How to Get Rid of Your Junk Drawer

Member

By Jami Delgado
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(14 Ratings)

Junk Drawer out of control?

Admit it. You have, at least, one. A junk drawer is a catch-all place where anything you don't feel like putting in it's proper place, or you have not given a proper place goes. It serves no purpose except to give you a headache every time you have to dig through it to see if the item you're looking for ended up in there. Some people advocate organizing a junk drawer, but that doesn't really help as there will ALWAYS be things you're too lazy to put away, which will end up in there anyway, or you just haven't given a place for. The proper way to deal with a junk drawer habit is to get rid of it all together. Here's how to start!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Three boxes: label one of them as "Put away," another as "Throw away," and the last one "Give away"

Step 1

Go through the junk drawer and separate everything into the three categories. "Put away" is for items you cannot part with or otherwise need. You will have to make a designated place for them. "Throw away" is for things you haven't used in a while, can't identify what it is for, or other useless junk. If you're just not sure...throw it away. "Give away" is reserved for things you don't really need or desire anymore (obviously they've been in the drawer all this time), but you feel like someone else could benefit from. These include knick knacks, stationary, tools, etc.
Step 2

Throw away everything in your "Throw away" box. Then, take the time NOW to put all of the things in the "Put Away" box away. Don't let the box become your new junk drawer. If you're not sure where to put something, think of a logical place for that item and organize as necessary. Take the "Give Away" box and put it in your car to take to the charity of your choice.
Step 3

Now is the fun part! Clean any dirt or dust out of your junk drawer and then decide what should be stored there. If you designate something specific to store there, you are less likely to turn it into a junk drawer again. Some ideas (since drawers are often in the kitchen/dining area) are: kitchen linens, pastry decorating items, special utensils, scrap-booking supplies, or candles and/or holders. The options are endless. Think of something that could use it's own place that you are crowding in somewhere else. Now enjoy your new drawer!