Organize a Small Indian Kitchen and Home Without Buying New Things
A small Indian kitchen and home feel bigger the moment everything has a fixed place — and most of that organizing can be done with containers, bags and baskets you already own, without buying a single new organizer.
This post walks through the exact arrangements used in the video — sink area, gas burner, wardrobe, drawers, remotes, fridge and the cooking counter — so you can copy what fits your home.
How do I organize the sink area without buying a new organizer?
The plastic organizer above the sink had broken, but instead of replacing it, the fix uses old containers whose lids were lost.
- Take two lidless plastic containers from your kitchen.
- Punch a small hole near the top edge of each one.
- Hang each container from an existing hook above the sink.
- Use one container for scrubbers and small cleaning bits.
- Use the second container for your vim liquid bottle and your fruit-and-vegetable wash.
- Hang a separate small brush holder for the utensil brush.
- Hang another holder — clearly different in colour — for the sink-cleaning brush.
Because every container is hooked rather than glued, you can lift it off, wash it, and put it back. Brush containers get dirty fast, so this matters.
Why use a different colour brush for the sink?
Viewers often assume the same brush is being used for both dishes and the sink basin. Switching to a distinctly different brush for the sink ends that confusion and keeps hygiene clearly separated.
How do I clean gas burner holes properly?
After roasting a baingan directly on the flame, the burner has to be washed — and water then sits inside the small holes, blocking the flame on the next use.
The fastest fix is a toothpick. Run it through every hole after washing. It pushes out both trapped water and any leftover food residue. The flame then comes through evenly with no patchy spots. Soaking the burner overnight also works, but the toothpick gets it ready in minutes when you have to cook the next dish right away.
How should I store sarees and winter clothes in a small wardrobe?
Hanging every saree separately is the biggest space waste in an Indian wardrobe. A small shelf can hold far more clothes if you switch to soft fabric storage bags.
- Heavy sarees and lehengas: fold and stack inside soft transparent bags. Dust stays out, and you can place one bag above another.
- Sweaters and woollens: keep them in one large basket so the yearly winter pile stays in one place, washed and folded.
- Daily wear: use straight-sided baskets — curved baskets waste corner space.
- Bag orientation: lay the bags flat if you have wide shelves, or stand them vertically if the shelf is narrow but tall. Three bags fit standing up where one might fit lying flat.
Mix baskets, cardboard boxes and cloth bags — whatever you already have at home. The point is to use the full vertical space of the shelf instead of leaving air above the clothes.
How do I keep drawers clean with very little effort?
Line the drawer base with newspaper, not coloured liner paper. Group small items into little baskets inside the drawer so you aren’t lifting twenty items individually each time you clean.
When cleaning day comes, lift the baskets out, throw the old newspaper away, lay a fresh sheet, and put the baskets back. The whole drawer is done in five minutes. Paper soaps, wet wipes and sanitizers can sit inside one of the small baskets so the drawer also smells fresh.
How can I stop cleaning remotes and tables every single day?
Two small habits remove a surprising amount of daily cleaning:
- Wrap every TV / AC remote in cling film. The plastic shields the buttons from hand stains and also holds the loose battery cover firmly. Once a week, peel off the film and wrap a fresh layer.
- Put a runner or tablecloth on every table. You wash the cloth on laundry day instead of wiping the table top every morning.
What is the easiest way to keep the fridge clean?
Place any soup container, curry dabba or liquid item on a small plastic tray before pushing it into the fridge. If the liquid splashes, the tray catches it — you wash the tray, not the whole shelf.
Also, instead of pulling out a new glass every time someone drinks water, keep one tray on the kitchen counter or dining table with covered glasses. Each person reuses their glass through the day. Fewer utensils to wash means less time at the sink.
How can I save time while cooking?
Most homemakers spend the largest part of the day in the kitchen, so small habits there save the most time.
- Keep oil, salt, masala, tea, coffee, sugar and the hand towel within arm’s reach of the gas so you aren’t walking around the kitchen.
- While a dish is simmering, wipe the oil and ghee bottles — your hands touch them constantly, and one extra day of grease takes much longer to clean later.
- Use the same waiting minutes to refill empty masaledani jars, salt or oil.
- The moment cooking is done, wipe the gas and counter immediately so grease doesn’t harden. The next cooking session begins in a clean kitchen, which keeps your mood fresh too.
📺 About this video. This post draws on Jasmine Choudhari’s YouTube video I Believe Properly Arranged Things Will Give More Space To Small Home | Must Try Ways For Perfect Home. Watch the full video for visual demonstrations of every tip.
Watch the video
Frequently asked questions
How can I organize a small Indian kitchen sink area without buying a new organizer?
Reuse old lidless containers by punching a small hole in each one and hanging them from existing hooks near the sink. Use one container for scrubbers, another for *vim* liquid and vegetable wash, and a small holder for your dish brush. Because they hang from hooks, you can lift them off easily to wash — which is important since brush containers get dirty quickly.
Why should I use two different brushes for the sink and for utensils?
Use a separate brush for the sink so you never wash dishes with the same brush you used to scrub the basin. Pick brushes of clearly different colours so there is no confusion at a glance. Hang the sink brush in its own small holder away from the utensil brush to keep the two jobs visibly separated.
How do I clean clogged gas burner holes quickly after washing them?
Run a toothpick through every hole of the burner right after washing it. The toothpick pushes out trapped water and food residue that would otherwise take hours to air-dry. After this, the flame comes through evenly with no blockage, so you don't have to wait before starting the next dish.
What is the best way to store heavy sarees and winter clothes in a small wardrobe?
Fold heavy sarees, lehengas and sweaters into soft fabric storage bags and stack them vertically inside the wardrobe. Hanging every saree wastes space and limits how many you can keep, but soft bags let you stack one above another, keep dust out, and fit far more clothes into the same shelf. Standing the bags upright uses vertical space even better than laying them flat.
Should I line my drawers with newspaper or coloured paper?
Line drawers with plain newspaper because you can throw it out and replace it in seconds during cleaning. Coloured liner paper looks nicer but you still end up wiping it; newspaper turns drawer cleaning into a 5-minute job — pull out the small baskets, swap the paper, done. Keep small items grouped in little baskets inside the drawer so the base stays clean.
How can I stop my TV remotes from getting dirty so quickly?
Wrap each remote in cling film and replace the film once a week instead of wiping the buttons daily. The plastic film protects the surface from hand stains and also holds the loose battery cover in place. Pair this with a table runner or tablecloth on every table so you aren't scrubbing the table surface every day either.
How do I keep my fridge from getting dirty when storing liquids like soup?
Place any container holding soup, curry or other spillable liquid onto a small plastic tray before putting it in the fridge. If the liquid splashes or leaks, the tray catches it and you simply wash the tray instead of cleaning the whole shelf. This single habit cuts fridge-cleaning time dramatically.
Can I save time during cooking by cleaning at the same time?
Yes — use the waiting minutes during cooking to wipe oil and *ghee* bottles, refill empty *masala* jars, or clean the counter. Since you're already standing at the gas, these small jobs cost no extra time but prevent a big cleaning session later. Also wipe the gas and counter immediately after cooking so grease doesn't harden and need heavy scrubbing.
About Jasmine Choudhari
Jasmine Choudhari shares practical, no-frills ideas for organising small Indian kitchens and homes. Follow her on YouTube (600K+ subscribers · Silver Play Button), Instagram and Facebook. For collaborations: collab@jasminechoudhari.com.