This 10-Second Kitchen Cabinet Upgrade Is Brilliant and Only Costs $13

If you store your trash can inside a cabinet, you know just how messy things can get when your hands are full while you’re trying to throw something away. Either you’ll get the cabinet knob dirty trying to open it, or trash might fall out of your hands and onto the floor. Either way, you’re going to wish you had an extra hand or another way to get that cabinet open. Fortunately, I found a 10-second upgrade you can do to your cabinet that’ll make it possible to toss anything away with ease and zero mess.

In this Instagram video by @simplywithjulia, the creator shows how she instantly upgraded her kitchen cabinet that has her trash can in it by adding a simple under-cabinet foot pull from Amazon. This foot pull features adhesives and screws (so it can be renter-friendly) and is essentially a four-inch strip of aluminum with a soft, pliable tab protruding from it that you attach to the bottom of a cabinet or drawer. It might not look like much, but it allows you to comfortably open a cabinet with your foot instead of your hand — even if you’re not wearing shoes. 

This foot pull “is compatible with most standard 3/4-inch-thick cabinet doors in the U.S.” as long as “the door is flush or nearly flush with the cabinet frame.” It can be installed with adhesive or screws, which are both included. Adhesive is quicker and easier, while screws are sturdier and require a drill. One foot pull is $12.89, but if you want more, a two-pack is $15.99 and a four-pack is $25.99. It also comes in three colors: matte black, gold, and white.

Convenience is one obvious appeal of this little foot pull. The ability to smoothly open cabinets with your feet is a game-changer, but it’s also a very easy change to make — and what’s better than making your life easier without much effort? 

In fact, adding an alternate way to open your lower-level cabinets isn’t just convenient for busy people with their hands full; it can also be a huge help for anyone with a disability or injury involving their fingers, hands, or arms. I broke my wrist last winter, and it was shocking how many basic tasks I couldn’t do. I certainly could not hold trash with one hand and open a cabinet with another! This would’ve been seriously helpful for me.