How to Organize the Junk Drawer For Good
Whether you love them, or hate them, most everyone has at least one junk drawer within their home. Let me show you how to organize the junk drawer for good. It is a fast and easy project that can have a big impact!
How many of you are on an organizing and decluttering kick right now? *Raises both hands*
What is it about the start of a new year that prompts so many of us to get organized?
I consider myself a fairly organized person, in general, and I find myself frequently cleaning out drawers/cabinets/closets/etc., in an effort to keep our home somewhat organized. One area that often gets overlooked when it comes to organizing, though, is the junk drawer.
I actually organized our junk drawer a few years ago. It was one of my first ever blog posts that you can check out here. 😆 I had a small wooden organizer that worked well for our junk drawer at that time. We moved to a new house about 1.5 years ago, though, and my little wooden organizer has proven to be too small for our new junk drawer.
Over the past year, the junk drawer has become quite “junky” once again, and I was determined to get it organized for good.
It is an easy project that only took me about 20 minutes, and I have a lot of confidence that we will be able to keep it organized for the long haul now.
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How to Organize the Junk Drawer For Good
Supplies Needed:
- Organizing Containers
- Willingness to let go of junk
Step 1 – Measure Your Space
So, here is where we started.
You can just barely see my little organizer buried under all of the stuff. Ha! Not so helpful anymore…
The first thing you will want to do is measure your drawer space. You want to be sure to get three measurements – width, depth, and height. All three of these will be important when looking for supplies.
I ended up purchasing a couple of sets of plastic bins of various sizes. Make sure you check the height of the containers you are purchasing. You want to make sure that the drawer will close with the bins inside!
I have actually been using a few of the containers on the left to help organize some drawers that are full of my daughter’s art supplies. They have worked really well (for months now, I might add) to keep the art supplies *mostly* neat and organized. So, I am confident they will work just as well for the junk drawer.
Step 2 – Take Everything Out
The next step is to take everything out of the drawer. You will likely be shocked by a) how much actually fits into a single drawer, and b) some of the things you may unearth.
Lay everything out where you can see it. I also took the opportunity to wipe down the drawer while it was empty.
Then, you will want to start sorting. First, throw away any trash. Next, put away any items that may have been tossed in the junk drawer that actually have a designated spot somewhere else in the house. Finally, redistribute any items that may work better in a different area of the house.
At this point, what is left should be items that you use with some frequency or that you want to keep handy.
Step 3 – Arrange the Containers
Next, you want to come up with the best arrangement based on the containers you bought.
I knew that not all of the containers I bought would fit into the junk drawer. But I figured that I could just put any extra containers to good use in other drawers. This actually worked out for me better than I anticipated…
Confession – I have more than one junk drawer in my kitchen.
When I began messing with the arrangement of the containers, I realized that I might be able to use the extra containers in the adjacent drawer.
I have never really considered the other drawer a “junk drawer,” as it really only has a few very specific types of items in it. BUT, it clearly could benefit from some organization.
Step 4 – Fill the Containers with Like Items
Once you have found an arrangement for your containers that you are happy with, the final step is to fill up those containers and admire your newly organized drawer(s).
I try to put like items within each bin and don’t overload the containers. Some containers may end up with a mix of items, which is fine, as long as they are not overloaded. This is an important part of keeping your drawer organized. Less stuff = better organization.
Step 5 – Maintenance
Finally, if you truly want to keep your drawer(s) organized for good, regular maintenance is key. Every few months, go through your drawer using a similar process. You don’t need to pull everything out, but be sure to throw away trash, move items that have been misplaced, and relocate items that will be more useful elsewhere.
See how easy it is to organize the junk drawer! Plus, it’s so much more functional now.
How about you? Do you have a junk drawer? Or 2, or 3….?
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I really need to sport my junk drawer out. May have to do it this weekend.
You should! It’s so easy, yet so satisfying. 🙂