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Water Bottle Storage & Organization Ideas

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Below I've gathered several water bottle storage and organization ideas provided by readers, showing practical real world ways they keep these bottles from getting so out of control.


Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer Organization Challenge
There's a few organizational challenges when dealing with water bottles. The first is that you've got to keep track of the bottle itself, and a lid, and sometimes a few other parts as well.

In addition, they aren't easily stackable normally, are not typically uniform in size if you've got a hodgepodge collection of them like we do in our family, and they easily fall over causing an avalanche when you open a cabinet door, if that's where you keep them.

That's why I recently got this reader question:
Water bottle storage ideas would be great! We run a lot and at races we get lots of water bottles and we always use them, but for the life of me, I have not figured out a functional storage solution for them. It seems to me that it should be simple. Lol.
So I asked readers what they did, and I got many suggestions

The most popular ideas are shown below. I'd love to get even more ideas for organizing these bottles though (we do it as part of the Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer Organization Challenge), so if you have your own suggestions (especially with pictures) make sure you submit them here and I'll add the best ones to the page.

Make sure before you begin organizing them all though that you declutter water bottles, travel mugs and plastic cups as part of the Declutter 365 mission, so you're only organizing and storing the bottles you truly love and will use.

Travel mug and water bottle storage and organization ideas, to keep these items corralled and from overtaking your kitchen cabinets {on Home Storage Solutions 101}use this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Top photo courtesy of MrsTG

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Simple Water Bottle Organization Hack: Use An Over The Door Shoe Organizer!

So the most popular idea provided by readers, and that seems to really work long term, is to put up an over the door shoe organizer on the back of your pantry door and use that to hold the bottles.

I love this idea because they're easily accessible, you can't keep more on hand then you actually have slots for (so you can feel OK with chucking the cheap bottles you seem to get at every function) and the lids stay with them this way!

The picture above was provided by a reader, Tonya.

You can get these organizers here:



Here's similar ideas from other readers who've implemented the same idea. This picture is from Jillian.

water bottle storage using an over the door shoe organizer


And this photo below is from Shelley.

water bottle storage using an over the door shoe rackuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

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Wine Racks Make A Great Water Bottle Storage Rack

Use a wine rack for water bottle storage in your kitchen, either inside a cabinet, on a shelf, or even on a kitchen counter {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101} #KitchenStorage #KitchenOrganization #StorageSolutionsuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Another idea for storing these bottles and travel mugs, is to use a wine rack.

Wine racks can help you store and organize your bottles in many different places in your kitchen, including inside a kitchen cabinet, on a pantry shelf, or even out on the kitchen counter.

The top photo in the above collage was sent in by a reader, Amy, who said, "I use wooden wine racks that match my cabinets! Several are in the sink and not in the rack right now because, well, football."

The bottom photo in the collage is from another reader, Mary Jo, who explained, "I have two small wine racks on my counter."

You can get wine racks here:

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Stackable Water Bottle Storage Racks For Counters Or Cabinets

When you open your cabinet do water bottles fall or roll out? These bottles can be hard to store, but you can use this stackable water bottle storage rack on a counter, or inside a cabinet or on a pantry shelf, to keep these bottles easy to grab and ready for use {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101} #KitchenOrganization #KitchenStorage #StorageSolutionsuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

A very popular storage solution that I first showcased on the Household Management 101 Facebook page, is this stackable water bottle storage rack.

It can be used on a counter, or inside a cabinet or on a pantry shelf, to keep these bottles easy to grab and ready for use.

They come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit the number of water bottles you need to store, and the shape of the place you want to use the rack. You can get them here:

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Keep Water Bottles Filled & Chilled In Refrigerator

One reader wrote in to share this simple storage idea, store your bottles in the fridge!

She explained, "I do not store empty, clean water bottles. Once they are cleaned I fill them with water and put them in the refrigerator. I only have enough water bottles for each member of my family, plus 2."

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Keep The Bottles In A Bin To Containerize Them

One of the big problems with water bottles, travel mugs and other types of portable cups is that they fall over in cabinets.

To keep this from being a problem you can place them in a container. Your container could be on a shelf, life the reader above, Anna, showed. She explained, "I keep mine in that red bin on the shelf. I get water bottles at different places I go on vacation. So I went through and put ones I use in there and I am going to find a different place for the other ones."

Or, you can place the container inside a cabinet, just to keep all of the bottles together, but yet it is hidden away then.

The key is to only keep as many bottles as will fit into the container without overflowing, so when you get a new one and it starts to be too full, you will know it is time to get rid of some of the ones you don't like as well.

Here's another photo of water bottles in a wire bin as an example, as shown by a reader, Linda. She explained she recently decluttered hers, saying, "Got it down to 10 from 22. Now they all fit in the basket."

Water bottle storage idea: keep them in a bin inside your kitchen cabinets, so it doesn't matter if they fall over {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}

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So What Are Your Storage & Organization Ideas For These Bottles?

Water bottle storage idea: keep them in a container inside a cabinet, so they don't fall down and make a mess and are easily contained {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101}


Finally, this is a photo from a reader, Leslie. She said, "This has saved my life! Ours used to be in a cabinet above the microwave and when I opened the doors I would risk one falling on my face. This is also coffee mugs and protein shake bottles."

Now it's your turn. What ideas and suggestions do you have for storing water bottles? I'd love to hear, or better yet, to see.

You can submit your own ideas and pictures here and I'll add the best ones to the page.

More Home Storage Solutions

{A-Z} Storage Solutions & Ideas
I hope you enjoyed these ideas for storing travel mugs and water bottles in your home.

There are even more ideas for storage and organizing on the site in the {A-Z} Storage Solutions & Ideas round up page. Go check it out if you'd like to see even more ideas.

In addition, if these ideas have inspired you to organize even more things in your kitchen make sure to read the Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer Organization Challenge, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge I run on the site!

You can also join the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge here. It's free!

Each week in the challenge we tackle a different area or type of item in our home, and slowly, over the course of the year you'll get your whole home organized, along with developing habits and routines to keep it that way!

Are you ready for the challenge?

Travel mug and water bottle storage and organization ideas, to keep these items corralled and from overtaking your kitchen cabinets {on Home Storage Solutions 101} #KitchenStorage #StorageSolutions #KitchenOrganizationuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Photos below, of shoe organizer, courtesy of readers, Denise and Brooke

Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission which helps me provide this information to you for free, plus support my family. My integrity and your satisfaction are very important to me so I only recommend products I would purchase myself, and that I believe would benefit you. To learn more please see my disclosure statement.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

{A-Z} Home Storage Solutions & Ideas

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Go From Water Bottle Storage & Organization Ideas To Home Page

Water bottle storage idea: Organize and store these bottles in a hanging shoe organizer, such as on the pantry door {featured on Home Storage Solutions 101} #KitchenStorage #StorageSolutions #KitchenOrganizationuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Comments for So What Are Your Storage & Organization Ideas For These Bottles?

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created a drawer on my shelves using a plastic storage container
by: Alisha

Plastic containers, lids and reuseable water bottles used to be an issue. I have very limited drawers in my kitchen and putting these items on a shelf was a constant mess and hide and go seek game. So I created my own "drawer" by purchasing a plastic storage container that would fit my shelf. I have one that stores all the containers and another on the shelf above that houses all the lids and water bottles. By adding these two "drawers" to my shelves I can pull them out get what I need. No need to put stacks on the counter or floor while I reach for the one I need that was inevitably in the far corner.

DIY Organizer Idea
by: Wendy

If you can sew, get a length of material and stitch elastic strips down its length and make it that it can be hung on a coat hanger and store the bottles sideways through the loops of elastic and hang behind a door or in a pantry.

Keep some frozen for cool drinks
by: Marybeth

We always have two frozen in the freezer half filled with water laying at an angle ready to fill the rest with water. Others are thrown in container cupboard. I like the idea of the over the door storage though.

put them in a plastic lidded container
by: Aimee

Mine are in a clear lidded tub from Dollar General.

wine bottle rack would work
by: Amanda

Try a cheap wine bottle rack that holds multiple bottles and put it in a cupboard or pantry.

love the hanging shoe rack idea!
by: Beverly

I like the hanging shoe rack idea. I don't have very many but they don't seem to want to stand up. Then it's like dominoes -- they ALL fall over!!

2 ideas for storing them
by: MamaBear

I have seen two great ideas for storing reusable water bottles. The first was to turn a magazine holder on its side (with the long, narrow side on the bottom) and lay the water bottles in it. You could easily make something like this from a cereal box. The second was to store them in a wine bottle holder.

purge
by: Anonymous

…or purge the amount of bottles…

Keep some in the fridge and in lunchbags
by: Anonymous

I have 3 kids and always take water with us whenever we leave the house. So I have 3 water bottles, each with their name on it and keep it filled and ready to go in the fridge. The lunch water bottles always stay in their lunch bags even on weekends so I don't have to store them in my cupboards. That saves me a lot of space in my drawers and cupboards so I'm not storing all those bottles.

6-shelf sweater organizer
by: Anonymous

I have a 6-Shelf sweater organizer (affiliate link) hanging in my coat closet that is close to my kitchen. We place the water bottles on their sides and depending on the side of the bottle 4-6 can easily fit.

what about ideas if you don't have a door you can use?
by: Nadine

Now that is a brilliant solution to a thorn in our organizational side. Just one problem, I don't have a door in my kitchen that would support a rack of this kind! Any other ideas would be appreciated.

over the door shoe holder idea
by: Denise

Absolutely BRILLIANT!!

any ideas for a small apartment?
by: Laura

The shoe holder is a great idea if you have a pantry! We live in a small apartment. Any ideas on how to store the water bottles?

what if you have no pantry?
by: Mimi

Would love a person who has a small kitchen like mine and no pantry type cabinet to tell me what they do to store water bottles.

How bout TRAVEL coffee mugs
by: Anonymous

We have a variety of travel mugs--they, like the water bottles pose a similar challenge. Any ideas would be welcome! thanks.

oversized basket plus shelving unit
by: Anonymous

I have a shelving unit we bought and I have an oversized basket for water bottles and kids lunch box containers. We have 7 people so we have a lot of bottles and lunch containers. I can't do the door thingy (brilliant) but this works for me :)

I put mine in the fridge too!
by: Sonya

When mine have been washed I refill them and put them in the fridge ready to go for next time.

Square utility tote from 31
by: Tracy Emmons

Although the over the door rack is clever, I don't see my 7 and 4 year old easily being able to select and put away bottles correctly. We've used a Square Utility Tote from 31 on the floor of our pantry for all water and sports bottles. The flexible sides easily accommodates all sizes and shapes while the wire rim keeps fallen bottles from rolling out. I suppose any box would work too. The boys can easily see which one they want and they are able to put away the bottles when emptying the dishwasher. Win-Win-Win!

Corner cabinet lazy susan + box
by: Terri

I don't have a door to hang something on, but I do have a lazy Susan corner cabinet. The first thing I tried was just standing the water bottles on the shelf, but every time you opened the cabinet, the bottles would fall. So I took an empty shoebox, got some colored duct tape, and covered the box in the tape inside and out. Then I put the box on the shelf, and stood the bottles up inside the box. Works great! I also have a smaller bin on the shelf now for lids--some of the bottles have separate tops, so rather than try to keep them straight when I put dishes away, I just toss the tops in the bin and let the kids grab one when they grab a bottle--a lot of the tops are interchangeable, so it lets the kids have a little freedom to make their bottle the way they want to. LOL.

no pantry
by: Anonymous

Thank you for the idea...but what if you don't have a pantry?

I used a coffee cup tree
by: Sarah

I began searching for something around the house I could use. I came up with an old coffee cup tree! I hung it in the kitchen to hang the water bottles on. Most of your water bottles will already have some sort of hanger attached. For the ones that didn't, I used one of those new rubber type hair tie and a key ring and a small clip. I have a pic, but not sure I see a place to post it.

Need more than 1 bottle
by: Margaret Mary Myers

Some people are saying only one bottle is needed per person. I try not to be a collector, and I believe in limiting the numbers of things, but I'm too absent-minded to depend on only one water bottle (I sometimes forget & leave it in the car...of course, I don't want to get it until the next trip, because I live in a 3rd floor apt., with no elevators ;) ).

I love the over door idea, except my pantry is open shelving. I have a weird container that we got years ago, that stands on end, and I stand them in it. I'm still on the lookout for new ideas though.

keep a couple in a tote in your vehicle
by: Jean Gray

Keep a few clean water bottles - or cups - in a tote in each vehicle. For "the big game" or a day out, take a jug-type cooler to (re)fill clean bottles.

colander
by: Susie

I bought a nice stainless steel colander (the type used for straining pasta) and put it on an open shelf above the bench. I put the bottles into it upside down after washing so they continue to drain. I toss the lids into the bottom of it. Looks nice and is practical. If too much water is dripping out the bottom you could place a folded dish cloth underneath.

used soft drinks bottle
by: Apple Davies

We use the empty bottle of soft drinks like Mountain Dew bottle the neon green color as our storage of our drinking water. My question is, is it safe to used again and again as our bottled water?

Another option
by: Maggie

No pantry, or door? You can use a bin for all travel mugs & water bottles. It can be kept in a cupboard, closet or anywhere it fits. I do have more than one bottle per person, because we don't drink much of anything else for cold beverages other than water, so if we are going to be gone for a while we might have two per person. We want to have enough reusable bottles that we are NEVER tempted to buy water (or sugary drinks). This is not the type of thing to purge in my opinion unless the bottle is disliked/unused.

I use an over the door shoe holder too!
by: Anonymous

I do this with all our water bottles. It works great keeping them handy and out of the way. I had to use some velcro tape on the back of the shoe organizer to keep it from flying from the weight of all the cups when the door was open or closed.

I use a fruit bowl
by: Alexis

I have quite a few water bottles. I have no pantry to do the shoe rack thing. What I use is a fruit bowl on my counter next to the sink. It keeps them all in one place and easy to find when I'm on the go.

wine rack perhaps
by: Chris

Would a wine rack be the right size for water bottle storage?

I use small baskets from Dollar Store
by: Tracey

I bought small baskets from the Dollar Store. I use 2 for water bottles and 2 for travel mugs. I used my label maker and put a label on the end. When you put a bottle/mug away, you pull down the basket and put the bottle and lid into the basket. When you need one, same thing - pull down the basket and find what you need. The baskets fit great on my shelf and no more pushing the bottles around on the shelf, only to have them all fall over.

another vote for keeping them in the fridge!
by: Nancy

That's very easy. Only keep a few per person and when you use a bottle, bring it back to the house, rinse it out or wash it, fill it up and place it back in the refrigerator! Each member of the family can have a shelf on the door or in the fridge. Then when you are ready to go, so is the water!

wine rack
by: Stephanie

I use a wine rack for my water bottles.

could use a plastic rolling cart
by: Anonymous

If you don't have a pantry to hang the shoe organizer on you could always purchase a small plastic rolling cart and put them in it and then tuck the cart away wherever you have a little extra space.

too many
by: Virginia

Some of the pics posted have just too many water bottles. One each plus maybe two spares. I never store them with lids on as they can get a smell in them and I like to air them. I have the lids in a bowl next to the bottles.

keeping bottles filled in extra fridge
by: allergic2healthy

We have an extra fridge in the garage that is often almost empty, so I think I will fill the bottles with filtered water and keep them in there for quick grab-n-go. Still wrangling with whether to keep the extra fridge, but there are enough events during the year we need the extra space.

keep mine in the fridge as well
by: Betsy

I do the same with water bottles and also have a well made coffee bottle for each of us. I hate having those nasty plastic glasses!

Travel cups in freezer
by: Mary

While storing them in the fridge is a great idea, I took it one step further. I fill the bottle halfway with water. I store a few in the freezer tipped slightly. When it's time to go, I fill the bottle with water and the water stays cold even through long trips.

too many
by: Sandra W

Unless these families have 10 kids--there are too many water bottles pictured. One reader has it right--1 per family member and 2 extra. But water bottles aren't alone--many of us use traveling coffee mugs. So these could easily be added. I like the idea of putting water bottles in the fridge.

wine rack
by: Anonymous

I put my water and protein shake bottles in a wine rack in the cabinet.

Organization Hack Blues
by: Anonymous

I think I love this idea!

Next project: get a pantry door.

storing filled water bottles in the fridge
by: Anonymous

We started doing this after I read it here. Now we always have water ready to go, and I freed up 1/4 of a cabinet for other essentials.

shoe organizer works if you've got a pantry door
by: Anonymous

The shoe organizer storage is a great idea IF you have a door on your pantry that is not a bi-fold and IF there is enough clearance with the shelves.

Amazon also sells some storage holders that are clear plastic with slots to stack one bottle on top of the other.

Keep your travel mug/cups lids clean
by: Anonymous

HINT: I always wash my travel mugs and cups, will even put them in the dishwasher to sanitize the lids really good, but if the lids are dark colors, like my favorite one is, you might want to give it a good scrubbing with a good brush. I used a tooth brush and it was gross! Dishwasher was not good enough! Check yours.

Stored in dishwasher
by: Anonymous

We store them in the dishwasher. There are three of us and we don't use the dishwasher. We are old fashioned in that we hand wash our few dishes. Makes a perfect place to store them as well as extra silverware for parties.

Water Bottles!
by: Sarah

Hubby and grown son just built a pantry the full length from floor to ceiling along a 9 foot long wall in my kitchen. (Lucky me, huh?) I have things beautifully organized, and it's a joy to work in my kitchen now. BUT, I have the dreaded water bottle issue! I have shelves above my washer/dryer in my laundry room which used to be my only pantry space. I have now placed bins that hold plastic storage containers on those shelves (I don't use them, but my adult granddaughter who lives with me does and they multiply like bunnies in my kitchen). Since I came upon the idea of putting of them in a bin along with the lids and I discard any that are broken, stained or lid-less, the abundance is kept to a workable amount. After all this, I have still been struggling with the ubiquitous water bottle issue. What a dummy I am! I'm going to do the same thing for all those pesky water bottles. NO LONGER WILL I HAVE TO DUCK WHEN I OPEN THE CABINET WHERE THEY'VE BEEN STORED UP UNTIL NOW!!! Thanks for the reminder that it's possible to organize water bottles just like it's possible to organize everything else!

Over the door great idea
by: Anonymous

I have a small kitchen and one bin under the table holds storage containers and the other water bottles but I needed more floor space for the bag of shopping bags and the bin of cookbooks so this eliminates a big bin for me.

Magazine Files!
by: Shanan

I have cheap Ikea magazine files that I use to store up to 3 water bottles each. I can lay magazine file on a side in order to stack them in our narrow, but deep pantry. It keeps them in place, visible and easily grab-able.

Mason jars
by: Anonymous

I struggle with the use of hard plastic so rarely purchase plastic water bottles. For the last few years I have been using Mason jar’s for water with a metal straw and a lid with a spot for the straw. Mason jars are stored on two shelves in my cupboard. Currently I use an older blue mason jar which stands out and is easy to spot.

too many water bottles
by: Anonymous

We learned early on that you can't organize clutter.
Clutter is something you get rid of. We are a family of runners and hikers and we still eliminated almost all water bottles. When we race, we graciously refuse all plastic bottles due to the horrific pollution problems they present. We use one bottle per person, and two extras for long hikes. All stainless steel. Done.

Reply re too many water bottles
by: Taylor

Yes, clearly the first step is to declutter your water bottles, so you're only organizing what isn't excess. That's why at the beginning of the article I mentioned the Declutter 365 mission for decluttering excess water bottles.

keep some in freezer
by: Anonymous

I store some of them 1/2 filled with water in the freezer. We love adding more water and running out the door for an all day refreshment.

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