June 6, 2023, 2:53 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
There’s a saying that order is half of life. What if it were the whole life? Let’s at least focus on the drawers of various cabinets. With our simple tips, organizing drawers becomes easy and lasting. myHOMEBOOK author and interior designer Odett Schumann explains how to proceed.
Drawers are found in every home, whether in the office or bathroom, wardrobe or kitchen cabinet. Yet, these compartments are rarely free of clutter. Even if a living space is neatly tidied, this often doesn’t apply to the drawers. Here, chaos tends to settle in all too easily. Drawers are ideal organizers on a micro level, but they also hold great potential to quickly descend into hopeless chaos due to all the small items. Once opened, the concentrated disorder spills out. The following six steps provide effective relief to organize a drawer permanently.
1. Empty the Drawer Completely
The first step is often the hardest. Not so when organizing drawers. While it requires a necessary dose of motivation to tackle the chaos in the cabinet, the beginning is surprisingly easy: Simply dump the full drawer onto a table or the floor. You’ll likely uncover some unexpected contents. Alongside plenty of junk, you might also find a long-lost treasure. It’s advisable to empty the drawer completely, not just partially, to get the best possible overview as a starting point for sorting.
2. Thoroughly Sort the Contents
Now that the entire contents are outside the drawer, it’s time to sort them thoroughly and conscientiously or even completely declutter. You’ll quickly realize that some items have no place in our daily lives. The rule of thumb is: Anything you haven’t used for more than a year or never used at all seems to have lost its relevance. So, get rid of it! Some items are better off elsewhere and no longer need to be part of this drawer.
If sorting is generally difficult for you, it’s best to follow the advice of the world-renowned Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo. Every item should be held once, and you should ask yourself: What does this item do for me? Does it still make me happy? Small items that exist only once, like buttons or screws, often linger only within the drawer. And anything that’s broken and irreparable must go anyway.
3. Wipe Out the Drawer
Once a drawer is completely empty, it’s the perfect chance to wipe it out thoroughly. Such an opportunity doesn’t come around often, so grab a damp cloth and get started! While you’re at it, you can also wipe the front and side surfaces of the drawer. Now the optimal foundation is set to effectively organize a drawer.
Also interesting: 5 Tips to Quickly and Efficiently Tidy Up Your Home
4. Separate by Theme
To maintain a good overview in your drawer, it’s helpful to use organizational systems and dividers. But before implementing these in the drawer, you should first categorize the entire contents thematically.
In a desk drawer, it’s advisable to bundle all pens or even types of pens like ballpoint pens, pencils, and markers separately. Small items that can easily scatter but are frequently needed, such as paper clips, are best stored in a small box or container.
All small and large pads should be stacked according to size. With such a structure, everything is easier to find at a glance, and you know the current inventory of your supplies. This saves empty spaces and prevents duplicate purchases.
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5. Integrate Organizational Systems
Now it’s time for the actual task of sorting the drawer: All contents must go back into the drawer. To avoid randomness, organizational systems and dividers are recommended. Kitchen suppliers are already quite sophisticated in this area, which often results in high costs at the end of the purchase. However, individual dividers, cutlery trays, and insert boxes prove to be quite effective in everyday life.
Elements that can be individually configured in their position are especially ideal. In households with multiple people, it’s also advisable to use labels to prevent the newly gained order from falling victim to others’ ignorance. Label makers or color coding are practical options here.
6. Fill the Drawer Sensibly
After organizational systems and dividers have been sensibly integrated, it’s time to refill the drawer. First, it’s important that items used almost daily are located at the front of the drawer. Items used only every few days or even less frequently can be stored in the back.
Additionally, it’s wise to make effective use of the drawer’s volume. In the kitchen cabinet, for example, tall drawers should be equipped with tall storage containers. Rather awkward items that inherently bring chaos are better stored in a separate container. Clothes can be folded, rolled, and then placed upright in the drawer in the style of Marie Kondo to save space.