I have tried organizing my spice drawer from time to time. I always feel so productive afterwards and the kitchen looks a little nicer.

My husband does the majority of the cooking however, and he is not quite the most attentive/clean/organized while doing said cooking. So after a few days, the thing is a huge mess again.

It is so simple to do the initial organization, but it is so hard to keep it that way.

Finally, I got sick of it and created a few lasting techiniques to keep the drawer more organized.

The first will help prevent spices from rolling around the drawer as much and will provide an easy way to clean up spice spills. The second method is a nice way to keep small spice packets together so they are easy to find and reduce clutter.

 

 

Supplies:

  • Large sheet of paper (should be as big as drawer)- I have a ton of paper like this, which is sometimes used in packaging instead of bubble wrap.
  • Hot glue gun and glue
  • Scissors
  • 3-4 paper tubes (see tutorial here)

 

1. First, cut the paper so it fits flatly on the bottom of the drawer. Then, figure out how you are organizing your drawer. I had my husband pick out spices he a) uses a lot, b) uses sometimes, and c) uses rarely. Then I set out rows based on usage. Take the tallest in each row and line them up on the paper to determine the size of your rows.

 

2. Lay one of the newspaper tubes between each of the spices horizontally to create the rows.

 

3. Trim the ends of the tubes so that they lay completely on the paper and do not hang off.

 

4. Using a thin line of hot glue, secure the tubes to the paper so that you have your desired rows.

 

5. Now lay the paper flat in the drawer.

 

6. Then put your spices in. I really like this method, because the tubes prevent the spices from rolling around when you open and close the drawer.
You can also glue another tube to the top of the paper if you notice that it starts to bunch against the back of the drawer.

 

I tested this out by opening and closing the drawer repeatedly and everything stays nicely in their rows. Yay, organization!

When you want to clean up the inevitable spice spills, simply remove the spices, take out the paper, and shake the debris into the garbage. So easy.

 

This second tutorial is nice for organizing small space packets. Before ours just floated around the drawer. This way they are all together, making them easy to find and keeping them out of the way of other spices.

 

 

Supplies:

  • Small container (I used a yogurt cup)
  • Glue stick
  • Scissors
  • Magazine/calendar/scrap paper/wrapping paper/whatever decorative paper you have laying around
  • Optional: Mod Podge and paintbrush

 

 

1. Cover the outside of the container with paper.

 

2. If you want a smooth finish, you can paint on a thin layer of Mod Podge.

 

As shown.

 

3. Throw in those spice packets and store in your beautifully organized spice drawer.

 

Now your kitchen is a tiny bit more organized, making it easier to find things when cooking.