..... No rattles plus no folding them either. Everything in my cabinets are in plastic crates in the cabinets.... With coffee filters as packing. DH says i am a container nut..... I am addicted.... To containers of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, even use them in the frig....

[Ramblin]

Paper, plastic, styrofoam in the high cabinets. Corel, etc in the drawers underneath the cooktop. Nothing that can break (or will break a toe) goes in high cabinets.

[IMDSailor]

Another great thread!
I was think about this very thing just the other day. I was about to post a request asking about basement storage, and the packing and securing there of. Haveing a Serrano I also have the Monster storage at the back. Do people mount hard points, in the compartments, to tie down stuff with rope and bungee cord?

[fansill]

I have found that the non-skid rubberized shelf liner is my new best friend. I can get a few rolls at the dollar store and I cut it to my shapes whenever I need it.

I also utilize the cheap plastic baskets and storage bins from the same dollar store. I stuff my spices and smaller items in those and they can be stored in almost any empty cabinet.

For the really rough roads and longer voyages, I purchase a sheet of cushy foam that can be cut to fit. I mean the 2 inch type of foam that many use for shipping or even mattress pads...(egg-crate) I then will stuff a section of this into the cabinet before we start our day's journey and when we stop for the day...I slowly open the cabinet and remove the foam pillow and all seems to be safe. I store the extra foam pieces in the closet. Before we start again the next day, I replace the extra foam padding in the cabinet and I feel comfortable that as long as the cabinet stays closed...my contents will be safe.

Just my 2 cents worth...I am the driver and hubby never gives a thought to what is rattling and clanking as we go down the road...he is often snoozing and snoring...He trusts me to drive HAHA...LOL

Faith

[llmrealestat]

We just learned the hard way last week -- secure the double door cabinets with either velcro or one of those small metal curtain rod thingies. Not sure yet how to secure the single door cabinets yet. We lost a big jar of olives and one of pickles from the pantry cabinet over a really big bump (ok, it was a curb, but I promised DH I wouldn't tell). We have a residential refrigerator and I use the rubberized mats in there, as well as plastic bins to hold things. I also try to put any glass jars/bottles in the vegie drawers.

[goldwingerx2]

I put cup hooks inside all upper cabinets and then put a flat bungee cord across the hooks. Keeps things from falling when you open the door if they shift. We store the plates and bowls on there side so they could roll out if the door came open. This method has served us well for the last 10 years no broken dishes etc.

[Rick Long]

Paper plates, plastic cups, paper bowls... everything paper or plastic. If it falls, who cares. Plus I don't have to wash them
If I'm forced to buy food in a glass jar it goes into a plastic container before going into the motorhome.

PS... one exception, my Margarita glass is real glass. It just doesn't taste as good in plastic.

[Bucksmom]

being newbies, we have encountered more issues with opening the fridge without thinking first. EEkk! We have started to roll up our clean bath towels/beach towels and use them as bumpers in the fridge, and just take em out when stationary. Saves room (we have a short super C) and works great. I use an old pad that used between carpet and hardwood floors. they loose their 'sticky' after awihile. I wash them in the wash machine and cut sizes needed to keep things from rattling.

[Drifter]

These pullouts helped on our old coach. There made by Simple Human and sold at Bed Bath and Beyond.

[ardbark]

Originally Posted by fansill

I have found that the non-skid rubberized shelf liner is my new best friend. I can get a few rolls at the dollar store and I cut it to my shapes whenever I need it.

I also utilize the cheap plastic baskets and storage bins from the same dollar store. I stuff my spices and smaller items in those and they can be stored in almost any empty cabinet.

For the really rough roads and longer voyages, I purchase a sheet of cushy foam that can be cut to fit. I mean the 2 inch type of foam that many use for shipping or even mattress pads...(egg-crate) I then will stuff a section of this into the cabinet before we start our day's journey and when we stop for the day...I slowly open the cabinet and remove the foam pillow and all seems to be safe. I store the extra foam pieces in the closet. Before we start again the next day, I replace the extra foam padding in the cabinet and I feel comfortable that as long as the cabinet stays closed...my contents will be safe.

Just my 2 cents worth...I am the driver and hubby never gives a thought to what is rattling and clanking as we go down the road...he is often snoozing and snoring...He trusts me to drive HAHA...LOL

Faith

Yep, the non-skid rubberized shelf liner is the bomb. Have that in all of our cabinets. Problem is it only keeps stuff that is sitting on it from moving. The stack of dishes that sit ON the bottom dish are as slick as ever. I'm thinking of cutting a bunch of pieces of the cabinet liner stuff and putting it in-between each dish/bowl, whatever, at least while traveling.

Baskets are always a good idea, but I've yet to find one that fits my prized Riedel Vinum XL wine glasses

Not sure what you mean by putting the egg-crate foam in the cabinet.

[ardbark]

Originally Posted by llmrealestat

We just learned the hard way last week -- secure the double door cabinets with either velcro or one of those small metal curtain rod thingies. Not sure yet how to secure the single door cabinets yet. We lost a big jar of olives and one of pickles from the pantry cabinet over a really big bump (ok, it was a curb, but I promised DH I wouldn't tell). We have a residential refrigerator and I use the rubberized mats in there, as well as plastic bins to hold things. I also try to put any glass jars/bottles in the vegie drawers.

Rubberized mats in the fridge. Now that's one I hadn't thought of, but I like it.

[Dutch Star Don]

As funny as it may sound in a DP, we have some space issues in a 36' model. We used chrome sliding racks, similar to "Drifter's", in the cabinets under the stove stop. I put a pair that fit side by side and gives a lot of storage and easy access. Home Depot and Lowes racks were both too long or too cheap, but we have a store called the "Do-It-Center" that had exactly what we needed.

In both large double door kitchen cabinets above the sink, I added a full length shelf. I use the rubber matting in all of the cabinets and I hold it in place by pinning it down with thumb tacks in the corners. The cabinet above the microwave has small cutting boards, oven mitts, hot pads and tupperware.

The sliding shelves under the stove top has pots on one side and a set of stackable serving bow;s on the other. The semi hidden shelf under the stove top has steamers, strainers and other odd size items we don't use very often.