The Retro Wall Solution That Frees Up Cluttered Kitchen Drawers

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Any time is a good time to declutter your kitchen. It can be so tough to keep kitchens neat and arranged to your liking with the sheer amount of stuff that continues to accumulate and fight for drawer, cabinet, and counter space. But there are game-changing hacks to open up precious kitchen space, and taking a couple of hours to work on one can refresh your cluttered drawers can change your relationship to your kitchen. 

Arguably the easiest way to cut kitchen clutter in your drawers is to think vertically; Simply create space by identifying things it would make sense to hang. An especially easy, affordable, and stylish way to do this is with an old-school accordion rack. Accordion racks are traditionally used as coat racks, but @thedailymoll showed how genius it is to repurpose them on TikTok, where they placed a thrifted one on the side of their kitchen island and used it to hang pot holders. 

You can find vintage accordion racks on re-sale sites and in thrift stores, but there are also options like the AMAPON Accordion Style Expandable Wall Wooden Coat Rack on Amazon. They're easy to hang anywhere, and best of all, they're undeniably charming. Accordion racks are a great way to cozy up your kitchen with country chic or cottage-core flair — but, if used to hang mugs, pots, or cooking tools, they'll also free up lots of kitchen drawer space. 

Because of their vintage aesthetic value, it's smart to get a few accordion racks you can place wherever you need some storage help in the kitchen — this creates a coordinated, cohesive look. Commenters under @thedailymoll's TikTok video mention it can be tough to find multiples in thrift stores. If you don't need all of them urgently you can hunt around different stores and sites, but the odds of finding matching racks are low. This is one advantage of shopping new. Plus, wooden accordion racks still have that antique look. At just $10, the RAM-PRO Accordion Style Wood Expandable Rack comes in a lovely light wooden tint while the $27.99 Dseap Accordian Wall Hanger is a darker, warmer shade. 

When deciding where to hang your racks, think about where you use what in your kitchen. Things like fabric trivets make sense to hang near your kitchen island or table for serving hot dishes, while oven mitts and pot holders are handy near the oven and stove. That area is also where it would be convenient to have cooking tools like spatulas, measuring cups, and graters hung. You can also use accordian racks to hang mugs near your coffee maker or tea collection, or aprons on the inside of your pantry door. Get creative, too — you can turn an accordion rack vertically and use the pegs both as hangers and mini shelves where you can rest longer items like rolling pins. Accordion racks are an easy and stylish organization hack to make mealtime a breeze.