Kitchen Sink Built-in Soap Dispenser Fix and Under-cabinet Storage
You guys - I tackled my first-ever plumbing project! Ok, no, I didn't really do any plumbing but I felt like a plumber with this latest fix - replacing the kitchen sink soap dispenser and upgrading the storage under the sink! This was not on the initial project list this year - so far I'm not doing so hot sticking to that! But oh well... things are still getting fixed!
Replacing the In-Counter Soap Dispenser
I was digging through the black hole that is under the kitchen sink for something and came across the components of our broken in-counter soap dispenser, along with the note the last owner left us under the sink.
When we moved in, the head of the dispenser was attached but quickly broke off shortly after we started using it. Rather than deal with it at the time, we opted to just take the pump out but it left us with a hole to nowhere.
While Insta-browsing one day I was totally influenced by another blogger who was installing a soap pump but it didn't have the refillable bottle under the sink! This was intriguing and looked like a pretty easy project that I could handle! Plus, this is how gross the bottle was under the sink once I got in there and took it out. This is what 20 years of soap grime looks like my friends.
I found the replacement pump on Amazon and it came with the option to use an under counter bottle OR use a long tube to pump soap out of the original container. This seemed like a cleaner option and easier to manage moving forward. I went with a black head to match the sink itself. I didn't think I'd be able to perfectly match the existing hardware.
The instructions seemed pretty simple for installing this in the existing hole in the counter, but what I underestimated was how hard it would be to get the original hardware out. Remember that soap grime? Everything was totally stuck together - it should have been a simple screw on and off, but it was glued shut. I tried holding it and prying it with various tools but the fact I was laying on my back under the sink ith my arms up in the air doing this was the toughest part! Plumbers have to have the strongest shoulders!
I was able to get the dang thing sort of unscrewed but it was just not budging at all. Eventually I finally did what I should have just done in the first place - literally sawed the top off! The bottom piece fell right through and I was able to unwed the mounting ring after that!
Cleaned up the remaining soap gunk and was ready to install!
The install was pretty easy! I did need an extra hand to hold the dispenser in place long enough to get the undercounter screw tight. The only nearby and willing hand was Abbey - but she was able to jump up on the counter and do just what I needed her to! As I mentioned, I liked the option of not using a refill bottle but pulling the soap out from its original container down under the sink. The kit came with a long hose that I trimmed to size along with a green universal cap fo the soap container to feed the hose through.
Tucked back under the sink, the bottle sits, and will be easier to tell when we're running low on soap. I'm using this as the dish soap dispenser for easy access and keeping an extra bottle up top for hand soap.
I'm pretty PUMPED that I got this replaced all on my own and we actually have a functioning soap dispenser now! (See what I did there?!) ;)
Sidebar on Under Counter Storage
While I was spending quality time under the sink and had literally everything out, I gave us a storage upgrade and added a couple of organization units that make this space more useable and controlled. I'm watching season 2 of Get Organized with The Home Edit right now on Netflix so that‘s probably why I keep eyeballing every storage space we have and thinking about how I can make better systems! I did purge and edit out quite a bit from under here which is always a good first step to any organization project. From here, it’s categorizing what makes sense and ditching the original packaging in favor of organizing things in clear bins so you can always see where you are with stock.
Plastic Turntable for Hard-to-Reach Vases
I added a plastic turntable to store my most used vases. This helps make everything a little more reachable in a cramped space, using the spin function to help navigate around the breakables.
Clear Storage Bins
I grabbed these plastic bins at Target for dish soap, cleaners and things we need to frequently access like trash bags and lined them up at the very front of the cabinet. Just taking things out of their original packaging helps make this seem more functional and organized and we know just how much we have of everything!
The Final Look
The soap dispenser is working great and we love having everything underneath so readily available and accessible. It's sometimes just the littlest changes that end up making a pretty big difference!
