Tool Drawer Organization: Our Junk Drawer Overhaul
We’re excited to join Mrs. Limestone’s “Junk Drawer Overhaul” series, where bloggers share how they’re starting the year by taming their messy kitchen junk drawers. We stretched the theme a bit and focused on our tool drawers—also tucked into the kitchen—because our tools were basically dumped in a corner of the office after the move. Not quite a re-organization, but definitely a fresh start.
We documented how our screwdrivers, hammers, and other basics went from “yikes” to “that works” over on A Brooklyn Limestone. While inventorying everything, we spread our tools out on the floor to see exactly what we had. The result was a satisfying visual: a neat grid showing our common DIY tools and supplies.
Since that full spread of tools is unlikely to happen again soon, we wanted to share a closer look at our collection. It’s a practical mix of go-to items for quick fixes and weekend projects, plus a few odds and ends that have accumulated over time (we still don’t know why we have two spare toilet supply lines).
To make the pictures easier to describe, we divided the layout into quadrants. The first quadrant contains the basics: hammers, screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, pliers, a crowbar, a couple of handsaws, and other handheld tools. After taking the photo we noticed our worn yellow tape measure was hiding in Sherry’s purse—classic.
The next quadrant is all about fasteners and blades: a growing selection of screws, nails, anchors, and a few putty and spackle knives for drywall and repair work. Having a variety of sizes and types of fasteners makes small repairs go more smoothly because you’re less likely to make an extra trip to the hardware store.
Another quadrant holds painting supplies: brushes, rollers, trays, stir sticks, can openers, drop cloths, and painter’s tape. There’s also a random bundle of rope that just fit on that section of the rug—definitely not a paint supply, but useful to have around.
The final quadrant includes adhesives and sealants: tapes, glues, patching compounds, caulk, and a few 3M Command hooks. We also keep craft paints, brushes, Mod Podge, and a tiny tube of glitter left over from making ornaments a few years back. And yes—those mysterious toilet supply lines show up again.
Big power tools like our sander, drill/driver, circular saws, Kreg jig, and garden gear aren’t shown in these photos because they live elsewhere and definitely don’t belong on the floor. The point of this photo inventory was to highlight our everyday, easy-to-grab items that make tool organization and storage in the kitchen practical.
Our tool collection is useful but by no means exhaustive. Since taking these photos we bought a cheap set of hex wrenches for a towel-bar removal that needed a specific size we didn’t have. We also had to restock sandpaper. And there are a few items we could probably discard—things we haven’t touched since that one-time project—but we hang on to some extras because they might be useful later.
If you’re tackling your own junk drawer overhaul or tool organization, a few simple tips can help: take inventory by spreading items out, group like-with-like (fasteners, painting, adhesives, hand tools), use drawer dividers or small bins, and label containers so you can find things quickly. Storing frequently used tools in an accessible kitchen drawer can work well if you protect surfaces and keep heavier tools elsewhere.
We moved our tools from the rug into semi-organized kitchen drawers—read more about that process on A Brooklyn Limestone. We’d love to hear about your tool setup: what essentials do you always keep on hand, and what odd items have you kept “just in case”? Do you store tools in the kitchen, or have a dedicated workshop area? Share your tips and surprises.
Psst—In a funny sidenote, we once drove past our old house on autopilot after a trip to the hardware store. It was both nostalgic and strange to be back in our old neighborhood for a minute.