As someone who tests cleaning and organizing products for a living, I’m surprisingly averse to buying items that claim to be the thing that will fix storage woes once and for all.
I’m very skeptical about the overconsumption that’s running rampant in the organizing world (see: decorating the inside of your fridge), so it takes a lot for me to even get to the point where a product is sitting in my cart, nevermind me actually double-clicking to Apple Pay (easy as it is).
That’s because it’s exceedingly rare when a hunk of plastic that promises to change my life actually does change my life.
Example: Several years ago, it seemed like everyone on social media was decanting all of their dry goods into aesthetic containers, and I’ll admit, I joined in. I marched over to TJ Maxx and returned home with an armful of mismatched jars and containers, excited to transfer my flour and pasta into their chic new homes.
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t helpful at all. Instead of a beautifully curated selection of dry goods in my cabinets, I ended up with a stash of almost-empty packages of grains, cereals, and what have you. And instead of a newly efficient kitchen, I was just frustrated with myself for my impulse purchasing.
Given my jaded history, I was skeptical that the Vtopmart 4 Pack Large Stackable Storage Drawers would indeed improve my day-to-day, but I’m pleased (and slightly bashful) to report that they really do tame the chaos under my bathroom sink.
Staff pick
These sturdy, stackable drawers actually live up to the hype by fitting full-size hair products, a jumbo box of tampons, or a full set of hair rollers in each drawer.
These drawers came to me like so many other items do these days: by way of my TikTok algorithm.
Much like my sensibilities on organizing products as a whole, I treat the TikTok algorithm with a “if you give a mouse a cookie” approach. Not only am I wary of random influencers hawking mass-produced wares, but I’m also hypervigilant about the targeted ads I see and how my browsing habits contribute to what I’m served up on a silver platter.
Despite these efforts, I was, admittedly, seduced by the videos of these clear stacking drawers that kept popping up on my feed. The real selling (and turning) point for me was when one influencer showed that the drawers could accommodate full-size bottles of hairspray. Okay, fine—I’ll bite!
I ordered a set of four 12-by-7.5-by-7-inch drawers in hopes they’d corral the clutter under my bathroom sink that was quickly becoming untenable. A mess of hair appliances (and their cords), rolls of spare toilet paper, a host of bathroom cleaning supplies, and plenty of other beauty products were precariously stacked and frequently falling out onto my feet—I’d been putting off a reorg for too long.
So when these drawers arrived in the mail, I got right to work assembling them. They were very straightforward to piece together—so much so that I didn’t even look at the instructions packet. Each drawer is self-contained, meaning you can stack them on top of each other or they can exist separately, as they each have a base and a lid. They also have small cutout handles to open and close and silicone feet that keep them from sliding off each other or whatever surface they’re on.
I was particularly drawn to the modularity of these drawers because it’s difficult to organize around the pipes under my bathroom sink. I wanted to make use of the unorthodox vertical space around the pipes, as well as be able to change up the organizational system if my needs changed (read: acquired another hair tool). I ended up with three drawers on the right-hand side, keeping all manner of everyday products handy, and one drawer on the left.
Since the drawers don’t actually clip onto one another and instead just rely on their silicone feet to stay stacked, I wasn’t sure how sturdy they’d be, but after a few months of daily use, they’ve stayed put.
Another benefit: They’re clear. In the past, I’ve actually avoided clear bins because I would rather squirrel stuff away and not have to see the mess inside, but that often just leads to more disorder.
Even though the drawers aren’t always pretty, they also prevent me from buying multiples of items I actually have a backstock of, like cotton rounds or toothpaste, because I don’t have to go digging for something to know whether or not we have it—it’s right there in my face.
Before these drawers arrived, I was working with a hodgepodge of bins and baskets, none of which actually encouraged me to stay organized, and I justified their insufficiency because, as aforementioned, I’m not one to spring for organizing products unless they’re truly necessary.
But as it stands, these four drawers hold quite a bit of clutter that was previously tormenting me. A torn-open box of tampons is now artfully lined up inside a drawer, the velcro rollers that were tumbling around in a bag now have a dedicated home, and my various hair products are stashed and easily accessible. And because they’re stackable drawers—as opposed to stackable bins—you can easily access things on top or below without disturbing a Jenga-like stack of bins threatening to fall at any moment.
My main critique is that these drawers are made from acrylic (a plastic material), and although plastic surely has a place in our world, I do try and avoid bringing superfluous bits of it into my home. But could these drawers be made out of glass? Probably not. And they could be manufactured with bamboo or some other type of wood, but that would defeat the purpose of actually seeing what you have while also keeping the clutter at bay.
So after years of my stubborn, self-inflicted ban on purchasing organizing products, these simple little drawers have softened my hardened heart by successfully taming three years of under-sink disarray. I’m even considering buying another set of four for under my kitchen sink … who would have thought?
This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Catherine Kast.
