Kitchen drawers are a great organizing project if you have a few spare minutes. From wooden spoons and rolling pins to tea towels and tools, these are best practices for getting them organized.
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How are your kitchen drawers looking!?
If you answered fine, I promise we can do better than that! Only a few simple steps and they’ll go from “does the job” to “looks pretty, and functions like a dream”.
I can totally vouch for this! Cooking and baking aren’t really my favorite things to do, but after going through my drawers, sorting all of the stuff that had accumulated, and organizing it in neat containers, hanging out in the kitchen isn’t so bad!
Check out these blog posts for more organizing ideas:
- 15 Kitchen Organization Hacks With Command Hooks
- Bathroom Drawer Organization Tips
- My Favorite Products For Organizing Drawers
- Easy DIY Drawer Liners
- Organizing Pots & Pans (and a must-have cabinet organizer)
<<PIN THE IMAGE BELOW FOR LATER!>>
How to organize Kitchen drawers
Follow along with the steps below to get your kitchen drawers organized. Here are a few photos of my drawers before I got started.
Step 1: Empty drawers and categorize the contents
First, empty your drawers. You can do one drawer at a time, but I recommend cleaning them all out at once so you can truly see everything you own.
This makes it much easier to identify duplicate items. It also helps with space planning, so you can picture all the drawers and consider different solutions for where everything should go.
Once you’ve emptied them out, sort all the items in loose categories.
Step 2: clean
Clean out all of the drawers, making sure to get the dust out of the corners. A handheld vacuum comes in handy for this, and sometimes I even use a Q-tip!
STEP 3: Decide what to keep
Deciding what to keep means deciding what can be tossed or donated. Look at the categories you created. Do you have two or three of the same kitchen utensil? Containers without lids or vice versa? Kitchen towels that look really grungy?
Go through all of the items and make piles for “keep”, “toss”, and “donate”. If it helps, put sticky notes with those labels in front of the piles so you don’t lose track.
Pro Tip: Decanting isn’t just for food! Getting rid of boxes is a huge plus. I got rid of all these storage baggie boxes.
Step 4: decide what should go where
At this point, think about where everything belongs. Maybe you’ve been using one drawer for towels, but utensils would fit better. And perhaps the food storage drawer would be better suited for those towels.
I like to use trial and error, filling the drawers to see how things fit and function, but another option is to write the category name on a sticky note and move the stickies around until you think you have everything placed right. That can save some time and energy.
Step 5: put everything in its drawer
Now, put everything where you have decided and how you want it. I love using these clear drawer organizers from iDesign – they help keep the systems in place and looking great.
Step 6: Add a drawer liner (optional)
Want to add a pretty drawer liner? These are easy to install and make organized drawers look even prettier.
Related Blog Post: Easy DIY Drawer Liners
You can also add some museum gel if your items are sliding around. It’s so easy to use and it really helps. You can read more about it in my post about the best products for organizing drawers. Check that out here.
Now, whenever you reach for a spoon, storage baggie, or sponge, you can appreciate your drawers a little more.
Looking for more organizing inspiration? Take a look at these blog posts:
- Kitchen Sink Essentials – Cleaning Supplies & Organizing Products
- How to Organize Kids’ Dishes in a Drawer
- How To Paint A Bathroom Vanity
- How To Organize Batteries (A Simple 5-Minute Solution!)
- Our Simple System For Organizing And Washing Face Masks
- How To Make Water Bottle Labels With A Brother P-Touch Cube Label Maker
Have a fantastic day!
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