As I went to my kitchen drawer for a cooking utensil and found a cluttered mess, I knew it was time for an organized makeover. After months of stashing unused or unknown items in my kitchen drawers, my valuable kitchen space was getting used by odds and ends. No more. I declared – time to take back my kitchen and rid these drawers of clutter.
Kitchen Drawer #1 - Before
Drawer #1
This drawer houses many of my spatulas, spoons, ladles, pizza cutters, and other kitchen utensils. Instead of all the similar items grouped together, all the utensils were just stashed in the drawer. After moving the items around to find the one utensil I needed, it was time to begin the reorganization.
- Pull out all the bulky utensils and put on the counter
- Sort the items into piles
- Wipe out drawer
- Replace the drawer liner
- Place similar items together in the drawer
- Give each utensil a home
- Put away the remaining items
- Enjoy the organized and now clutter-free kitchen drawer
Drawer #2
Kitchen drawer #2 - Before organizing
Once I began organizing one cabinet, the momentum began and I tackled a second drawer as well. This drawer was more of a mess. I still had all the plastic utensils from soccer season which was in (ahem) May. These drawers were overdue for a good reorganizing.
Once again I followed the above eight steps, and removed lots of excess and unused items from this drawer. When I replaced the needed items back in the drawer, I was left with all these other items to put away, trash, or donate.
When all the extra items had been removed and the remaining items neatly organized in the drawers, I felt much better. I could see all the items without sorting through the clutter to find that serving utensil.
Kitchen Drawer #1 - After organizing
Kitchen drawer #2 - After organizing
The results were worth taking fifteen minutes to organize. In using time wisely, taking a few minutes to organize one drawer, cabinet, or shelf will give you momentum as you seek to start, continue, or keep your home organized.
Question: What household organizational project is on your agenda? Please add your answer to the comments.