Quick Tip! Get a Grip on your Drawer Dividers

Drawer dividers are generally intended to provide some order and calmness. They prevent our belongings from becoming jumbled messes and are also ideal for creating organized categories. I have always been a huge proponent of dividers because they have made our lives easier and better in every room in our home.

However, finding dividers that fit inside of drawers just right is a rarity. No matter how much you search and create grids and measure and plan, there will always be that last sliver of space. Or what about those times when you only want to divide a portion of the drawer? And because those drawer dividers are not always perfectly fit, they end up sliding from side to side and front to back. #thehorror

I have worked with a few folks lately that have had that very problem and asked how to prevent the obnoxious shifting of everything each time a drawer is opened and closed. Dividers are supposed to make things better, but something so small can quickly become a daily annoyance.

There are three really easy (and non-permanent) ways that I like to prevent shifting, wiggling, and sliding inside of drawers.

1 |  C O M M A N D  S T R I P S

Because I usually spring for clear/acrylic drawer dividers, I also prefer the clear Command Strips. You can purchase replacement strips solo (no need to purchase with the hooks), and they are great to use for a variety of discreet projects around the house. Of course, any type of Command Strip could pair well with any drawer divider of your choosing. I place one or two of the strips on the bottom and stick it directly to the drawer/liner.

With this method and the next, I am selective about what divider I adhere the strip to as I don't want to incur the expense of doing this to the bottom of every divider in the drawer. I typically select the divider that is able to support/hold all of the other dividers in place as well.

No one would be the wiser, and there is absolutely zero shifting of the dividers when the drawer is opened and closed.


2 |  C L E A R  B U M P E R S

Another little household hack is to use cabinet/drawer bumpers!

These can be found at just about any home or hardware store, and are very grippy! They are generally used to protect your cabinets and drawers, but have also been known to protect glass surfaces, the walls behind frames, added to the bottom of home decor and accessories and electronics. And now they can also be found in some of the drawers in our home!

In the drawer above you can see I left a large amount of space for longer items to be stored and wanted to prevent the entire row of dividers from sliding forward. Adding a few bumpers to the front of the dividers in the front rows did just that!

This is a really great option when you only want to add a couple of dividers to a large drawer and have a lot of additional space to fill with other items.


3 |  G R I P P Y  S H E L F  L I N E R

For heavier duty projects, my "go to" is a grippy liner. And sometimes grippy dividers too!

A few years ago I gifted my husband two Elfa towers (these frames and these bins) to store all of our project materials and tools, and I am just now beginning to tackle the huge project of organizing them!

I have been on the hunt for both a good liner and also good dividers to use inside of the drawers; nothing cute or fancy but 100% durable. I landed on some black grip liner that can be cut to size, along with these interlocking organizers that also have some inside grip to them.

No matter the weight, tool or piece of hardware, they should stay put as the drawer is opened and closed or even removed completely to be toted around the house and garage. The grippy shelf liner not only holds the dividers in place but also the objects sitting on top. And the interlocking lined dividers will be good for the more heavy duty items, while everyday dividers will work for smaller pieces and still stay in place with the help of the liner.

Again, this option allows for the dividers to be split and only be used in certain areas of the drawer, which also means that I am able to better maximize how each drawer is divided and categorized. Hooray for added flexibility!


BONUS TIP: Grip liner can be found just about everywhere in a variety of colors and price points, and can easily be cut down to size. If you only want to add some smaller pieces of the liner below the drawer dividers to stretch your investment, that works too! Also, get creative with what you use, rug pads and silicone caulk can serve the same purpose!


I always try out my tips before sharing them and recommending them, but you can't 100% tell from the photos just how well these methods work, so I compiled a couple of quick boomerangs I took with my phone to drive the point home.



No-Slip Drawer Dividers from Jen Jones on Vimeo.


And because I am often asked about where to purchase the items found in this post, or my favorite dividers in general, I have rounded up everything for you below.

It's time to put those dividers in their place once and for all!