• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Categories
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Media & Press

Smallish Home

Organization

How To Organize Kitchen Drawers and Efficiently Shop For Dividers

March 29, 2022

With so many options for drawer organizers these days, it can take a bit of know-how to sift through the noise and find the perfect drawer dividers.  I’ve broken down the process into 4 easy steps that will help you quickly and efficiently shop for and organize any drawer. 

This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.

My dad is notoriously hard to buy gifts for, but for his 70th birthday, he asked for bamboo drawer dividers for his kitchen drawers. I thought, now this is a gift I can get on board with! Even though his drawers were very organized to begin with, he was hoping to elevate the look of his kitchen by replacing the white plastic inserts with bamboo.

However, with so many options for drawer dividers, he didn’t know where to begin.  Since I’ve been down the drawer organization rabbit hole a few times, I was happy to order and install organizers throughout his kitchen.

 

After taking some measurements and shopping on Amazon, I had each drawer planned out, purchased, and delivered to my door in two days. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share my 4 step method for purchasing, installing, and organizing kitchen drawers so you too can give yourself the gift of organized drawers.

organized utensil drawer with liner

How to Organize Kitchen Drawers

Step 1: Measure the drawer dimensions

There’s a reason I always carry a measuring tape in my purse and usually have another in my desk drawer.  Measuring is key to making sure your project goes right the first time.

When measuring your drawers, make sure to measure the width and length inside the drawers.  Any organizer you buy must be smaller than these dimensions or it won’t fit.

Don’t forget to also measure the height of the drawer.  If the drawer organizer is taller than your drawer height, the drawer won’t close.

To help keep track of the dimensions, I like to use a notebook and sketch out each drawer, name it (either with a number or location) and list the length, height, and width.

organized knife drawer

Step 2: Decide what will be stored in each drawer

Once you have measurements, it’s time to decide what will go in each drawer.  If everything is jumbled in your kitchen, start by opening all your drawers and listing out the categories that you see.  For example:

  • Silverware
  • Serving pieces
  • Small kitchen utensils
  • Stove utensils
  • Knives
  • Spices
  • Food wrap and plastic storage bags
  • Kitchen towels
  • Spices
  • Kids’ utensils and dishes
  • Hot pads, trivets, and oven mitts
  • Pens, pencils, scissors, etc.

Identify which categories you have and assign them to a drawer.  Try to use new eyes to look at your kitchen to figure out the best layout. Plan out your drawers so that things are intuitive; stove utensils near the stove, silverware near the dishwasher, kids dishes in a low drawer, etc.

sorting kitchen utensils

Step 3: Use your plan to go shopping

Now for the fun part!  Once you have a solid plan and dimensions, shopping is easy.  My favorite place to shop for kitchen drawers is Amazon because of the sheer number of options available.  This means you are guaranteed to find a divider that fits your drawer, even if your drawers are small, Like my 10” and 7” wide drawers.

Here’s my process for shopping:

I search for what I’m trying to organize + the material I want the organizer to be made of.  So for silverware, I would search “silverware organizer bamboo” and literally hundreds of options pop up.  I then scroll until I find the layout I’m looking for and then check the dimensions. If the organizer isn’t a close fit, I keep looking. It’s OK to have a small bit of space on the side of the divider, but you want to find something that fills the drawer as much as possible.

bamboo silverware organized drawer

 If I feel like I’m having a hard time finding what I want, I will sometimes add the width in inches to my search, so “silverware organizer bamboo 12 inches”.  This will often pull up options you hadn’t seen before or will narrow down the results to only organizers that will fit.  

After looking at size, I make sure to check price and reviews.  I look for decent reviews without huge red flags and make sure I’m finding the lowest price for the product.  Often there are identical products on Amazon at widely different price points, so keep searching until you find the best deal.

Layout options: 

There are a few drawer layout options that work well:

Drawer inserts – Can be made out of plastic or bamboo and are perfect for silverware, knives, spices, and kitchen tools.  There are even some beautiful bamboo organizers for foils and ziplock bags.

Tension dividers – Great for breaking up space if you have wide, flat drawers.  I love using these for organizing large or oddly shaped items like spatulas, tongs, whisks, and other utensils.

Individual plastic trays – You can create a completely custom drawer by using plastic dividers to fill a drawer and give each tool a home. 

Larger plastic bins – For deeper drawers, plastic bins are great for storing kids dishes, food storage containers and dish towels.

bamboo tension dividers and shelf liner in drawer

Step 4: Organize!

Once you have all your dividers, it’s time to get them installed and organized!  

If you are low on counter space, grab a few towels to lay on the floor and start placing everything from your drawers on the towels.  (It’s cleaner than putting your forks directly on the floor).  

While you do this, sort and place by category; all silverware together, all kitchen tools together, etc. Take this time to remove duplicates or any items you no longer use.  Your finished drawers will be so much better if they have less in them!

Clean out your drawers with a rag and a multipurpose spray.  Then, line the drawers if desired and fit the inserts into each drawer to make sure they fit.  Use your sketches and notes to put everything away by category.  

bamboo divider in drawer

Once you have everything put away, be sure to take a few after pictures to send to your family and friends.  The only thing better than an organized drawer is showing off your organized drawer. 😉

@smallishhome

My Dad asked for bamboo drawer dividers for his 70th birthday and I said “I CAN DO THAT!” ❤️ #drawerorganization #kitchenorganization #homeorganization

♬ China Grove – The Doobie Brothers

 

Click on the pictures below for links to products used:

 

 

 

 

 

And to see more of my favorite kitchen organization products, be sure to check out my Amazon Store.  I have all these products (and more!) linked for your shopping convenience.   

Happy organizing!

0
0 Leave a Comment

drawer organization kitchen organization kitchen planning

Previous Organizing a Small Linen Closet
Next 5 Products that Help me Keep My Small Laundry Room Organized

Related Posts

The Easiest (& Cheapest) Way To Hang Bikes On A Wall

Best Organizing Products Under $5

HOW TO ORGANIZE AND STORE CHRISTMAS DECOR

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

About

Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
read more

Editor’s Picks

  • Organization

    How To Make Vinyl Pantry Labels Wit...

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

Categories

  • Cleaning
  • Decluttering
  • Design
  • DIY
  • Lifestyle
  • Organization
  • Shopping

Instagram

Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over h Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over here still making cozy winter soups.  I added a soup board to my kitchen, including wide mugs and various toppings and it was just what we needed to make our weeknight dinner special.

The soup is my own homemade gluten free/dairy free tomato soup and I have a blog post with the recipe + sources for items included in my soup board. It’s simple, hearty and takes less than 20 minutes to make.  Be sure to check it out!  #soup #easyrecipe #kitchenorganization #stayorganized #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife
#Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar #Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar! Adding a large wood turntable was the key to a tight corner in my small kitchen. It’s so much easier to fill up the water with a quick spin than squeezing in between the counter and cabinets. Plus, how cute are those marble ceramic canisters? They’re perfect for holding coffee pods, sweetener and spoons!#QVCpartner #loveQVC #coffeebarorganization #kitchenorganization #asmrorganizing #nespresso #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks
 #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! #Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! The fluffiest microfiber cloths that grab dust, shine stainless steel appliances, plus they’re machine washable and dryer safe. The Broombi. A unique broom with a flexible blade that cleans dirt and hair from all hard-to-reach surfaces and cleans up with a quick rinse in the sink. With these finds you’ll be done with spring-cleaning in no time!  #QVCpartner #loveQVC #springcleaning #cleaningtips #cleaninghacks #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedhome #decluttering #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink!  1) Ta #Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink! 
1) Take advantage of vertical space with clear stacking drawers.
2) Turntables make it easy to access cleaning supplies with a spin.
3) Take things out of their original packaging to reduce bulk and make it easier to see what you have.
 
I’m loving these clear plastic drawers from @QVC and now want to add them under all the sinks in my house. They slide easily and are nice and deep! Can’t you just see them under a bathroom sink as well?
#QVCpartner #loveQVC #underthesinkorganization #kitchenorganization #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizinghacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized

Disclaimer

© Smallish Home, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Smallish Home with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Amazon Associates Disclosure

Smallish Home is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over h Spring is just around the corner, but I’m over here still making cozy winter soups.  I added a soup board to my kitchen, including wide mugs and various toppings and it was just what we needed to make our weeknight dinner special.

The soup is my own homemade gluten free/dairy free tomato soup and I have a blog post with the recipe + sources for items included in my soup board. It’s simple, hearty and takes less than 20 minutes to make.  Be sure to check it out!  #soup #easyrecipe #kitchenorganization #stayorganized #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife
#Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar #Ad Let’s organize my new small-space coffee bar! Adding a large wood turntable was the key to a tight corner in my small kitchen. It’s so much easier to fill up the water with a quick spin than squeezing in between the counter and cabinets. Plus, how cute are those marble ceramic canisters? They’re perfect for holding coffee pods, sweetener and spoons!#QVCpartner #loveQVC #coffeebarorganization #kitchenorganization #asmrorganizing #nespresso #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizing-hacks
 #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! #Ad QVC finds that make spring-cleaning a breeze! The fluffiest microfiber cloths that grab dust, shine stainless steel appliances, plus they’re machine washable and dryer safe. The Broombi. A unique broom with a flexible blade that cleans dirt and hair from all hard-to-reach surfaces and cleans up with a quick rinse in the sink. With these finds you’ll be done with spring-cleaning in no time!  #QVCpartner #loveQVC #springcleaning #cleaningtips #cleaninghacks #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedhome #decluttering #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink!  1) Ta #Ad 3 Tips for Organizing Under Your Sink! 
1) Take advantage of vertical space with clear stacking drawers.
2) Turntables make it easy to access cleaning supplies with a spin.
3) Take things out of their original packaging to reduce bulk and make it easier to see what you have.
 
I’m loving these clear plastic drawers from @QVC and now want to add them under all the sinks in my house. They slide easily and are nice and deep! Can’t you just see them under a bathroom sink as well?
#QVCpartner #loveQVC #underthesinkorganization #kitchenorganization #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizinghacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
#Ad Tea Organization! I’ve been searching for th #Ad Tea Organization! I’ve been searching for the perfect solution for storing and organizing tea, and think I’ve found it in these stacking divided boxes. I used one for herbal and one for caffeinated tea, and now it’s so easy to find just the right flavor. What’s your favorite tea? Please share as I’m always looking for new flavors to try! 
#QVCpartner #loveQVC #teaorganization #kitchenorganization #asmrorganizing #pantryorganization #letsgetorganized #homeorganization #organizedkitchen #organizinghacks #declutteriing #declutteryourlife #stayorganized
Have little boys who love Nerf blasters? Here are Have little boys who love Nerf blasters? Here are 3 ways to organize and store them so you don’t have to look at them all the time. My personal favorite is the extra large basket! #nerfblasters #toyorganization #toyorganizationhacks #playroomorganization
An easy DIY floating shelf for above a top loading An easy DIY floating shelf for above a top loading washer and dryer. It’s the perfect way to add storage while still allowing access to the water hookups & the washer door. All the details and instructions are on the blog - click the link in profile to read! #diyfloatingshelf #laundryroom #laundryroomideas

ConvertKit Form

Copyright © 2023 Smallish Home · Theme by SheShoppes