The alternative title for this post could have been “Don’t Underestimate the Power of Organized Kitchen Drawers.” I just thought that was a little dramatic. But, really, it’s so true! Since the kitchen is one of the few places in the home that we spend a lot of time in day-in and day-out, you really feel the impact of poorly organized drawers when you can’t find what you need. But now, having lived in nine different homes with nine different sets of kitchen drawers, I’ve learned that kitchen drawer organization is incredibly specific, both to the person and the kitchen space itself. So today, I’m sharing my very best tips and tricks for organizing kitchen drawers, whether you have 2 or 20, wide, deep, or skinny. Let’s get to it!
1: Get Rid Of The Clutter
There is no point in organizing kitchen drawers if they are filled with a bunch of stuff you don’t want or need. And it’s really amazing what kind of gadgets we collect over the years, isn’t it? So even before you start to organize your drawers, take some time to go through each and every item and determine two things:
- Do you still want or need the item?
- Should the item be stored in your kitchen drawers?
Decluttering your drawers doesn’t have to be tedious or painful. Just go through each one and toss the wine charms you never use, broken bag clips, random kitchen gadgets you rarely touch, worn oven mitts, etc. Once all the junk is cleared away, you’ll have much more success organizing whatever is left!
2: What Can (and Can’t) Be Stored in Kitchen Drawers?
When most people think about organizing kitchen drawers, they likely envision silverware, cutlery, and small kitchen gadgets. But these days, kitchen drawers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and can hold all sorts of kitchen items.
When you’re trying to figure out what to put where in your kitchen, consider what does and does not fit inside your drawers. even if the items aren’t typically stored that way. Here are some non-traditional things that can be put in drawers instead of on shelves:
- Spices
- Coffee/Tea Supplies
- Dishes
- Snack Foods
- Pantry Canisters
- Small Appliances
- Pots and Pans
- Knives (in an in-drawer knife block)
- Linens
If you have unusual items that actually fit in your drawers, give it a try. Not only might this take better advantage of the drawer space you do have, but it may also free up some precious counter or cabinet space!
3: Find The Right Organizers for Your Drawers
Drawer dividers are the ideal way to create order out of drawer chaos. Sure, they aren’t always necessary or effective for some items. But for large, spacious drawers (where things can float around too easily) or drawers that hold lots of little things, dividers are typically worth the investment.
That said, drawer organizers are not created equal, so part of effectively organizing kitchen drawers is finding the “right” ones for the drawers in YOUR kitchen (as well as what you’re storing). Primarily, you want to focus on three main factors:
- Does the organizer properly fill up your drawer (without leaving lots of unusable space)?
- Are the compartments big enough to hold what you need them to? (Consider large kitchen gadgets and collections of items.)
- Is the organizer well-suited to hold what you need it to? (E.g., silverware tray for flatware; bottle holders for spice jars)
There is nothing worse than having a bunch of pretty kitchen drawer organizers that are too small to hold anything comfortably. So when you are on the hunt for the “right” organizers, I always recommend first measuring the dimensions of your drawers, then planning out what you need, shopping around a lot, and only settling once you find something that will hold everything just right.
In nine different homes, we’ve encountered (what feels like) countless drawer sizes, shapes, quantities, and layouts. As a result, I am constantly on the lookout for great dividers that allow us to use up every inch in really smart ways (but without breaking the bank). While I am a huge fan of making my own out of cardboard boxes, here are some of the best kitchen drawer organizers available! You can buy kitchen products from Bajaj World. We are Elementra kitchen dealer in surat.
4: Use All the Available Space
Even with really precise measuring, planning, and shopping, it’s pretty rare to find off-the-shelf organizers that fit your drawers perfectly. But this isn’t something to get frustrated over since there are easy things you can do to make that empty space actually usable!
Play Drawer “tetris”
First, rotate your organizers in every possible configuration to find a solution that uses the most space. Then, see if you can add in other trays, bins, boxes, or containers to fill up the empty spots.
Intentionally Create Channels
You don’t have to fill up every inch of your drawers with plastic organizers in order for them to be useful. Even empty channels, when created intentionally, can be really functional.
Don’t Overlook Inaccessible Spaces
Some kitchen drawers don’t pull all the way out. While it can be annoying, don’t consider these hard-to-reach areas off limits. In fact, they can be great spots for storing things you definitely want to keep but don’t use very often.
Make Things Snub
It really bothers me when I pull a drawer open and everything slides around. So for most of our drawer organizers, I use thick double-stick tape to keep them secured to the bottom of the drawer. But sometimes tape isn’t necessary or practical, so I instead try to arrange the items so they don’t slip around at all.
