Some people collect stamps, some people collect baseball cards. I have realised that I collect spices. My small spice cupboard is full of jars, bags and bottles of different spices and it is a giant mess. I always have to take ten different things out of the cupboard to get what I want. It is annoying and takes a lot of time.

I would like to have some boxes to put inside the cupboard. Then I could just take the box out, get what I want and put it back.

I could buy some plastic organising boxes and be done with it but there are many spices and the cupboard is small so I can’t afford to lose any space. I need something that fits snuggly in the cupboard so I have to make it myself.

I would like some good ideas on how to make the boxes. Ideally they would:

  • Be made of thin material not to take up space
  • Be strong enough to hold a box of salt or a bottle of soy sauce.
  • Be easy to clean, or at least able to withstand being wiped with a damp cloth
  • Be easy to make without access to a proper workshop
  • Be cheap

I don’t know if any of this is possible. Thin wood would be nice but it can get quite expensive and would need more time and tools than is feasible for my situation. Cardboard covered with something moisture resistant would be easy and manageable to make but I’m not convinced about it being strong enough or about if it is able to withstand cleaning. It would be cool if you could make custom-sized plastic boxes but you can’t do that, right?

  • NoLeftLeftWhereILive@hexbear.netEnglish
    4·
    23 days ago

    If you can access a lightburn machine or alike in a library or a hacklab, I’d cut a set of shelves/boxes from plywood. There are model files around on the internet that can be fairly easily customized to whatever dimensions you need.

    We have organized half our life with such setups, I have a plywood shelf like this for spices too.

    • NoLeftLeftWhereILive@hexbear.netEnglish
      3·
      23 days ago

      I use some of these for my indoor plants too and just put a glossy varnish on them, easy to clean and is resistant enough to moisture.

    • SoyViking [he/him]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
      3·
      23 days ago

      dean-smile They have a makerspace at a local library!

      dean-frown It’s open two days a week within normal working hours.

      God forbid someone other than students or retirees used those facilities.

      • NoLeftLeftWhereILive@hexbear.netEnglish
        3·
        23 days ago

        Oh that sucks.

        We do all our craft stuff in our local hacklab. I am assuming you are somewhere from Scandinavia so there might be one such makerspace somewhere near you.