IKEA’s Clever $14 Kitchen Storage Find Makes Countertops and Drawers Look Cleaner, More Organized, and Less Cluttered

Stacking organizers vertically is the ultimate cheat for space-saving functionality. That’s why IKEA’s clever pine food stacker is perfect for busy kitchens.

Not only do the curved lines add visual intrigue and allow easy access for cooking, but the materials used are non-toxic and ideal for safe food storage and, therefore, a healthier home. No wonder shoppers love IKEA's CHOKLADHAJ food boxes.

Use them side by side or stacked, in a pantry, drawer, or on your countertop – this compact $14.99 set is so useful for clearing clutter across multiple areas when organizing your kitchen.

The materials of this item are perfect if, like me, you’re switching out harmful plastics in your kitchen to help create a more non-toxic home.

Forever chemicals and microplastics in cookware can leach into or onto your food, which is why IKEA’s pine offering has caught my eye. It’s finished with natural oils, and with stainless steel nails and hardware. This makes the entire set safe for contact with food.

Though, of course, you don’t have to use it for food. It’s a great small kitchen organizer for your smaller utensils and accessories, or even as an easy-access herb and spice storage option.

Why Smart Organizers Keep Kitchen Clutter at Bay

Having simple organizing systems in place so every item in your home has a permanent place is the key to keeping your space tidy long-term. If items don’t have a set home, especially in busy rooms such as kitchens, they’ll end up cluttering your counters, jamming up drawers, or worse, going to waste at the back of your pantry or fridge.

That’s why IKEA’s CHOKLADHAJ food storage boxes are so handy. They’re not oversized, so they can live on your counter if you wish without blocking the space you need to prep meals. They’ll also stack neatly on a pantry shelf, inside an accessible drawer, or on a rolling island. This makes it a useful addition to small kitchens without feeling like you’ve had to sacrifice vital prep and serving space.

To clean, use a damp cloth. The pine is lightweight, and the non-toxic steel fixings make it a sturdy organizer for those heavier produce items. Avoid making it too wet or using harsh soaps, as the oil that’s been used to protect the pine provides a protective layer to stop it cracking or splintering over time.

You can refresh it with food-safe wood oil, such as Howard Products Food Grade Mineral Oil for Wood, available on Amazon. The oil is also perfect for maintaining wooden butcher blocks (our in-house chef loves the Boos Block available at WILLIAMS SONOMA), oiling your wooden countertops, and for taking care of cooking utensils.

What Shoppers Say

Image 1 of 4

Rated an average of 4.5/5, IKEA shoppers love how handy and compact these stacking organizers are in the kitchen, using them for decluttering, space saving on items in the kitchen, or on the table, and even at their home office desks.

Several shopper reviews note the size being smaller than they were expecting from the photos, and note that the boxes will hold enough produce for two people, so if you have a larger family, consider buying two or more sets to allow enough room for the volume of fresh produce your household will go through in a week.

Sheryl did just that. She gave the set 5/5 stars for ‘great’ counter storage, adding, ‘I bought two sets. Needing something for potatoes and onions. Along with somewhere to stow my mortar and pestle. At first sight, they look small, but these are perfect. It is a great solution. I'm going to be getting some more for my pantry.’

Donna, who also awarded the item five stars, says they are ‘so useful and cute’, and bought multiple sets for her home. She says, ‘Bought three and loved them up side by side, perpendicular to the wall, to create a 6” wide “slot” behind them to hold my cutting boards. Bonus: Bread knife slips between two of them, so it’s handy instead of being shoved into a drawer. Love these!’

Megan used it to instantly fix her countertop clutter problem: ‘I bought these for fun because I was annoyed by how much fruit would spill over out of a previous fruit bowl, and I cannot believe how much capacity this has while still taking up so little space on my counter! I bought two sets, and it's plenty of storage for apples, garlic, onions, etc. I have a small kitchen, and it feels like I got a whole new space because of how beautiful these are and how much counter space this saves.’

Others use it as a makeshift coffee station, holding their Keurig K-Cup coffee pods without sacrificing ‘a lot of space on my counter’, cementing the set's versatility.

More Useful Non-Toxic Kitchen Organizers

Keeping your kitchen streamlined is a constant, evolving process as your cooking style changes from season to season, and new small appliances and non-toxic cookware are brought in. It’s important to declutter your cabinets every six months to ensure that your storage’s functionality still matches your lifestyle.

Here is a selection of my most useful and favorite organizers that enable long-term tidiness in my kitchen.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

IKEA's non-toxic bamboo fruit storage tower is also excellent for space-saving organisation of fresh produce, and pretty enough to leave in view.

For the latest product news, sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.