The Organised Housewife » Tips, ideas, inspiration and motivation to help keep you and your household clean and organised

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Sep 06 2010

Organising: Kitchen Drawers

Category: Kitchen • Organising

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Have you been inspired to make a start on clearing your clutter?  I have made a start listing some of my ‘sell box’ items on eBay.  If they don’t sell i will be donating them to charity.  Please let me know if you are interested in a post on how to sell on eBay.  I’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment below and let me know what you have started.

Today I thought we’d keep organising the kitchen and as I recommended start a small area first, so then you don’t get too overwhelmed.  So let’s organise the kitchen drawers, this will help make your kitchen as efficient as possible.  Almost all kitchens have drawers, and the gadget draw would have to be one of the most over crowded drawers.  Here’s some tips to organise your drawers:
  • Remove items from each drawer, wipe drawer clean and re-organise.  Consider using some drawer storage solutions, such as drawer dividers to keep neat and tidy.
  • Keep all like items together such as cutlery, baking, gadgets and teatowels.
  • Avoid overcrowding your drawers, remembering the rules discussed in 5 steps to clear your clutter

Sharp objects:  Sharp objects such as knives are unsafe to store in drawers, especially if young children can access the drawer.  Store knives in their own storage blocks.

Utensil Holder: Place a utensil holder on your kitchen bench storing frequently used and large utensils. It will allow easy access while cooking and frees up space in your gadget drawer.

Christmas Gadgets: Store your christmas baking items such as cookie cutters, cookbooks or baking tins with your christmas decorations so they don’t take up valuable space in your drawer.

Junk Drawer: Avoid the Junk Drawer, whilst you may think it is convenient to add your ’miscellaneous stuff’ to a drawer it can quickly become a disaster.  Remove all non-kitchen items from the kitchen and create a home for it elsewhere.
 
My Cutlery Drawer – We recently got rid off all the kids character and plastic spoons now they are using teaspoons and cake forks.  To the side I store my potato peeler and plastic spoons that are added to kids lunchboxes, they bring them home and I wash them.  But if they go missing it’s no big deal.  Also my chapstick, I have chapstick in nearly every room…lol, I’m addicted.
The Gadget Drawer – These drawer dividers are from Target, they come in a range of sizes.  Previously I used cereal boxes cut to size. 
 My Baking Drawer – again love these drawer dividers. 
Teatowels are stored in the bottom drawer for easy access. 
 Utensil holder canister from Ikea 

 Which kitchen drawer do you find the mostly cluttered?

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  • Michelle

    Lovely
    Where do your glad wrap etc live and your phone book??
    These live in my bottom drawer but it is crowed.

    • http://theorganisedhousewife.wordpress.com Katrina – The Organi

      I don't use my phone books, they are recycled once I recieve them, instead like Louise has suggested I use the online servies. To store them is using up valuable cupboard space in my kitchen. I wish there was a system online that I could request not to receive the phone books. Glad wrap is stored in my pantry, see my Organising: Pantry post , I use a wire system that I purchased from one of those homecare brochures that are dropped at the front door a few years ago. Or yes I think I have seen them at howards storage world too.

      • Suzy

        I’m pretty sure you can request not to receive phone books. I was about to get rid of mine, then I was having problems with my internet connection and needed to use the phone book to look up the help line number for my ISP! So now I keep them up in a high cupboard that’s not very useful anyway.

        • Fleur.Muller74

          I keep my phone books and takeaway menus in a drawer in the office

  • Louise Sullivan

    Get rid of the phone book – use internet White Pages / Yellow Pages / Where Is on line and the Gladwrap go to Howard Storage and get a holder for alfoil and gladwrap and kitchen towel that goes on the wall.

    • http://theorganisedhousewife.wordpress.com Katrina – The Organi

      Thankyou for the tips Louise, I do exactly the same with my phone books.

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  • Maryann

    Hi Katrina,

    Happy New Year!

    I have only just found your very useful site. I am a mother of 4 (8-14yrs) with a husband on shift work. Thanks for the great ideas…definately have a more determined to get my kitchen better organised, your pantry looks great.

    As far as Ebay goes, i regularly do 'spring clean' around the house from kids clothes to misc household items and the odd furniture. I usually only sell on ebay when I have at least 10 items. Prior to listing I usually check for the same items on ebay to get a fair idea how much they are starting at as well as what postage is being charge, this allows me to price my items to be competitive.

    Looking forward to reading more on your website.

    • Katrina

      HI Maryann, I am glad you like the site. I love your tip for ebay, you can usually sell a little more if you have more items, by having the combined postage, also saves you time and less running to the post office. I did promise a reader some tips on ebay listing, but I haven't had time yet….sorry :(

  • Jane

    Hi . I’ve just come across your site – love it. Just thought I’d let you know I had a laugh when I read about your addiction to lip balm. I’m exactly the same and have been since I was at school (I’m turning 40 this year)……

  • Penny

    If you have measuring cups or plastic/wooden spoons that are in good condition a preschool would usually take them for the children to use in imaginative play. Well I know our preschool would be grateful to get these items.

  • http://www.brandgrab.com.au/ Brandgrab

    I appreciate your work that you have done. Thanks for share this stuff…

    discount shopping store

  • Sarah

    I’d be interested in the Ebay tips…but no rush – when you have time! :-)

  • Bec

    Thanks for the tips – I have an exam on Wednesday, but after studying for four hours straight I gave myself half an hour off to do something else. So I finally decided to get rid of the TWO junk drawers that we have.

    I now have four lovely organised drawers, and all the junk has been either put in it’s rightful place, donated or thrown away.

    The bottom drawer is now used for teatowels! I have wanted a drawer for tea towels for years, and I finally have it!

    Thanks for the inspiration!

  • Leanne

    Wow! I bet you can actually find stuff in your kitchen drawers now! Aldi also sells those drawer dividers really cheap… :)

  • Regan

    I’m a bit of a knife freak… I love my knives sharp. I wouldn’t suggest storing them in wooden blocks because sliding them in and out blunts them unnecessarily. I would suggest buying a magnetic strip and storing them that way. I love the suggestion of cereal boxes. We’re on a tight budget so those storage containers can really add up in cost – especially if you organse every drawer in every room in the house.

  • http://www.facebook.com/AmyJaneTaylor Amy-Jane Taylor

    What wonderful ideas. All my draws are a bit of a mess, I never thought of using dividers in any other draws other than the knife, fork, spoon draw. Will have to sort my draws out sometime this week … maybe then my husband will know what goes where ;) haha!

  • Roxy

    Love the drawer dividers! Might have to find some of them for myself!

  • Lesaboys

    I too love a magnetic strip for knives, they are cheap at Ikea if you live near one or Howards Storage World. I also bought a rack from Ikea and now have 2 smaller utensil containers and a rack for paper towel that hangs from this, nothing on the bench makes it much easier to wipe down and keep clean

  • Sharlene

    I notice your dessert and soup spoons share an area. I’ve tried that with mine but they tend to get mixed up. Are you just very disciplined when you put them in the drawer?

  • http://www.facebook.com/Kate.M.Gibson Kate Gibson

    Howards Storage also have adjustable drawer dividers. I put 2 into my utensils drawer and its amazingly tidy and easy to access now.

    For dividing soup spoons and table spoons I put one lot one way in the drawer compartment and one lot the other way, that way they sit together nicely

    I vote for the magnetic knife rack from Ikea (etc) It holds my cooks knife, vegie knife, serrated knife, carving fork and gas gun. Out of reach of kids and no chance of getting yourself on a knife in the drawer either

  • Laura

    To opt out of phone book delivery call Sensis on 1800 810 211 or go to http://www.sensis.com.au.

  • Madonna

    Hi Katrina.
    I’ve only recently discovered your site and am loving it. I thought I’d share a couple of my tips.
    I keep all my corn cob holders together stuck into old wine bottle corks. Keeps them together and they keep the sharp bits safe.
    With storing my knives in a wooden knife block, I turn the knife upside down (rotate 180 degrees) so the sharp edge doesn’t get blunt against the wood.
    Lastly, I attached two tea towel rails (from Ikea) under my overhead cupboards and hang my everyday cooking utensils on one side of my kitchen near the stove, and the other side near my kettle hangs my coffee cups.