We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Ah, the joys of small-space living – it can be a real challenge when it comes to storage, especially for things like trash and recycling. But never fear, my friends, because there’s a simple IKEA hack that can transform a plain old shoe cabinet into a space-saving trash bin system. All you need to grab on your next trip to IKEA is the TRONES cabinet, which comes in a handy two-pack for $39.99. With these, you can create up to four hidden sorting centers for your compost, garbage, and recycling needs. The cabinets stack up nicely, standing about 30 inches high and 20 inches wide. And the narrow design means they only take up around 14 inches of clearance when open, making them perfect for tight spaces. Now, the storage depth is only about 6 inches, so they’re not exactly built for large volumes of trash or bulky items like cardboard. But hey, that just means you’ll need to take out the trash a little more often – no big deal, right?
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Mounting your IKEA TRONES shoe cabinet on the wall
Alright, let’s talk about mounting these babies on the wall. It’s actually a pretty easy process – all you need are some drywall anchors, screws, and a drill. First, pre-drill four holes on the inside of the shoe cabinets, at least an inch away from each edge. Then, take the cabinet that’s going to be the bottom one in your recycling setup and place it against the wall. Use some temporary supports, like small trash cans laid horizontally, to help with the alignment. This will make sure you leave enough space at the bottom for easy cleaning.
Next, use a pencil to mark the spots on the wall where you’ll need to drill your mounting holes. Drill those holes, insert the drywall anchors, and screw in the bottom cabinet. Since these cabinets are stackable, you’ll want to make sure the top one sits flush on the one below it. Screw that second cabinet onto the wall, insert the tilting drawers, and voila – your trash bin system is practically ready to go!
Turning an IKEA TRONES shoe cabinet into a four-part trash system
Alright, let’s take this trash bin system to the next level. To make it really efficient, you’ll want to get four small plastic waste bins that’ll fit inside the cabinets. Lucky for you, you can snag a three-pack of these on Amazon for $18.99, and they fit perfectly. They’re 5.6 inches wide, 7.8 inches deep, and 11.2 inches tall – just the right size to have two bins per cabinet with enough clearance for smooth opening and closing.
Now, you could go with bins without lids, but lidded ones are definitely better for containing the trash and odor. Plus, the lids help keep those pesky pets out of your garbage. Just remember, don’t fill the bins all the way to the top – you don’t want trash spilling out when you tilt open the cabinet. Overfilling can also interfere with the tilting mechanism. Oh, and be sure to label each compartment to keep your sorting game on point.
And for all you renters out there who can’t drill into walls, don’t worry – you might be able to hang the TRONES shoe cabinet on the side of your kitchen cabinets using some heavy-duty adhesive hooks. Just be sure not to overload it, or you could be in for a real mess.
