5 Drawer Organization Hacks You Need to Try Now

Home Room By Room Drawers Easy DIY Drawer Dividers Using What Youve Got!

Making your own DIY drawer dividers is a quick and easy project that works in any drawer, every time! In this article, we will break down the process of creating your own custom drawer dividers using materials you likely have at home.

Why DIY Your Drawer Dividers?

Making DIY drawer dividers is a great way to carve out better organization in practically any drawer. From deep and wide to small and shallow, dividers can help you organize nursery supplies, clothing, art supplies, small toys, kitchen utensils, and so much more!

Cost
One of the best reasons to make your own drawer dividers is to save money. Custom plastic, acrylic, or wood drawer organizers aren’t super expensive but they aren’t inexpensive either, especially when you need to outfit lots of drawers at once. Comparatively, DIY drawer dividers made from cardboard or foam board range from free if you use your leftover Amazon boxes to just a few dollars per drawer!

Customization
Whether you need a wide expanse of dividers for a kitchen utensil drawer or deep dividers for dresser drawers full of clothes, making your own means you can create the exact storage you need without having to scour the depths of the internet for ones that are the just right size. Further, cutting your own allows you to determine the best layout and fit for your precise drawer, meaning no leftover space or awkward slots you can’t use.

Reuse Recycle
Whether you move a lot or your needs for a particular drawer simply change with time, DIY drawer dividers are much more disposable than their store-bought counterparts. Not only is this version made with cardboard you likely already have around the house but if you no longer need a particular divider, you can simply toss it into the trash-recycling instead of having to store, sell, or donate the non-disposable version.

Supplies Needed

To make your own DIY drawer dividers, you will need the following basic supplies:

Foam Core or thick, sturdy Cardboard (be sure to measure your drawers first to find the widest measurement you’ll need!)
Multipurpose Cable Clips (more information below)

Decorative Contact Paper, Shelf Liner, or Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper to cover dividers (optional but recommended)
Flexible Tape Measure
Sharp Craft Knife or Rotary Cutter

Ruler with Self-Heating Mat
Pencil

Do You Have to Use the Cord Clips?

This DIY drawer divider tutorial is the culmination of several iterations over the past 10 years. Each time I’ve made these dividers, I’ve refined the process in order to make them as crisp, clean, and sturdy as possible. While you don’t have to use the cable clips, I strongly recommend them! They will allow a bit more wiggle room when it comes to cutting your dividers and they significantly help the overall longevity of this project.

How to Make Your Own Box Dividers Video Tutorial

If you’d like to see how these DIY drawer dividers come together, you can watch the video tutorial. The video will show you the entire project in about 5 minutes.

How to Make Easy DIY Drawer Dividers to Fit ANY Drawer

These drawer dividers are not only super inexpensive and easy to make, but they stand tall and firm and do wonders for keeping drawers compartmentalized. Below are the step-by-step instructions:

Step 1: Measure Your Drawers

Start by measuring the height, width, and depth of the drawer you want to outfit with dividers. Be as precise as you can.

HEIGHT: Base of drawer to top edge of drawer
WIDTH: Right-to-left dimension
DEPTH: Front-to-back dimension

Step 2: Optional Line Base of Drawer

Next, if desired, line the sides and/or bottom of the drawer with contact paper, shelf liner, peel-and-stick wallpaper, etc. This is an optional detail, but it goes a long way in making your entire drawer look clean and cohesive.

Step 3: Cut the Divider Boards

Next, you will use a ruler and sharp craft knife to cut your foam core board or cardboard down to the correct dimensions for your particular drawer. Use the following equations to guide you:

Cut 1: WIDTH of drawer – 1/2 X HEIGHT of drawer

Cut 2: DEPTH of drawer – 1/2 X HEIGHT of drawer

Step 4: Place Cable Clips

Next, you will dry fit your boards into your drawer in order to:

Ensure they fit just right, and

Identify the right placement for the cable clips.

To do this, place one or two cable clips on each side of the horizontal divider. With the clips on the board but the paper backings still on, slide the divider into your drawer, ensuring it’s exactly where you want it and completely upright. Then, use a pencil to trace around all the cable clips.

Step 5: Optional Cover Divider Boards

With the two organizer pieces cut to size and dry-fitted to the drawer, you can cover them in a decorative wrapping paper of your choice. To wrap the board, I find it easiest to cut a piece of shelf liner/contact paper as follows: WIDTH of your drawer organizer – 1 X 2 x HEIGHT of your drawer organizer – 1.

Step 6: Cut Out Intersection from Each Board

Finally, so that your dividers fit together, you need to cut out where the two boards will intersect. Use the craft knife to cut a 1/4 wide slit halfway down the exact middle of one board and halfway up the exact middle of the other.

Step 7: Insert Completed Divider Into Drawer

With your dividers papered and fitting into each other nicely, all you need to do is slide them back into the cable clips you’ve already secured to the inside of your drawers! If needed, adjust the intersection slits so that the boards sit flush with the drawer and each other.

Step 8: Get Organizing!

With your perfectly-fitting cardboard dividers in place, now it’s time to organize to your heart’s content!

Adapt & Expand

One of my very favorite things about making your own drawer dividers is that you really can adapt them to any drawer and any layout you need! I was having trouble organizing the super wide but shallow drawers in my son’s art table. Instead of the basic formation of the dividers, I instead made six different compartments.

FAQ About These DIY Drawer Dividers

Can These Drawer Dividers Be Used In Shallow Drawers Too?
Of course, just see above! You simply adjust the HEIGHT measurement to be anything you wish so a shorter drawer will just have shorter dividers.

Which Material Do You Recommend Most?
I have made these drawer dividers using both thick corrugated cardboard and foam core. While both work very well, I do find that foam core dividers have a bit more rigidity to them comparatively.

Can You Make Drawer Dividers Out of Wood?
If you have access to a miter saw, circular saw, or jig saw, you can use this same tutorial to make dividers out of wood (e.g., thin plywood, MDF, balsa wood, etc.).

Where Can You Buy Drawer Dividers?
Not up for a DIY solution this time around? Then I encourage you to check out these drawer organizers. They come in a wide range of useful sizes, they are affordable, and they are super sturdy!

How to Customize Drawers with Off-the-Shelf Drawer Organizers

Making your own custom drawer dividers is an exceptionally gratifying project. Not only can you create the exact size and layout you need for ANY size drawer, but using free/cheap materials makes this cost-effective and environmentally friendly too. Next time you wish you had a few more compartments in a messy drawer, I hope you give this quick and easy project a try!Can These Drawer Dividers Be Used In Shallow Drawers Too?
*_Yes, just adjust the HEIGHT measurement to be anything you wish so a shorter drawer will just have shorter dividers._*

Which Material Do You Recommend Most?
*_Foam core dividers, as they have a bit more rigidity to them comparatively._*

Can You Make Drawer Dividers Out of Wood?
*_Yes, you can use this same tutorial to make dividers out of wood (e.g., thin plywood, MDF, balsa wood, etc.) if you have access to a miter saw, circular saw, or jig saw._*

Where Can You Buy Drawer Dividers?
*_You can check out drawer organizers that come in a wide range of useful sizes, are affordable, and super sturdy._*