Not Baskets Nor Bins: Get The Most Out Of Deep Shelves With A Simple Tip

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Deep shelves are deceptively tricky. When you first spot them, they feel like the ultimate storage solution, but when you try organizing your things in their hidden depths, you realize they're a blessing and a curse. Sure, the storage is great, but accessing it isn't as easy. Baskets and bins feel like the simple solution, but they aren't designed to take full advantage of deep shelving's space. The simple yet foolproof solution to organizing deep shelves? Stackable drawers.

Well-loved by professional and everyday organizers alike, stackable drawers are what they sound like: individual drawers contained in a unit that can be nested with others to create a DIY storage solution. And yes, baskets and bins might be more stylish, but stackable drawers help you use every square inch of your cabinet's storage space. How? Because they slide out, you don't have to unpack the entire shelf to find that one tiny thing at the bottom. And, as stackable drawers are designed to, well, stack on top of each other, it's easier to take advantage of that horizontal storage space that would usually be left empty so you could get into that basket or bin. Oh, and those drawer fronts? They're easy to label with a chalk marker or label organizer so you find exactly what you need, no digging required. In other words, you can store more and keep it organized easier.

There are two things you need to know before buying stackable drawers: what you want to store and your shelf's measurements. You could pick up some stackable drawers and try to make it work, but to make the best use of your storage space, knowing what you want to store and the dimensions ahead of time will help you build a lasting storage solution. Grab the measuring tape and write down the shelves' height, width, and depth. Then, lay out what you want to store there. Are they big items, small things, or a combination of both? Note if you want to store anything particularly heavy and how much it weighs to make sure the drawer can handle the load.

Let's say your goal is to organize the deep shelved-cabinet in your bathroom. You want to store extra towels, toilet paper, bar soap, and guest supplies in there. You'll need wider drawers for the towels, slimmer options for the toilet paper and soap, and a medium-sized drawer to accommodate guest amenities. Since you know the shelf's measurements, you can find drawers with the right dimensions to make it happen.

Most stackable drawers are clear acrylic, which is great because you can see what's inside — in theory. If you want to cut down on the visual clutter or conceal less-than-stylish contents, look for opaque drawers, like IRIS USA 6 Qt. Small Plastic Stacking Drawer. Or, if you have leftover peel-and-stick wallpaper or construction paper, cut out drawer front-sized pieces and tape them to the backside of the drawer front to hide the contents.