You Should Never Store Paint Under Your Kitchen Sink. Here's Why

Everyone knows the phrase "everything but the kitchen sink" is a pretty apt one. After all, that handy cabinet beneath the sink is the perfect place to store cleaning products, spare sponges, trash bags, the occasional small tool, and all kinds of other odds and ends that just don't have a home anywhere else in the house. But, while a bin underneath the kitchen sink might be a great solution for many of your storage woes, not everything belongs there. In fact, there is one thing that you should never keep stored under your kitchen sink: paint.

If you still have some cans of paint leftover after finishing up a few home improvement products, you probably don't want to toss them in the trash. After all, you never know when you might need to do a few quick touch-ups around the house. Thus, the kitchen sink might seem like the perfect place to store the extra paint and keep it out of sight until you need it again. However, storing paint products underneath the sink can ultimately be hazardous to your health and safety.

According to Real Simple, cans of paint, as well as other harsh chemicals like polishes, varnishes, thinners, solvents, aerosol cans, or pretty much anything that has a "flammable" warning label, can be a fire hazard that you definitely do not want to keep in your kitchen. These products carry a high fire risk, and they have even been known to spontaneously combust under the right conditions, so they should be stored in a well-ventilated area and away from gas appliances. According to Bob Vila, the risk can be even greater if you have a garbage disposal in your sink because it runs on electricity, which increases the chance of fire. It is also not a great idea to keep paint and other harsh chemicals, such as bleach or insecticides, under the sink if you have small children or pets, since it is low to the ground and an easy area for little ones to access.

So, if you are not quite done with all of your home renovations, the garage, shed, or any other well-ventilated space is a much better place to store those leftover paint cans and other harsh, flammable chemicals. After all, while the kitchen sink may be convenient storage for many different household items, safety trumps convenience any day of the week.