Organizing Drawers and More With Baskets
How to Organize the Drawers in Your Home With Baskets of all Types.
I like change. Organizing the contents in drawers in my kitchen and every drawer in my house is something I like to do.
Making what you already own look fresh and new simply by sorting, purging, and adding order can be very therapeutic. Making it look stylish and pretty helps too.
I think that is why organizing and de-cluttering is a popular task among home lovers. It feels like you are getting a new start with your stuff. You see it with fresh eyes.
Where to Find the Best Baskets to Organize the Contents of Drawers
I like organizing the stuff in my drawers in small baskets. I have posted about my love of baskets before and showed you a few ways I use them.
I have found almost all of my smaller square and rectangular baskets at the thrift store and yard sales – I even have a few since I was a teenager. I have always loved these smaller style baskets.
If you can find any of these small, low-sided baskets to fit in your drawers, no worries, look what you can do with handled baskets that are a dime a dozen:
Organizing Drawers with Baskets
When I shop the thrift store – square and rectangular baskets are the first thing I search for. I have never paid more than $1.00 for any of them. I soak them in the sink with some dish detergent when I get home and then set them out in the sun.
When they are dry, they come inside and become drawer organizers. When the teabags are placed in a low sided, square basket – I have no trouble finding exactly the type of tea I am in the mood for.
This style basket works perfectly in drawers because they are square and the sides go straight up. Round baskets and baskets that have angled sides don’t work as well – too much drawer space is lost since they don’t fit together.
Square and rectangular baskets can be placed together like a jigsaw puzzle. As you can see in my kitchen desk drawer, even though they are all different sizes and styles – they are all square or rectangular and fit together nicely – no space is lost. I am still looking for a thin long one to place in the back left corner.
I don’t overlook baskets with handles – like an Easter basket or one that has a handle on each side. If I find a square or rectangular one with straight sides and a handle, I buy it and remove the handles with a knife or pair of scissors. The handles are just woven in and once you cut it, they are easy to remove from the basket.
Plasticware chaos – no more. Storing the lids on their sides in the baskets keeps it under control.
Bigger baskets for larger items.
Seeing the baskets when I open my drawers adds a delightful visual surprise. Everything in order and in its place – aaahhhhh! It is nice not having to rummage through to find anything.
I have even been known to line some of my drawers with colorful paper when baskets are not needed. This gives you a dose of color therapy every time you open the drawer.
Other Ways to Use Baskets to Organize Your Stuff
These baskets are a bit bigger and are my favorite baskets in my house. I found one at TJMaxx and when I brought it home and realized that it fit perfectly into these shelves, I had to find more.
Every time I went back to the store, I searched until I had 6 to fill the shelves. It took about 9 months of searching, but I was determined and successful. I store cookie cutters in a few of them and candles in the rest. I made the French Enameled Tags for them.
In the pantry I have a set of IKEA baskets on the top shelf and many other types of baskets on the floor.
In my studioffice, I stack and store paper in baskets and like to label them.
On occasion, I may even make lids for larger baskets so I can stack and store items in them. How to Make a Lid for a Basket
If You Don’t Have Baskets to Organize Your Drawers, Try These?
How about… cutting the bottom from cereal boxes and fitting them together in a drawer or use your larger square or rectangular plastic containers that you would normally use to hold leftovers in your fridge.
I know some brands of pre-sliced lunchmeat come in rectangular shapes. Shoe boxes work well, too.
I used small boxes and covered them with pretty paper to organize my desk drawer. I was really into organizing when I did this since I even made labels for what goes in each box. How I Organize My Desk Drawer
The next time you get into an organizing mood, before you go out and buy something to help you with the task – look around your house first to see what you can find to get your small stuff in stylish order. Baskets work for me; you may be surprised with what you find – cardboard, wood or metal boxes – do you have any of these?
More Organizing Ideas
- Craft Room Organizing & Storage Ideas
- 3 Tier Bathroom Rotating Organizer
- Easy Clothes Closet Organizing Ideas
- Map Covered Shelf Organizing Boxes
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