Raise your hand if you have a catch-all drawer in your house where items seem to multiply overnight. Do you spend too much time searching for little things, like that plastic battery tester you know you threw in the kitchen junk drawer last week? Do you grab a pen from the top of that mess only to find that it doesn't work, and you should've thrown it out months ago? Yep, we've been there too. Eventually, we all come to the point where we realize we've had enough, and it's time for us to declutter — but how?
Let us help you get started with some inexpensive organization tips to manage your junk drawer. It even works for your bathroom drawers too. There's no need for a professional organizer when you have these organization hacks. You might even be pleasantly surprised to find that it doesn't take as long and isn't as hard as you might think to achieve organized junk drawer nirvana — especially since they say we spend over six months of our life searching for lost things. Yikes! We hope that helping you organize your junk drawers will reduce the amount of life's precious minutes you spend looking for things.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
1. Empty and Clean the Drawer
The first step in decluttering is to completely empty your junk drawer. Take everything out, including all the little things, like paper clips, rubber bands, chargers, screwdrivers and office supplies. This way, you'll be able to see all the small items you had in your utility drawer. Once everything is out on your countertop and the junk drawer is bare, vacuum all the dust and dirt out of the drawer and then wipe it down with a damp cloth. If you'd like to keep things extra clean and add a pop of color and pattern to your drawer, you can place a fun drawer liner on the bottom.
2. Organize Similar Items
Next, put the similar items together and throw away anything that is broken, unusable or worn out. Keep in mind that a drawer is a small space and you might have to find a new home for some of the items you find.
3. Use Plastic Bins
Now, you're ready to place similar things into your storage holders of choice. Plastic storage bins are a good option, and you can find many plastic and acrylic drawer organizers on Amazon and Walmart.
4. Use Wooden Bins
If you're trying to reduce your plastic consumption, wooden drawer organizers are another good option for your home office or kitchen drawers. Simply fill them with similar items and insert them back into the drawer. This will help you keep things organized and easy to find for years to come.
5. Use Fabric Bins
For those of you who love to sew and want to DIY your drawer organizers, we have a tutorial on how to make your own colorful fabric storage boxes. Combine your love of sewing and organization. It's a win-win!
6. Use Ice Cube Trays
There are many items you might already have around the house that can be put to good use in your quest for junk drawer organization. For example, a plastic ice cube tray works well for keeping all those small items well organized. Paper clips, rubber bands, small batteries, safety pins, coins, keys and bobby pins can all live together peacefully in the same drawer when separated in an ice cube tray.
7. Use Cups and Bowls
If saving money and repurposing items you already have is important to you, grab a few unused cups and bowls from your cupboards to separate and organize your junk drawer.
8. Use Muffin Tins
A muffin tin is another wonderful drawer organizer that you might already have in your kitchen. A muffin tin organizes the small items lurking in the bottom of your junk drawer especially well.
9. Use Paper Cups
Look no further than your picnic basket for another idea to help organize your junk drawer. Paper cups work well for drawer dividers too. If your paper cups are too tall to fit in the drawer, they can easily be cut down to size and still fit those little things that seem to get out of control quickly.
10. Use Cardboard Boxes
If you enjoy a good DIY project, your drawer dividers can be made from various boxes that you might otherwise throw away. You can create your own cardboard box drawer organizers. This is another project that's good for Earth and keeps your junk from robbing you of your valuable time.
