Move your heavy small appliances around your kitchen with the touch of a finger with this $1 fix. My family has been doing this for years.
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I told you about the week long deep dive I did into organizing my house a while ago. I went through every crammed closet and cupboard in an attempt to make my life easier. The goal was to make my things easier to get to and store them in a place that was logical. For instance, after serious contemplation I decided that keeping hundreds of flower vases instead of coats in my coat closet wasn't a logical use of space. For one thing they slip off the hangers.
This whirlwind of organizing led me to finally be able to consolidate all my small kitchen appliances in one space. Things like my sous vide machine, stand mixer, Cuisinart and deep fryer were scattered throughout the lower floor of the house in any space they would fit. And yes. One of those things was in my coat closet.
My newly organized dining room cupboard.
Now all my kitchen appliances are in the kitchen. Which, I have to be honest with you, feels a bit weird to me, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
An entire lower cupboard is now dedicated to these things. The only problem is they're heavy and I don't have those cupboard inserts that let you pull the shelves out like drawers. I want them and I think you can still get them for my Martha Stewart cabinets (from Home Depot). I've just never got around to getting them.
So I did the next best thing. I spent $1 on felt pads.
Yup. A $1 felt pad.
Felt pads on the bottom of small appliances makes them slip out of cupboards easily instead of either sticking or bump, bump, bumping along.
Like this ...
It's also a great solution for the bottom of your coffee maker if you have to slide it across the counter to fill it up. Any small appliance that is heavy and hard to move. In fact if you have a small child that's difficult to move you can cover them with felt pads and just push them around the house. A small harness around their belly that's attached to your leg and you can smoothly drag them wherever you go. Practical and fun!
Felt pads. They aren't just for chairs anymore.
The other thing I did to make pulling small appliances out of my cupboard easier is, I added another piece of wood (particleboard actually) to the bottom of my cupboard. This raises up the bottom of the cupboard slightly. There's a lip you see and it stops you from being able to drag anything on the bottom shelf easily.
Another reason to put felt on the bottom of your small appliances, is because without them the rubber feet on the appliances can mark your counters and cupboards when you drag and push them.
The white pads I'm using here aren't my favourite but I have a ton of them. They're from Ikea. The best ones I've ever bought are from Dollarama because they're thick, stiff and sticky. We're all thinking the same joke here, so I'll just leave it at that.
Speaking of sticky: The reason the nubs on the bottom of small appliances are rubber to to stop them from skating across your countertop. This is especially true for stand mixers and food processors. So DON'T leave them unattended on the counter when they have felt pads on them or they could skitter right off the counter.
Everyone in my family does this little $1 felt trick with their appliances, especially things on the counter so since you're like family I thought you should know about it too.
Also when I was out shopping with Betty the other day she screamed at me and told me I absolutely HAD to do a post about putting felt on everything. She stamped her foot and everything. She was positively maniacal about it.
Welcome to the family.
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Paris
Hi, My mother has always used felt pads on everything! vases, bottoms of furniture, heavy marble ashtrays (in the 1970s - kids, don't smoke!) so I have always done it, too! I always have a package of them in my kitchen drawer - all sizes. It's great when things don't BANG or like you said: DRAG! lamps, ceramic plant pots, lazy susan. I also have rubber pads for various items. I use the small ones for the backs of hanging items so they don't scratch the walls (dollop of hot glue works, too!). Great post!
Marna
Great idea! Funny post too! :)
Carrie Krumrie
I loved your felt pad idea!!! Then, I went to the Christmas Pledge!!!
I was totally unaware of a Christmas Pledge!!! But I am taking it!!!
I have this artificial deadline of Halloween; to have things purchased and wrapped!!! I do not always have everything done by then; but I love to choose a hot day in summer and make cookie dough! Then, freeze it in cottage cheese containers for Christmas!!
I put the tree up prior to Thanksgiving; as everyone is busy the rest of the time!!
Again, I love the pledge!!!
Carrie
PS
Love Rough Linen
Have aqua summer set and napkins to match!!!
Karen
Hi Carrie! The Christmas Pledge is really helpful!! I can't believe you make cookie dough in the summer. That's extra pro active! My goal this year was to have everyone's presents bought by the end of the summer, but I keep giving them to them on their birthdays, lol. ~ karen!
Janet
You have such great ideas! But that cupboard....beautiful!
Carrie Kelley
Since my mixer lives on counter, I put a thin plastic cutting board under it...I can just slide the whole thing when I need it!
Susan Schneider
Brilliant! Thank you, Karen!
Uncle Bill
I use Shoe Goo to reattach felt pads to bottoms of wooden stool legs, wooden rocking chair rails, etc. Works great... but don't use it on plastics, per package instructions.
Lois M Baron
for chairs & stools, we use the pads that have little nails that you tap onto the bottom of the furniture legs. They stay on better and nothing in our house is heirloom quality anyway.
Lianne
Karen - I'm kinda shocked you haven't made yourself pull-outs. I've done it for all my lower cupboards. Build a box and attach drawer slides. Seems such a Karen thing. And yes to the felt feet- I"ll have to look for the dollar store ones. The ones I use last a year or so before they need to be replaced.
Jessie
But do you know about the cord keepers!? (https://amzn.to/2XyTlCU) I have one stuck to my mixer and my food processor to keep that cord wrapped up!
I might have learned that from you... If so, you're a genius.
Karen
You didn't learn it from me, this is the first time I've ever seen those. They are genius! ~ karen