Tips for organising drawers...

JennyP

I reckon I have at least 5 - well, let's be honest, more like 8! - drawers full of disorganised bits and bobs. Paper clips, pencil sharpeners, USB sticks, toiletries, cables that I don't know what they are for but am frightened I still need.... just masses and masses of stuff. It doesn't get used as it's so jumbled but I don't want to throw too much of it as it's the sort of stuff that comes in handy.

Any handy tips for organising it. I did think about buying loads of plastic zip wallets but I'd need loads and I want to do this in a money saving way! A while back Sainsburys were selling clear plastic pencil cases for 20p - I wish I'd bought tons but I only bought a couple!

All tips gratefully received!

Yolina

I just reuse bits of packaging to organise odds & sods - plastic punnets and trays from fruit & veg, random small boxes that stuff I bought came in, yogurts pots, jam jars, milk cartons... pretty much anything really :rotfl: Cables I usually stick in sandwich/freezer bags or similar (and label )

Edit: also go and have a look in £ stores in the kitchen stuff aisle if you need small boxes with lids

THIRZAH

I use plastic baskets from the pound shop in drawers-I think they were five for £1 when I bought them. You could use empty ice cream containers instead.

Cables etc I keep in those zip lock plastic bags-one per bag-saves them getting tangled up.I didn't buy the bags, just used what we already had in the house.

It's worth going round the house and seeing what containers you have before buying any.Things like paper clips can be stored in a small jar.I label the top of the jars .

I do have a couple of the clear value pencil cases which I use in my handbags.One for aspirin, plasters etc and one for keys-that way I can just transfer them from one bag to another.

glitterkitty

Keep the cardboard tubes from toilet rolls, and store them all upright in a drawer. One tube holds one cable, neatly de-tangled. You can even write on the side of the tube what the cable is for.

kitschkitty

Mony bags (from the bank) are also useful for little bits and bobs, or you can reuse coffee tins or small food jars.

JennyP

All good ideas! Thank you! I have found some small plastic containers from Ikea that might work!
Partner is away tonight so I am thinking that I might put a big sheet of plastic on the floor and empty all the drawers onto it and start sorting. Could be quite cathartic!

pavlovs_dog

JennyP wrote: »

Partner is away tonight so I am thinking that I might put a big sheet of plastic on the floor and empty all the drawers onto it and start sorting. Could be quite cathartic!

that's where I was going to suggest you start. Group like items together, discard/recycle/rehome what you can.

As others have suggested, you can find useful storage in all manner of boxes, tubs and recycled packaging. If you are organising drawers, perhaps kitchen cutlery organisers will be useful. I have one of these in my desk drawer, IIRC it cost £1 from ikea.

For fiddly little bits, it can be worth saving the little plastic bags that you press the tops together to seal them. Many clothing brands seem to put spare buttons in them these days. Primark in particular is a great source of these bags.

athriftymrs recommends organising with lids on her blog, which always struck me as an ingenious idea for fiddly little bits.

pavlovs_dog

glitterkitty wrote: »

Keep the cardboard tubes from toilet rolls, and store them all upright in a drawer. One tube holds one cable, neatly de-tangled. You can even write on the side of the tube what the cable is for.

This is a really popular idea on pinterest, a great source of clever ideas for organising. (for those who've never come across it, it is an online 'pinboard' where you can store links to websites, organised by category. Think of it as a much more visual version of favouriting a website, with the perk of being able to nose through other people's boards as well. Be warned, it is a black hole for time

tryingtobethrifty

JennyP wrote: »

Partner is away tonight so I am thinking that I might put a big sheet of plastic on the floor and empty all the drawers onto it and start sorting. Could be quite cathartic!

I did this with my 3 big junk drawers last week, it took a night and a morning just to sort the stuff.

I put mine into plastic shoe boxes, like these and put a sticker on the side with what's in it.
http://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/love-your-shoes-3-plastic-shoe-boxes-30x18x10cm-251559

I have a box for stationery stuff (paperclips, stapler, cellotape etc), for first aid stuff, for shoe polish stuff etc. I think I have about 6.
I've put them on a shelf in a cupboard now, so much easier to get to and see what's inside.

Good luck tonight with your sorting....I never have an urge to spring clean but always get one for the kids going back to school - it really feels more like a 'new year' than Jan to me

JennyP

Thanks again for all the ideas. I have done 3 drawers already! I found a load of Ikea boxes - like Tupperware - little ones. I'd bought them in sets wanting the bigger ones for flour and stuff and never used the little ones. That and a few plastic containers leftover from having Chinese Takeaways!
No-one told me how much fun it would be - it was brilliant!

piecemeal

I know it's no use right now, but I save pretty jars, boxes, packaging (usually toiletry gift set packaging) and tins for storage. I love opening a drawer or cupboard and seeing pretty storage (as long as it's practical). It's such an incentive to keep things organised.