It took me awhile to get to adding this particular article. The funny thing, is that slide out baskets are one of the top storage accessories to add to your cabinets.
They’re one of the most functional in-cabinet add-ons you can make to your kitchen, closet or pantry.
The best part – is that they’re easy to install, they work with tons of cabinet styles and they make hard-to-reach items accessible.
You might think of a sliding wire basket as just a plain ol’ wire basket that pulls out of the cabinet, but they are so much more than that.
Let’s take a look at what makes these storage accessories so great!
What Are Sliding Wire Baskets?
Slide out baskets consist of a few core components one of which, is the basket. The basket rests on a frame assembly or structure.
Attached to that frame assembly is a left and right slide that allow the basket to slide forwards and backwards inside your cabinet, pantry or closet.
The slides that the basket is attached to mount directly to the floor of the inside of a cabinet.
Sliding baskets can be made of metal wire, painted metal and even wood. The slides that are used to move the basket out of the cabinet are usually ball-bearing slides that allow for a smooth action.
Finding The Best Sliding Wire Baskets
There’s a wide array of sliding wire baskets. Prices can range from $30 and can quickly go up to $200.
If you’re in the middle of a remodel and you intend to have these be a functional integration into your home, it’s best to consider sliding baskets as an investment.
Quality metal wire and the slide components go a long way. Great products should provide years of everyday usage.
Sliding cabinet organizers can work in closets, pantry cabinets or in most base kitchen cabinets.
Here’s some aspects and features to consider when looking for the best sliding wire basket…
1. Rev-A-Shelf 5WB Series - Large Wire Baskets
You might have a larger base cabinet, say 21 or 24 inches, that you need a sliding wire basket for. It can be harder to find options that utilize this space.
There are some manufacturers that design larger width baskets though. Brands like Lynk Professional makes one that is 20 inches wide and Rev-A-Shelf makes one that is 20-3/8 inches wide.
When it comes to functional storage accessories for inside the cabinet, we want to take full advantage of the space and not leave any big, unused gaps on each side of the pull out. These larger width pull out baskets can be a perfect solution for you and your kitchen.
For 12, 15, 18 and 21 inch cabinet openings, chrome heavy-gauge wire, 4 screws mounts it to the cabinet floor.
2. SimpleHuman - Solid Bottom Sliding Baskets
Unless it’s made out of wood, sliding baskets are typically metal wire.
This isn’t ideal for some items that you may not want clanging around in a rigid wire basket. The other problem is that smaller things can sneak their way through to the under-side and then be impossible to reach.
So what’s the solution? Well, along with using various flat inserts on top of the wire basket, you can look at using a solid bottom sliding basket.
This one from SimpleHuman is already pre-assembled with a drop-in plastic insert. They have baskets in various widths too!
Sizes are 9, 14, & 20 inch widths, removable tray insert and integrated handle pull.
3. Lynk Professional - Wood Sliding Drawer
Wire just might not cut it for your style. For those of you who agree to that, it can be hard to find a solution as most sliding baskets are chrome wire.
Wood (often times melamine) can be easier to clean and look like it fits naturally into the environment of a traditional kitchen.
Although wood slide out baskets can be a bit pricey, they have a certain appeal and still have all the great features that wire baskets offer us. Things like various sizes, easy installs and ultimately…full access to what we keep inside our kitchen cabinets.
Sizes are 11, 14, 17 & 20 inch widths, low profile for easy reach-in and visibility, smooth gliding ball-bearing slides.
4. Simple Trending - Tool-Free Install Sliding Baskets
Maybe you are an outstanding tenant and rent where you live. Not wanting to damage cabinets is absolutely understandable and your landlord should appreciate that.
Luckily you can find some good pull out basket options without having to drill unsightly holes in your beautiful cabinets. These Simple Trending baskets are able to just “drop-in” to your cabinet base with no installation necessary.
Ideally, you want to find a pull out basket that is low profile, so you can gain access to it if it’s sitting inside the cabinet and not outside.
10 inch wide x 16 inch deep x 13.5 inch height, stackable with multiple units, anti-slip pads on each foot.
5. Rev-A-Shelf - Cabinet Door Mounted Sliding Wire Baskets
There are lots of door mounted products that I’ve talked about on the website before. Things like trash pull outs and other storage accessories often mount to an existing cabinet door.
To do this, we need a door mounting kit. These kits are either integrated into the pull out product itself or offered separately by the manufacturer.
The door mount kit easily attaches on the front left and right structure of the pull out basket and then screws to the existing cabinet door. Keep in mind that the existing cabinet door will need to be un-hinged beforehand.
Sizes for 12, 15, 18 and 21 inch wide cabinets, mounts to cabinet floor, door mount bracket offered separately.
Cabinet Door Mounting Kit
If you want to mount your sliding wire basket to an existing cabinet door, you’ll want to get the accompanying kit.
6. Richard Homewares - Small Sliding Wire Baskets
Got a small or narrow cabinet? There are a few options for these scenarios including sliding baskets that can work in cabinets less than 15 inches wide.
Believe it or not, often times it’s the smaller cabinets that can benefit from the use of sliding storage organizers. Yes, they can be hard to mount inside, but they can allow you access to the back of the cabinet way easier.
Richards Homewares has a variety of sliding wire baskets in various widths. They can work in pantries, closets, under sink areas or laundry room built-ins.
Simple to install sliding basket great for any cabinet. Requires a 12″ minimum cabinet opening width.
7. Rev-A-Shelf 5CW2 Series - Pot and Pan Sliding Wire Baskets
Hands down, pot and pan slide outs are one of the most-used storage accessories. We list some of the best pot and pan organizers throughout the website too. It’s hard to choose just one product as your needs can vary depending on your type of cookware used and the cabinet space you have.
The Rev-A-Shelf sliding wire baskets for pots and pans is an ideal starting point. The two-tier version allows you to store lids on top and pots and pans on the bottom.
The shelves independently slide out for quick access. This comes ready-to-install and mounts to the cabinet floor and to the back walls of the cabinet.
8. Lynk Professional - Under Sink Sliding Wire Baskets
The under-sink area, in my opinion, is one of the easiest areas to improve organization. We tend to throw lots of random things under the sink and it can quickly become a crazy mess.
There are lots of great storage pull outs designed for the under sink cabinet. Many of which are like the Lynk Professional sliding wire baskets.
These cool pull outs mount to the far side of either the left or right of the cabinet. The roll out towards you and provide quick access to everyday items.
Works on either the left or right side, removable tray in top basket (great for sponges/rags), design easily avoids plumbing.
Where to Put Sliding Wire Baskets
This is one of the great things about storage accessories. You can determine the ideal functionality of what works best in your kitchen, apartment, condo or home.
Sliding baskets are perfect for both narrow and wide base cabinets.
They can often work and be mounted inside of standard base cabinet widths of 9″, 12″, 15″, 18″, 21″, 24″ and wider.
The idea with slide out basket storage accessories is to have better access to your items inside the cabinet. Things like pots and pans are great to use with pull out baskets. Tupperware and the under sink area can also benefit from slide out storage.
You can put sliding wire baskets in:
- Under Counter Base Cabinets
- Under Sink Areas
- Pantry Shelves
- Vanity Cabinets
- Narrow Cabinets
- Built-Out Closets
How to Install Sliding Wire Baskets
Installs will vary depending on your specific cabinet type and frame style, but once you get your cabinet measurements down, it’s pretty straight forward from there.
And most professional cabinet organizer brands include helpful templates or videos to guide you through installs.
- Your cabinet dimensions should be the main focus when it comes to installing things like sliding wire baskets.
- We need to make sure we’ve got plenty of room for the basket to slide in and out on both sides with no interference from protruding hinges or cabinet frames.
- I would recommend to grab a tape measure and measure the inside width from the cabinet hinge to the cabinet frame. I would also make sure the depth and height allows for room as well.
Base Kitchen Cabinet Widths
Width measurements are usually standard sizes of 12″, 15″, 18″, 21″, 24″, 30″ and larger.
Base Kitchen Cabinet Depths
Depth measurement are usually 22″ to 24″ in depth.
Base Kitchen Cabinet Heights
Some base cabinets might be full height or come with a drawer inside. Full height with countertop is 36″. The height minus the countertop is 34.5″.
Time to Slide in to Organization in Style!
Slide out baskets and drawer organizers are one of the most functional cabinet organizers to add to your cabinets.
They make it simple to access hard-to-reach items in the back of the cabinet and can work just about anywhere in the home.
Once you nail down where you need to add one, the sky’s the limit.
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