"A place for everything, and everything in its place." It's the only advice you'll ever need for getting your home organized and clutter-free. You can take that philosophy and drill it down to apply it to even the tiniest of spaces — like that messy drawer in your bathroom, kitchen or workspace.
Drawer dividers go a long way (ok, they go most of the way) to clearing clutter from your drawers, but you know what can take you the extra mile? Chalkboard paint. Labeling the bottom of your drawer to ensure every knick-knack has a spot (and stays in it!) goes along with the whole "place for everything" mantra and keeps everybody in your apartment — roommates, family, friends — on the same page.
Jackie from Teal & Lime recently showed off the before and after of her bathroom drawer, with the latter featuring a shiny new chalkboard vinyl drawer liner. The chalkboard surface at the bottom of the drawer lets her label the spaces under her clear drawer dividers with chalk descriptions and cute doodles to keep everything in the right spot.
You can take Jackie's idea and use it anywhere in your home where your existing organization strategy can only be called "chaos." Put chalkboard drawers to work in your workspace, or use it to tackle that junk drawer in the kitchen. And renters, you can get in on the fun without painting your landlord's cabinetry; just use loose pieces of vinyl (like Jackie did) or paint a thin craft wood insert to de-clutter your disorganized drawers.
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I feel like chalk would get all over my stuff even though this is a neat idea. Dry erase would also come off. I would suggest a temporary clear piece of vinyl over the chalk board so you wouldn't get any chalk on your items and it won't erase the writing. I love the overall idea of being able to write in chalk inside of the drawer...very cool. Thanks!
Whoops, I didn't see the trays...guess that fixes it! Great idea!!!
I love a good organise, but surely life's too short to take it this far?!
seriously, if i'm ever this brain dead i'll need a post-it on my keys that says 'keys'.
wouldn't the clear bins filled with 'noted' items be enough of a clue?
A drawer labeled MISC. CRAP would probably be more 'real world'.
This feels impractical from a cleaning standpoint. Even though there are plastic trays in the drawer, you're still likely to get makeup dust, hair, and more underneath. Every bathroom drawer could use a good wipe down from time to time. I suppose as long as you don't mind relabeling every cleaning, this would be fine, but it just seems like an extra hassle.
I like the idea of planning out ahead of time what types of little trays/cubbies one would need for storage, but I doubt I'd keep it in my drawer permanently. What are the chances that you'd take all of your bottles of nail polish out and forget where they go?
I think it's sort of adorable, but confused by the small bin for deodorant. Unless she uses that worthless crystal deodorant, I don't think it's going to fit. ;-)
Cute idea. More trendy than practical. Why not use dry erase markers and label the top of the bin instead?
Chalk markers would make it easier to dust, and will only come off with water. Chalk will smudge very easily.
Jackie here from Teal & Lime. I happy to report over 6 months later this drawer is still my favorite one in the house. Taking the time to make it pretty keeps me motivated to keep it organized. The vinyl easily wipes clean and it's kind of fun to redo the doodles every now and then. I have a 3 year old that loves nothing more than to pull everything out of the drawer while I get ready in the morning. The labels help get it all back in place.
Oh, and I don't use tiny deodorant. The drawer is deeper than the dividers. My deodorant sits in that bin at an angle (with enough room for the drawer to close). You can click over to my blog to see the drawer full.
Thanks,
Jackie
glad to know that some chalk keeps your one drawer organized.
you must be exhausted.
If I ever were to do this, I would feel like my life were slowly going down the drain.