With cabinets often becoming cluttered with utensils, gadgets, and miscellaneous items, finding what you need can be a challenge. However, by organizing your drawers, you can easily locate items and create more space for the essentials, making your kitchen a more efficient and visually appealing space.
By organizing your kitchen drawers, you’ll not only save time searching for the tools you need, but you’ll also create a more pleasant and clutter-free kitchen environment. Here are 21 ways to organize kitchen drawers and maximize their efficiency and accessibility.
21 ways to Organize Kitchen Drawers
1. Empty and Clean
Before you begin the organization process, take all the items out of your drawers and clean them if possible. Dust the drawers to ensure they are clean and free from dust. You do not want to keep your kitchen tools in a dirty place.
2. Categorize Items
Sort and declutter your items into categories such as utensils, pots, tools, and gadgets. This way, you’ll have a better idea of what items to group together, what you need to keep, and how to arrange them. Let each item have a home.
3. Declutter
Evaluate each item and ask yourself if you really need it. If you have broken, outdated, duplicate items, or you haven’t used an item for years, then it’s time to let it go. Either donate it or trash it.
4. Use Drawer Organizers /inserts.
Invest in drawer dividers, inserts, or trays to keep items separated. For instance, you can use a clear cutlery tray for silverware, an insert for cooking sticks, or use inserts to arrange spices in the drawer, making it easier to find what you need quickly.
5. Implement a “Zone” System
Create zones for specific items. Instead of cluttering your counters with kitchen tools, hide them in specific drawers for holding relevant items for doing different tasks, such as cooking, baking, and preparing refreshments. For instance, you can have a stand mixer on a counter, then house all the tools related to baking in the drawers below the counter. Doing so makes accessing what you need during meal prep a breeze.
6. Vertical Storage
Use vertical dividers to organize items like cutting boards and baking sheets. Create shelves with hooks and compartments, or create small tension rods with hooks to hang mugs. Vertical storage not only saves space but also makes it easier to reach items.
7. Don’t forget to put Labels.
Labeling bins or dividers helps everyone in the household know where things belong. Use a label maker or write on removable labels for easy identification.
8. Utilize the Back of the Drawer
Consider installing a small pegboard at the back of the drawer to hang utensils or smaller items, such as rubber bands, chip clips, and seasonal decor, to maximize vertical space.
9. Create a Junk Drawer with Guidelines
If you still want a junk drawer for miscellaneous items, establish clear guidelines about what goes in it. The guideline helps prevent it from becoming a clutter magnet!
10. Use Small Containers/storage compartments.
For smaller items, such as spice packets, tea bags, or food ties, use small containers to keep them organized and contained within larger drawers. Try to use clear containers, so you can see what is inside them without necessarily pulling out bins. You can also stack them to save up more space.
11. Install a Pull-Out Shelf
A pull-out shelf can make it much easier to keep and access items at the back of your drawers, such as spice jars, pantry staples, cleaning supplies, and cookware. These are great for reaching items that are hard to access and for maximizing storage space, as they utilize the whole cabinet and prevent items from getting lost.
12. Use Magnetic Strips and holders.
Use magnetic strips to hold metal utensils or small knives, saving valuable drawer space while keeping items accessible. They help make items easily accessible and also help to reduce clutter.
13. Combine Similar Items
If you have multiple types of tools (like peelers and slicing tools), consider combining them into a single organizer to reduce clutter on countertops. Keep essentials like spatulas, wooden spoons, and measuring cups together to streamline cooking tasks.
14. Take Advantage of Shallow Drawers
Shallow drawers are great for items like measuring cups and spoons. Use them strategically for more accessible storage.
15. Invest in Drawer Liners
Drawer liners can add both protection and style. They keep items from slipping and can make cleaning easier. Line these up in your spice cabinets to protect them from being stained.
16. Arrange by Frequency of Use
Place the items you use most often at the front of the drawer and less-used items towards the back. Doing so minimizes digging through drawers when you’re in a hurry.
17. Use a Tiered Organizer
For items like spices or small food packets, a tiered organizer can help you see everything at once without digging deep.
18. Convert cupboards into drawers.
Look for drawers that can accommodate hidden storage solutions, like pull-out racks or trays that hide away larger equipment.
19. Use baskets
They can be made from wood, plastics, or metal. Use these to separate dry goods into groups, such as snacks, treats, spices, and canned goods, in deep drawers to maximize space. Wire mesh baskets are great because they make it easy to see and access items easily from the drawers.
20. Use stackable tiered can rack organizers.
Use a stackable tiered can rack organizer to organize and store your small canned goods in drawers or cabinets. Arrange similar items together for easy access.
21. Fold your kitchen towels into a drawer.
Roll or fold your kitchen towels to stand up in a drawer to help you find them easily. Order your towels by color and use so that they are easier to grab and use. Doing so helps to reduce clutter and disorganization in your drawer.
Finally, it’s essential to establish an organizing routine. For example, every few months, take a little time to reassess and reorganize your drawers to maintain order. This ongoing commitment is crucial to maintaining a well-organized and efficient kitchen.
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