THE FUSE

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My kitchen utensil drawer needed an overhaul. After adding more and more gadgets over the years, it’s become a frustrating mess each time I try to find the item I need. Sometimes, I can’t even get the drawer to open or close and I end up shaking it to dislodge a stuck utensil that has the drawer jammed. It was beyond overdue for a shakedown, declutter, and reorganization job. I knew I needed to consult a pro about where to start, what to do, and what organizers or dividers would work best in the space.

I sent a photo of my eyesore of a drawer to Jean Prominski, certified professional organizer and owner of Sparkle Home Organizing, in New Mexico. “The first step is to sort like with like and donate what you don’t need anymore,” she says. And with that, I got to work.

I pulled everything out of the drawer. I made a pile of broken items, a pile of items that I didn’t use, and a pile of items that belonged in other drawers. Then, I sorted like with like (measuring cups together, juicers together, and measuring spoons together). “Once you’ve done that, check your other drawers to see if it would be better to move things to other drawers or not,” Prominski says. I realized I had multiples of some items and decided to donate what I wasn’t using. I even found a sharp meat knife that didn’t belong in the baking drawer, so I quickly stashed it where it belonged — with the other knives.

I sent another photo to Prominski when it was all clean. I asked her for a recommendation for organizers. I just wasn’t sure what to purchase that would accommodate so many unique utensils and baking items of different sizes. I didn’t think a standard bamboo flatware organizer would work because there are so many different shapes and sizes of utensils in this particular drawer. I knew I needed some type of organizer in this drawer that would keep the items visible and neat.

“I’d recommend getting these bamboo dividers (double-check the length to make sure they will work for your drawer) and something like this set of plastic containers (I have this one), or this one (which might be better sized for your drawer), depending on how many you think you’ll use,” she suggested. Prominski says she used all these sets throughout her kitchen, and the ability to mix and match and accommodate each of the drawers made these particular organizers super helpful.

I bought them all. I wasn’t sure what would work and what wouldn’t, but I knew I wanted options to see what worked for me. Since Prominksi said she used them all in her own kitchen, I knew I might use the remaining to organize other drawers after I got this baking utensil drawer in shipshape. And since everything was on sale, each organizer and divider came out to just a few dollars a piece.

I used two bamboo kitchen dividers first to segment the drawer into sections. Then I mixed and matched from the clear organizer set to create spaces that would hold like utensils and gadgets. I realized that I really like these organizers for a couple of reasons. First, the organizers are clear, so you can see through them, and there is a nice aesthetically light feel to the drawer. Second, they have these little gripping sticker feet on the bottom. This feature helps them to stay put when sliding the drawer open and closed.

The best advantage, though, is when I open the drawer, I can quickly find what I need now. Each item is visible, categorized, and contained. Nothing is jostling around in the drawer. Thankfully, I’ve avoided shaking the drawer since each item now has a home and designated spot.

With a few simple tweaks (and smart organizers), Prominski helped me transform my kitchen storage for the better — and it’s actually going to stay that way this time. Take it from me: Add these gems to your cart ASAP for the tidiest your kitchen has ever been!