Day 27 - Junk Drawer

I’m not suggesting you get rid of the junk drawer completely! I think it’s helpful to have a central place you keep the odds and ends that don’t need a drawer or cabinet all of their own. That being said if you really want your junk drawer to be helpful & serve a purpose it’s best to have a place for everything within the drawer. I recommend drawer dividers. You can purchase these most anywhere! Honestly, some of the best ones I’ve ever used are from the dollar tree! They don’t have to be fancy, just practical. 

Take a before picture!

1. Empty the drawer completely.

   • Lay it all out so you can thoroughly purge and eventually organize!

2. Purge.

   • Throw away trash.

   • Be VERY selective about what (if any) paper you keep in the drawer! This is the number one space clutterer. Read my blog on decluttering paper if you need tips on that.

   • Put things that belong in another area away now.

   • If you have too many of one particular item store them somewhere else or get rid of them all together.

     • Ask yourself, “How many pens, rubber bands, matches, paper clips, etc do I really need to keep in this drawer?” 

   • Get rid of items that are no longer important or useful for you.

3. Clean.

   • Wipe the drawer out & wipe the contents off before putting anything back!

4. Organize.

   • Group like things together.

   • This is where I suggest adding drawer dividers. I like to use individual dividers instead of dividers that take up the entire drawer. The individual ones make it more flexible and still allow you to use the space in the drawer for items that may be too big for a container or divider.

   • You can use a lot of things to hold the dividers in place if necessary. Personally, I like to use glue dots. They hold the dividers securely & come off of the drawer easily when you need to remove them.

5. Repeat for all other junk drawers in your home or office.

   • Combine contents into fewer drawers if possible!

6. Maintain.

   • This is difficult. It’s a junk drawer, right? It’s not necessarily supposed to be tidy. BUT it can be! You will have to make it a priority to periodically clean it out & organize the items!

Don’t forget an after picture! Share it in the comments on Facebook & Instagram, you might encourage someone else to do the same!