The Napkin Holder Hack For Perfectly Organized Cutting Boards

Cutting boards are one of the most used tools in any kitchen, but it's not always obvious where to store them. Unless you have a custom cabinet designed with space to slide a cutting board in vertically, it can be hard to find just the right place to store a couple of hunks of plastic or wood. It's doubly difficult if your kitchen is small because every inch of space is accounted for. If you're having trouble figuring out where to store your cutting boards so that they're out of the way but also easy to access, all you need is a sturdy napkin holder.

Napkin holders are designed for the light job of corralling square paper napkins, but many models are quite sturdy and can handle storing at least two cutting boards vertically. The key is looking for designs with strong arms and a heavy base. With an inexpensive napkin holder, you can store your cutting boards in any vertical space that's available in your kitchen.

Let's face it, cutting boards are super useful — indispensable even — but they also take up a lot of space when they're stored flat. If you have a spacious kitchen, you can probably get away with dedicating an entire drawer to storing cutting boards. But in most kitchens, space is at a premium and no such drawer exists. Instead, it makes a lot more sense to store your board standing up — and you should always store your wooden cutting boards vertically, and that's where the napkin holder comes in handy.

Napkin holders are simple devices designed to hold a clutch of disposable napkins so you can grab one at a time. They can serve the same function with a couple of medium-sized cutting boards, too. Just set the napkin holder in a vertical space so that your cutting boards are out of the way, like the back wall of your countertop, the inside of a cabinet, or away in the pantry. Now, slide your cutting boards into the holder, and voila — your cutting boards are out of the way but also easy to grab for the next kitchen job.

To organize your kitchen cutting boards with a napkin holder, it's important to choose a style that is strong enough to hold your boards without tipping over. Napkin holders were not designed to hold heavy items, just light paper, so many are made with flimsy wire or wood. There are plenty of models with strong, heavy parts, however, and those are the models you should be looking for. Keep an eye out for napkin holders with heavy metal, glass, or composite plastic bases, as well as strong steel or thick plastic arms. It's also important to choose a model that won't rust because your napkin holder is also a great place to put wet cutting boards to dry after you hand wash them, especially if you plan to deep clean them or keep them out on the counter.

Lots of new napkin holders tend to be a little less sturdy, plus they can be expensive, so keep an eye out at yard sales and thrift stores because old, sturdy napkin holders might show up in the housewares section. As a bonus, when you're using your cutting boards and the napkin holder is empty, depending on the size of the cookbook you're reading, you can use the holder as a book stand. Just open the book up to the page you want and slide it into place so you can read your recipe while you chop.