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
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1
Obtain three shoeboxes and a garbage bag. Label one box "keep" and another box "store." Write today's date on the third box.
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2
Remove items from the drawer one at a time.
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3
Place items that are handy and should be kept nearby in the "keep" box.
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4
Place items that are useful but can be kept elsewhere in the "store" box.
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5
Place items that may or may not come in handy some day in the dated box.
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6
Put any useless or duplicate items in the trash bag.
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7
Use a portable vacuum cleaner to clean out any dust from the now-empty drawer.
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8
Toss out the trash bag.
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9
Place the items from the "keep" box back into the drawer in an organized and accessible manner.
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10
Find places for the various items in the "store" box and store these items appropriately.
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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.
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1
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.
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Comments
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Aug 08, 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. -
Nov 22, 2005
What a mood booster for a dreary January! A clean dresser drawer to look into and tell what's there.
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Nov 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.
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Nov 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.
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Nov 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.
