It's not going to hurt to have a messy sock drawer, but it certainly can be annoying and slow you down in the morning. This is especially true if you have young children or grandchildren who need a little bit of help getting ready.
I battled our home’s sock monster, which seemed to gobble up one half of every good pair of socks, for years before a simple and affordable $2 drawer organizer, available at Walmart, banished it for good in my bedroom and my daughter’s.
It not only kept everyone’s socks organized but also helped me identify which pairs I never reached for, making it very easy to organize my drawers and keep them tidy in the long run.
Why I love a simple collapsible fabric drawer organizer
This set of fabric ones can be distributed across several family members and collapsed down and stored flat when not needed.
About a year ago, I organized my sock drawer using a Nate Berkus’ method to create storage ‘scaffolding’ using the socks themselves. I found a $2 mesh drawer organizer, available at Walmart, was perfect for holding my ankle socks.
I put two sock bundles per row, and it helped me immediately see I had way too many. Withing a fortnight, it was also clear I had a whole bunch of socks I didn’t like wearing. The finite rows ended up being an accidental, but good decluttering tip.
I also used mine to keep all my ankle socks so depending on what I need in the morning, I can immediately find ankle or taller socks at a glance. For my daughter, having her sock rows color coordinated made it easy as pie to for her to pick black or white school socks, or find a colorful pair for the weekends.
Long gone were the calls of, ‘I can’t find any socks Mommy,’ making both our mornings run smoother. It also means when my husband is the one putting away the laundry away, there’s no guesswork as to what type of sock goes where in the drawer.
Having smart home storage ideas in place that everyone in the household can use and, crucially, maintain independently will help keep your drawers and other high-traffic cabinets permanently tidy.
What to shop
Drawer organizers are an essential tidying tip professional organizers swear by for keeping storage spaces functional and in order.
Just be sure you measure your drawers for organizers first, and don't forget to note the height inside the drawer, as this can catch many people out.
If you have deep drawers in your closet, stack your sock organizers and keep the most-used ones on top. These can also be used for underwear and small accessories, as well as rotating seasonal socks and tights.
Organize the drawer space you have in exactly the way you want. Create rows as narrow or as wide as you wish, with these expanding drawer dividers.
If you have an annoyingly deep closet drawer or shelf you can never reach the back of, these sliding drawer organizers can instantly turbocharge your access and functionality. Dimensions open: 20-1/2"D x 21"W x 4"H; closed: 20-1/2"D x 13"W x 4"H.
There are lots of clever ways to save space in your closet, including renter-friendly methods such as using a coffee cup holder for purse storage, and ‘air’ folding your clothes for quick and neat piles.
