7 Steps to the Junk Drawer of Your Dreams

Everyone has a junk drawer (or maybe more than one!)  and most are filled with, well, junk!  Maybe we should rename it a 'miscellaneous drawer' to remind us that this drawer doesn't have to be a cluttered mess.  I'm in the midst of a kitchen remodel (read more about that here) so I had a great opportunity to rethink my junk drawer.  In my previous cabinets, I actually had about 4 junk drawers, and though they looked fairly organized, there was just too much stuff!  I consolidated everything into one large drawer and curated the contents to be only the items that didn't already have a home elsewhere.  

Get Your Own Dream Junk Drawer

1. Empty junk drawers completely
Even if you will reuse the same drawer, it is still helpful to completely empty it.  This gives you a concrete idea of how much stuff you actually have, allows you to clean the drawer and drawer organizers, and gives you a blank slate to work with.  If you are lucky enough to have a brand new drawer, empty the old one before putting anything in the new one so you have really considered the necessity of each item.

2. Get rid of what you haven't used in the past 3 months
​Maybe last time you went through your junk drawer, you were really into gum, but since you've settled on hard candy.  It's ok to throw away your gum if you're never going to chew it!  I keep small packages of tissues in this drawer, but whenever I pull out a package, I never choose one that isn't full, so I ended up with about 6 partial packages taking up precious drawer space.  Instead of throwing these away, I took them all and put them in my car's console so they will get used up.

3. Relocate items that have a home elsewhere
I had two containers of toothpicks in my junk drawer, but I moved them to my kitchen cabinets where I stored the other box of toothpicks I'd recently bought because I'd forgotten there were some in my junk drawer!  I also moved tea lights and votive candles to the drawer near my wax warmer where I keep all my scented waxes.    I moved some small tools to my tool box and masking tape to my laundry room cabinet where I keep packing tape.  

4. Group like items together
I used to have one container for rubber bands, paperclips, and twistie ties.  I could never find a paperclip when I wanted one because they were hidden among all of the other items.  I've now separated these things into two separate containers so now it's much easier to find what I want when I want it!

5. Get creative with drawer organizers
You can use pretty much anything for drawer organizers - products specifically for organizing drawers can be found at most stores, but you could also use dollar store plastic containers, small tins, small cardboard boxes, etc.  Remember that size is key, you want enough room in each compartment for what you want to store there, but not too much space causing you to waste precious junk drawer real estate! I found some inexpensive drawer organizers at TJ Maxx, but they didn't have any very small compartments, so I nested some smaller organizers right inside, and viola, I had just what I needed.  

6. ​Put lesser used items in the back
Organize your drawers by function, and store what you use the most at the front. For me that's pens and pencils, scissors and tape, gum and tissues.  I need batteries and touch up paint much less often, so they are stored in the back of my drawer. 
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7. Make a shopping list for must have junk drawer items
After you go through your junk drawer, you may realize you're low on chap stick, missing a compact flashlight or could really use a new Sharpie marker.  Keep a running list as you are cleaning and organizing your drawer so you don't forget next time you're at the store.