Previously on Ikeahackers: Hacks to make life easier in the kitchen

Need a few little helpers in your kitchen? Here are a few that may help in keeping your home spic and span easier.

Make it easy to reach
No more burying your head under the kitchen sink cabinet to find the right detergent. Turn that dead space under your sink usable with a detergent turntable. A Snudda lazy Susan, Skala tray and glue gun is all you need. See more.

Lift them from the ground
Not enough space? With a little ingenuity you can hang up all your spray bottles and have space for other cleaning items. See more.

Spice it up
Put a little spicy in your day. The Ribba picture ledge is just perfect for spice bottles. Easy to reach and looks amazing too. See more.

Put it on display
Fancy collection of pot and pans? Why not put them on display with a hanging pot rack. Easy to do and adds instant "chef" status to your kitchen. See this, this and this.

Crumble not
Don't waste time sweeping up crumbs. Groove your chopping board to collect the pesky little fall outs. See more.

Previously on Ikeahackers: Tame your DVD collection

DVDs, CDs are like roaches - they multiply in the dark and before you know it - you have 3 boxes of media that need a space. It's not always easy to get the right media unit to fit your needs but thankfully, there's IKEA hacking to the rescue. Here are some ideas for managing your precious media.

Maximise storage
Find a suitable cabinet with enough space for your entire collection. Hack one like this, this or nail it with this double whammy to maximize the number of DVDs stored.

Line them up
Perfectly lined DVDs minimise the cluttered look. But deeper bookcases like the Expedit may pose a problem when you want your DVDs to pose in a row. Here's a simple trick to keep them standing in attention: add a cardboard stopper to the space behind your DVDs.

Double up
If space is at a premium, don't waste any. If your unit allows, have two instead of a single row of DVDs. But then, how do you see what's lurking in the back row? All it takes is 5 minutes with this hack to give the second row a lift. Problem solved.

Hide them
You may not want your DVDs in-your-face. Find creative ways to hide them or store them in an out-of-the-way nook.

Trash them
Admit it, there are some movies you'll never see again and probably even regret buying the DVD. Sell them off or give them away. Clutter gone. Or if you swing towards the tech-wizard thing, digitize your media.

Rent instead
Quit the buying habit - rent your next movie and never have to deal with DVD storage again.

See more media storage ideas. 

Previously on Ikeahackers: Work on the Walls

• Wall cubes: Inspired by wall boxes she saw at a high end furniture store, Jenni hacks her own version. Aren't those chairs cute?
• Wallpaper art: I still drool whenever I see these wallpapers by Swedish designer Hanna Werning. So beautiful, framing them is just the thing to do.
• Media storage with sliding doors: This one is a classic, which led to many more versions of the Lack sliding door media unit. But so far, nothing beats this.

Previously on Ikeahackers: Week of the Geek

• Take a stand or have a seat: With all the fuss about standing desks, here's a Jerker that does double duty. Stands to attention when you want to stretch your legs and bows down on your lazy days.


• Gizmos in hiding: Somehow gadgety stuff don't look good sprawled in the living room. So hide them well in a Hol.


• Training dragons with a little bit of defence: This has remained one of the most amusing hacks for me - a bucler, hacked by the Dragon Preservation Society. Where do I sign up?

Previously on Ikeahackers: Cat lovers rejoice!

• It's a cat pod: A scratching pole and cubby hole for kitty to hide and play.
• Build that feline physique: A workout circuit worthy of catwoman and her furry friends.
• Makeover your lamp in 5 mins tops: Have lamp, have post-its, have makeover. No cats involved.

Previously on Ikeahackers: The week of the weird

• The cam creature: It's weird but in a cute way. Brum bear's skeleton makes a good prop for the cam.
• Handsfree PSP stand: Another way to prop up your toys that does not require skinning anything - an ET look-a-like PSP holder.
• No tumble on the stairs: Light unto your path. LED unto your feet.

Previously on Ikeahackers: 8 - 16 July 2006

• Some thing swede but morbid: No matter how much I love Ikea, I still don't think I'd like to go in an Ikea Billy coffin.
• The DNA lamp, hacked: So it's not a Hopf & Wortmann DNA lamp but it's a pretty bright idea.
• Flatpacks rearranged: Ikea being worked into art/design has been happening for a long time now. This was my first encounter with it - Kieren Jones' brilliant design concepts for the the British Council�s Annual Student Design Competition called 'Flat-pack Re-arranged'. 

Previously on Ikeahackers: 25 June - 2 July 2006

• Sabrina's bedroom vanity: Love love love the glam of this vanity, with a flood of spotlights to make you feel like a superstar.
• Laptop stand galore: The first laptop stand hacks which spawned many more. I am still waiting for the deluge of iPad stand hacks.
• A branchy garden gate: With summer here, you might like to upgrade your garden gate to this woodsy one.

Previously on Ikeahackers: 12 - 18 June 2006

• This is going way back ... to the first few gems that started me on this crazy, fun, inspiring journey of this site and IKEA hacking. I still love how this Benjamin stool looks, a first prize winner in the design*sponge/fred flare spring spruce up contest. Read more here.
• Then there is this bag that probably herald the crazy use of Frakta bags. Some chic, some not so. But this Frakta laptop bag has stood the test of time. It's all good. Read more here.
• Last piece of goldie I want to pick up today is this one by Holly of decor8. Simple and easy way to redecorate a wall. A whole wall if you have to. Read more here.

Previously on Ikeahackers: 29 May - 4 June 2007

• Cyril computer cabinet for the iMac: It's a pity the Cyril is discontinued. It is such a good looking compact work station. Here's one modified to fit the iMac's rather large monitor.
• Vintage mirrored luxe Lack coffee table: Mirror, mirror on my coffee table. Glam up your living room with this mirror table.
• Billy doors room divider: Need a room divider? Here's a simple solution using Billy doors with free frosted glass thrown in.

IKEA Hackers: Previously on Ikeahackers: 22 - 28 May 2007

• A million stipple of love: How do I love thee? Let me count the stipples.
• Bookcase hides secret door: Mix a little Harry Potter and open sesame, you get this Bonde bookcase that slides open to reveal ... a secret passageway. 
• Compact computer desk organizer: Small table? Big mess? No problem. Get it organized with this compact declutterer.

Previously on Ikeahackers: 15 - 21 May 2007

• TV unit flanked by really sexy lamps: If this was may TV room, I'll be watching the lights all day. Clothes pins, who would have thought they could look so good.
• Desktop cable box: Hide wires with this bathroom cabinet, which sadly is no longer brushing its way out of IKEA's assembly line.
• Vintage wallpaper for Fira boxes: Vintage becomes the utilitarian boxes.

Previously on IKEAHacker: 8 - 14 May

• Customizing IKEA in an Eichler style home: I'd find every excuse to cook if I have this Eichler inspired kitchen. Steel was all the rage back in 2007. Now it still looks amazing. 
• Mini web server cabinet: All you geeks out there - here's one you'll dig.
• Gorm kitchen storage: I always dreamed of having a pantry full delicious what-nots stuffed to the brim, enough to feed a small troop. Well, here's how to have that happen.

This week previously: 1 - 7 May 2007

• Tertial chandelier: Inspired from the set of the "Revenge of the Mutant Spiders" or "Honey I blew up the bug".
• Lacy lamps: Lace is back and getting worldwide attention. This hack a pale comparison, no doubt, but it seems apt.
• Ice cube desk tray organizer: Cute, easy organizer to keep the knick knacks away.

This week in April '07

• A chair with a walking stick: A unique twist to an otherwise boring Stefan chair. Playful combo of old and new.
• A sleek stolmen media unit: I love this one. Classy thing with miles and miles of storage for DVDs and what nots.
• Turtle power! A "sun" bathing den for turtles. Cowabunga!

This week in April '07

• Bamboo dish clock: A classic! Minimalist, striking. Love.
• Stairway to cat heaven: Whaddaya know, the Lack zigzag bookshelf is the pathway to cat nirvana.
• Splatgirl's stylish bathroom hacks: A butcher block may seem out of place in a bathroom but not in this one. Check out Splatgirl's vanity station.

This week in April '07

• The Malmese twins: This has remained one of my favourite TV stands of all time. It's compact, sleek and floats off the ground which makes it hard for dust bunnies to hide.    
• Smart underbed storage: I am not sure if it's good feng shui to sleep on top of all your stuff, but it sure makes a lot of storage-sense. Why waste the space under your bed? Squirrel away!
  
• How to hack a bowl sink: He called it a poor man's bowl sink, I called it classy.
  

This week in April '07

• Angelique's pretty storage chests: Ferns don't only look good outdoors, they are pretty good on plain pine chests too.
• Super simple Expedit rails: Unless you are the type who likes to live near the edge, a railing for the upstairs is what you need. And it doesn't have to cost a small fortune.
• Hack a sectional sleeper: Guests staying the night? No problem. Just pull out twin mattresses and Solsta pallbo footstools from this sleeper by night, sofa by day.

This week in March '07

Every week end, I hope to bring you back to the past. We'll revisit the good stuff Ikea Hackers featured way back then. Here are three that caught my eye. Enjoy!

• Winnie's upside down man lamp: For a lamp that lights up your day, this is the definitely the one.
• The uncluttered jerker desktop: The start of the minimal desk, with all the uglies brilliantly hidden away.
• Triple toilet paper roll storage: For the times you really have to go, go, go.