A Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Tidy, Accessible, Do-It-Yourself Way to Organize Screwdrivers

I don't generally post a lot of home improvement or Do-It-Yourself or crafty Pinterest sort of stuff. Well, that changes tonight! You see, I've been doing a lot of work around our house lately and I can never find a screwdriver. Ever. I have roughly 800 of the little buggers, but the one I need--no matter which one I need--is always buried somewhere deep in my toolbox or has been left elsewhere. 

Tonight, after hunting for a very specific screwdriver and not finding it and trying various objects as substitutes (with no success whatsoever) I decided to figure out a way to organize them.

My criteria were:
1) I didn't want to spend any money.
2) I wanted to use something I had on hand. 
3) I wanted to see all the options, different sizes, etc. 
4) I wanted to make it easy so when I'm in the middle of something and tell my kids, "Go get me a Phillips screwdriver," they can find it easily. 
5) I also wanted it neat and orderly and confined to one space. 

So, after a little thinking here's what I did. 

I got three plastic cups (left over from a Christmas party, so they are bright red) and stacked them on each other. 

Step 1: Heat the tips of the screwdrivers, one at a time. I kept my regular and Phillips in different piles. Start with the biggest one. Depending on the size, it took between 20-50 seconds. Note: Heat the whole blade, not just the tip. If it is a wedge-shape, make sure to heat the edges where it flares out. 

As a bonus, all the heating means I have the most germ-free screwdrivers in Tennessee. 

Step 2: While the metal is hot, push it down through the plastic. Important: Pull it out quickly, wait a second or two, then push it back in again. Otherwise, the melted plastic will congeal around the metal shank, forming a surprisingly strong bond. 

       

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Step 3: Repeat in descending size order. Put the bigger ones in the middle for ballast, then move outward, keeping it as symmetrical as possible to create balance. 

I used clear for Phillips head and red for regular. 

I'm very happy with the way this turned out. I have them sitting on a shelf in our utility room. They are out of the way, but within easy reach. I spent no money, got to play with fire, and they are neat and organized--and very simple for my kids to find!