This is how a professional organizer uses dollar store items to keep kitchens clutter-free

Organizing your kitchen doesn't have to be difficult or break the bank. All it takes is a little bit of planning and you can actually find almost everything at your local dollar store. Organization coach Vaishali Sahn shared her entire kitchen drawer decluttering process with us to make cooking easier, quicker and more enjoyable. 

Declutter 

One of the key areas that you’ll want to organize in your kitchen is the cutlery drawer. This space can quickly get cluttered and disorganized because we often accumulate a ton of utensils and cooking tools that we rarely even use. The first step to organizing this space is to take everything out of the drawer. And we mean completely empty it. 

You’ll then want to take the time to hold every single item from that drawer and decide whether or not it’s worth keeping. Do you use it often? Is there another tool that you can use instead? Do you have doubles or triples of certain tools or utensils? Try to only keep multiples when it’ll be beneficial to do so. If it’s just going to take up valuable space and clutter up the drawer, it’s not worth keeping. You’ll also want to get rid of anything that’s broken or in bad shape and donate all of the items that you no longer want. 

Categorize 

Once you’ve gone through all of the items and decluttered, you’ll then want to categorize everything. Simply group like items together. The reason you’ll want to do this is that it’ll give you an idea of how much space it’ll take up in the drawer and it’ll give you a better idea of what size organizer you’ll need for each category of items.

Plan 

Now you need to measure the drawers. Write down the width, depth and height of the drawer so that you can make sure that the organizers that you purchase will actually fit. You can also measure and cut a piece of paper that’s the size of the drawer and use this template when you're at the store to actually help you figure out which organizers to purchase. Plus, it allows you to clearly see what will fit inside and get a better understating of how to maximize the space.

Another good idea is to take a few photos of the items that you're planning to store in the drawer, just in case you need a reminder when you're there. Before you head to the store, you’ll just want to make sure that you have your template, a measuring tape, all measurements and your photos with you.

Shop

Alright, now for the fun part - shopping! Walk the store aisles to get a sense of what they carry. Every dollar store carries different items and you’ll find different organizers in different aisles. For example, in the stationery section, you might find desk drawer organizers that would actually work well in your kitchen.

The first thing to look for is drawer liners. These will help keep the base of your drawers protected and clean. And if they ever get damaged, you can easily replace them. Also, if your drawers are already stained, then you can always purchase these liners and cover up the stains so that they have a fresh and clean look.

Next, you should be able to find a traditional cutlery organizer and you can get that for all of your flatware. You can then mix and match that with other containers to keep other cooking tools and serving utensils organized. This is where you’ll want to layout the paper drawer template and place the organizers on the template to make sure that everything you need fits.

Even if some of the organizers will be empty, it's still a good idea to fill up as much of the drawer as possible with organizers so that you can add items later if necessary. It will also help the organizers stay in place if you fill the drawer with them as opposed to leaving empty space. Once you’ve decided which organizers to purchase, double-check the photos that you took to make sure that the items will fit in the containers that you’ve chosen. If not, you’ll have to find an alternative, or you can place larger utensils and tools directly in the drawer. 

Organize 

Now you’re finally ready to organize! The first thing you’ll want to do is vacuum and wipe down the drawer. Then, measure and cut the drawer liner and line the drawers.

Next, remove all of the price stickers from the containers. TIP: If they don’t come off easily, simply warm them up with a blow dryer and then they should be easier to peel off. Now place all of the containers in the drawer and once you’re satisfied with their placement, you can start categorizing all of the cutlery, serving utensils and cooking tools in the containers. Again, if something is too large for one of the organizers, you can just place it indirectly in the drawer.

When you open and close the drawers, if you find that the containers are moving around, you can purchase museum gel, wax or putty from a hardware store or online. You simply apply a little bit to the bottom of the containers and they will then stick to the drawer and stay in place.

Label 

This is not a necessary step, but just an extra added one for those who want to take their organization a bit further. Labelling might seem over the top, but it really helps to remember where everything goes. This ensures that the drawers always stay tidy and organized, and you can easily find what you're looking for. You don't have to label everything, maybe just some of them that will help you remember when you're putting dishes away. 

Maintain 

Every couple of months, take everything out and wipe down the containers so that the drawer stays nice and clean. And as you do this, you should also evaluate the items that are in there. Are you still using them? Are they in good condition? Decluttering regularly will ensure that your drawers do not get messy or disorganized again.