How to Clean Out Drawers

Don't be a junk-drawer junkie. Clean your drawers at least once a year to help keep your home organized and clutter-free.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Portable Vacuums
• Marking Pens
• Trash Bags
• Trash Bags
• 3 shoeboxes

1. Obtain three shoeboxes and a garbage bag. Label one box "keep" and another box "store." Write today's date on the third box.

2. Remove items from the drawer one at a time.

3. Place items that are handy and should be kept nearby in the "keep" box.

4. Place items that are useful but can be kept elsewhere in the "store" box.

5. Place items that may or may not come in handy some day in the dated box.

6. Put any useless or duplicate items in the trash bag.

7. Use a portable vacuum cleaner to clean out any dust from the now-empty drawer.

8. Toss out the trash bag.

9. Place the items from the "keep" box back into the drawer in an organized and accessible manner.

10. Find places for the various items in the "store" box and store these items appropriately.

11. Place the dated box in a closet or other safe place. Over the course of the next three months, find appropriate places for anything you use from the dated box. At the end of three months, throw away anything from the box that you haven't used.

Tips & Warnings

• When cleaning out the drawer, you should be able to confidently throw away anything you haven't used in the past year. However, if something has sentimental value, don't feel obligated to throw it away. These things have their places in the home as well.

[mmorgan100]

on 11/26/2007 freecycle.org and other such organizations are great ways to get rid of things that still have a little life in them. Keeps things out of the landfills and you just might be able to help someone else out : )

on 8/8/2006 When cleaning out drawers you don't necessarily have to put everything back in the same drawer. Have one drawer be for socks, one for shirts, one for art supplies. This will give you a better advantage when you just can't find something.

Also, when storing items that are not of use, be careful to make sure that they are safe. For instance, glass can be broken, water can leak into unfinished basements.

on 11/22/2005 Don't just throw away everything you find in your junk drawers! Some people may find these things useful. As it is said, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Take objects still in fair condition to a Good Will or Salvation Army store or warehouse, so other people in your community can benefit from them. Chances are you bought these things for a reason. Donating usable items to second-hand stores will help reduce trash in landfills.

on 11/22/2005 I find a wooden cutlery holder (from Ikea) very useful in my dressing table drawer for holding things such as eyeliner and lip pencils, brushes, lipsticks and other small items.

on 11/22/2005 I've noticed a lot of people encouraging others to throw out old, unwanted and unused junk. Garbage is a major problem in the world today, so if you can't use something, clean it up and give it away to the local Salvation Army or Goodwill or have a garage sale. This is an especially good habit to get into if you have kids, who will undoubtedly follow your good (or bad) example.