UPDATE: If you google “spice organization ideas” and look at all the different methods and organizing products, from my personal experience I can tell you that using a SPICE DRAWER as described in this post is the BEST way for your spices to STAY organized!
I’m not even kidding! The overflow spices that are in a cupboard above my spice drawer are a mess. When something at the back of the cupboard is needed, the stuff in front has to get taken out of the cupboard and it never goes back in the cupboard in the same way. Whereas in my spice drawer, all the spaces are one layer deep so I don’t have to remove a spice to get a spice underneath. Have you tried the spice drawer method yet, to keep all those spices organized? Keep on reading to see how I did it.
Organize your spices
I use a spice drawer. I’ve always kept the spices in their original containers. I currently have the spices arranged so that 28 spices fit in the drawer (so I can read the labels), but there are at least another 10 to 15 spices that don’t fit in the drawer.
1. Gather all your spices and check expiration dates. Toss the old. If you can’t find an expiration date, sniff the spice and if there’s no scent left, and you can’t remember how long ago it was purchased, toss it.
2. Wipe down the drawer and install drawer liner. Currently, my spice drawer does not have a drawer liner so this will be an improvement.
3. If using expand-to-fit drawer organizers install now.
4. Organize your spices in the drawer so that you can easily find what you need. There are several ways to do this including alphabetically, by type (Mexican, Chinese), or simply by size.
I tried my spice jars in the drawer to see if they would fit.
I purchased two sets of square glass spice jars that came with lids, sifter lids, labels, funnels, and more. The first set was 25 jars and the second set was 14 jars.
I’ve seen some small mason jars used to organize a spice jar but I think the jars would be too small to hold an entire spice bottle. I’m not sure, but looking on various websites it appears that spice jars hold 4 ounces as do small mason jars. But spice jars on Amazon come in a variety of sizes, so buy what suits your situation.
One more tip: spices should be stored in a dark space so no open racks on the kitchen counter.
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As always, I search for the best deals for myself and share them with you. And who doesn’t order through Amazon?!
SimpleHouseware Spice Jars 4 Ounce Square Bottles w/labels
Here’s another brand of spice jars; this set of 25-4oz jars comes with the black labels. Both sets are good. I bought one of each.
Moving the spice jars from a cupboard to a drawer where all jars can be seen at a glance is one of the best organizing tasks I’ve done in the kitchen ever!
Get these chalkboard labels that can be used on a lot more than just spice jars! This set is economical and comes with 300 labels!
Gorilla Shelf Liner in many colors. I bought my shelf liner at the dollar store! Couldn’t find it on Amazon. It’s shelf liner, not contact paper. It has a texture. The liner I bought is wood-grain and matches my drawers.
There were some spice jars leftover but I may transfer spices to them in the future and store them in an end table that I am using for all the spices that don’t fit in this drawer. I am not transferring my garlic powder to a spice jar because we buy garlic powder in a very large container. Other spices I’m not transferring include cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole allspice berries, etc.
Let me know if you organize your spices and what works for you. The next challenge is organizing the refrigerator and freezer!
