8 Tips on How To Organize Those Deep Desk Drawers

Having a functional organization of your desk drawers can be a superpower. You spend less time looking for things and you become much more efficient at your desk.

Deep drawers can be a challenge to organize as they can hold more items. Stuffing those deep drawers can quickly become a mess which makes finding things a chore.

Here’s how you can get the most out of your deep drawers with a few super-effective organizational tips. These are the tips and tricks I use to keep my IKEA ALEX drawers nice and organized.

Key Takeaways

  • Try to dedicate deeper drawers to larger items to reduce the need for organizational accessories. 
  • Remove the items you don’t need frequently & prioritize your drawer contents.
  • Stackable organizers will be critical if organizing small items.
  • Square containers, drawer dividers, and deep drawer inserts are your best friend for deep drawer organization. 

1) Remove the Clutter

We can make our lives a lot easier if we reduce the items that need organizing. That means clearing out everything you don’t use.

It also means removing anything redundant. Do you have multiple stacks of Post-it notes? Do you have more than one stapler?

Give your items a little audit and minimize what you have to organize in the first place. This will save you a ton of time and make it much easier to look through your drawers for things you actually need.

In our article on efficient drawer organization, we discuss how if you don’t use something every month or so, it probably doesn’t deserve space in your desk drawer.

2) Start With Larger Items In Deep Drawers

If you have larger items that need organizing, know that deep drawers will be the best place for them. Smaller items in deep drawers will require using more organizational accessories than larger items.  

For example, it might not be the best place to store a pen or a paper clip for quick access. The smaller drawers are more appropriate for that. 

I keep my camera gear in my deeper IKEA Alex drawers, they are bulky items. Being larger, these items take up more room and as a result, less of the drawer requires organization.

How To Organize Deep Drawers (1)

In the image above, you can tell I have smaller items occupying a corner of my drawer. The larger items take up most of the drawer, taking advantage of the deepness.

3) Prioritize The Items In Your Drawers

Another general tip you should follow with drawer organization is prioritization. This simply means making things you use more frequently easier to access.

How To Organize Desk Drawers

This could mean frequently used items are only on the topmost drawers. It could also mean that if you use stackable organizers in your deep drawers, the top stack has the most frequently used items.

This makes the workflow at your desk so much more seamless!

4) Use Stackable Containers

If you don’t have a bunch of larger items to take up the room of a deep desk drawer, stacking smaller organizers will be the best way to utilize the full volume of your drawer.

Though stacking is very space efficient, it’s recommended that you don’t stack more than two levels high. Three or more levels make it very tedious to access items at the bottom of the drawer, which defeats our convenience goals.

mDesign Plastic Storage Organizer Containers

This set of 8 stackable storage bins is perfect for organizing items at your desk or around the house. The hinged lids make these containers easily stackable, and the clear plastic lets you see what you're looking for without opening the bins.

Check Price on Amazon

With two levels, you can easily reach for the lower container.

The above containers are large and come with lids. They measure 3 inches in height which means two will stack to make a 6-inch tall storage system. This is a great height utilization for a very deep drawer! 

Before purchasing a stackable organizer, measure the depth of your drawer. Stackable organizers can eat away your available vertical space quickly.

5) Use Clear Containers

When you have multiple levels of organizers stacked, you can easily forget what is in the bottom layer. That’s where clear containers come in.

Clear organizers let you see what’s inside so can quickly find things. They can save a lot of time. 

Search Amazon for clear stackable containers, and you will get hundreds of options to choose from in all shapes and sizes!

Clear Acrylic Stackable Storage Bins

Stackable bins with bamboo tops create great-looking vertical storage for deep drawers. Open fronts allow easy access without lid removal. Each 12"x7"x7" bin stores various pantry items, while versatile use extends to other rooms. Durable plastic construction and easy-care bamboo tops ensure long-lasting quality.

Check Price On Amazon

If you want to take full advantage of those 90-degree corners of your deep desk drawers, find organizers with vertical walls and sharp corners. These will fit perfectly into your drawer corners.

Open Top Stackable Containers

If you don’t want to deal with any lids, use open-top stackable containers. The stacked container acts as a lid for the bottom container.

Because they have open tops, you will have quick access to your drawer contents right when you open the drawer!

Sorbus Clear Stackable Organizer Bins

This set of 4 clear container bins measures 10" x 6" x 3" and is perfect for organizing your deep desk drawers. They are, stackable and clear so you can see what you need right away.

Check Price on Amazon

This product above shows fruits and vegetables for a refrigerator application. However, these are also fantastic for deep-drawer organizing!

They are designed to be stackable, so they interlock with one another and keep themselves organized. 

6) Use Drawer Dividers to Compartmentalize

Drawer dividers are key for compartmentalizing your drawer. They separate your large drawer into a bunch of smaller mini compartments.

There are a ton of drawer divider options out there for deep drawers. Mainly because many people use these dividers for dresser drawers to separate clothing.

We can take these customizable dividers and apply them to our deep desk drawers! Here are some great’s an example of a divider that can separate a deep drawer into tall walled sections. 

Deep Drawer Dividers - 6 Inches High

These deep drawer dividers help organize the items in your drawers by keeping them segregated. They can be installed in any drawer with an expandable and adjustable design. The ends are covered with foam to prevent damage to drawer walls and to keep them in place.

Check Price on Amazon

This item means we can make custom-sized 6-inch tall walls within our drawers. Combine this with some of the containers we talked about in the last section, and we have a powerful organizational combo! 

These walls can keep your stacked clear containers from moving around as you open and close your drawers too!

7) Consider Deep Drawer Inserts

The last recommendation here is deep drawer inserts. These are also taken from the world of dresser drawer organizers. They can solve our deep drawer issues!

For example, look at how nice these woven fabric drawer inserts are:

Deep Drawer Organizer Boxes, 8 Pack

This 8-pack of drawer organizers comes in various sizes to fit a number of drawer sizes. Made of breathable non-woven fabric, they are sturdy and easy to clean. Originally made for organizing clothes, these work perfectly for organizing deep desk drawers.

Check Price on Amazon

These inserts are five inches in depth and come in an assortment of sizes. You can mix and match the positions to get the perfect fit in your deep drawer.

These fabric inserts can cut down on the rattling noise as you use your drawers. Hard on hard materials make a lot of noise. But your hard items on a nice fabric organizer will be much quieter and protect your drawer a bit too.

I use felt organizers myself to keep my drawers quiet and organized.

top view of open drawer that is organized using generic felt drawer organizers

8) Use Anti-Slip Pads

Finally, once you’ve chosen all your deep drawer organizer accessories, we need to keep them from shifting around as we open and close our drawers.

There are a few ways to ensure your plastic containers don’t slide around your drawer.

Use Anti-Slip Drawer Liners

Anti-slip drawer liners are a simple roll of rubber material that can be cut to your drawer’s interior dimension. This way the entire base of your drawer is anti-slip, so anything you place inside will stay in place.

This solution is much cleaner than using sticky putty or other “stick-on” solutions.

Gorilla Grip Drawer Liner

Gorilla Grip Drawer Liners offer non-adhesive, strong grip technology to prevent slipping and bunching. Versatile use in any drawer to keep items in place, protect surfaces, and allow easy customization. Effortless installation and easy cleaning ensure a transformed, organized space.

Check Price On Amazon

To add a liner to the base of your drawer follow these easy instructions:

  1. Measure your drawer’s interior dimension
  2. Cut the roll of rubber liner for each drawer
  3. Place it inside your drawer
  4. Done!

Easy to install, remove, and no mess!

Good luck organizing those deep drawers! Just remember to remove the items you don’t use so you can be a more effective organizer!

Photo of author

Dasun

I'm a big time workspace enthusiast who is constantly experimenting with my setup. Sharing along the way to help people make their own desk setups more functional and inviting, whether it be for productivity or play!

Leave a Comment