Junk Drawer Organization For Good

Struggling with your junk drawer organization? Learn how to tidy it up and keep it organized with these simple steps.

Organizing my junk drawer for good is something that I seem to struggle with within my home. Let’s be honest, everyone has a junk drawer, even if they don’t want to admit it!

junk drawer organization tips

It’s that no-holds-barred place in a home for anything that will fit. You can often find it in the command central of most houses; the kitchen.
This is our kitchen and I’ve been doing lots of cleaning and organizing the last couple of days.

 

After reading this Marie Kondo interview, where she gives a bit more insight into her ‘tidying’ philosophy, I felt even more inspired to keep organizing.
So, today it was time to tackle the cabinets and drawers!

It seems that everything that doesn’t have a place in the rest of the house ends up in the junk drawer. We affectionately call it “the drunk drawer” since it looks like someone was slightly off tossing everything in 😉

The result is a messy drawer overflowing with clutter. The good news is, you don’t have to lose the battle of the junk drawer!
There are ways to get this space under control that you might not have thought of.
Here are some tips on how to get that junk drawer organization done for good so that you can make the most of this space!

Junk Drawer Organization – Tips for an Organized and Clutter-Free Junk Drawer!

 

1. Empty Your Junk Drawer Completely First

First things, first! Empty the drawer out entirely so you can get an idea of how much space you have to work with. This step also allows you to see everything in the drawer and evaluate what you need and don’t need. So grab a bag, and dump that drawer out!

organize the kitchen junk drawer

2. Measure the Drawer’s Dimensions

When is the last time you measured the junk drawer? Take measurements of the width, length, and depth, and see how much space you have to work with. This information will come in handy when you buy organizational baskets and inserts.

measure kitchen drawers to organize

3. Find The Right Inserts

Now that you know the measurements find inserts to fit.
These inserts are perfect for keeping all those small items organized. They are great for pens, pencils, office supplies, chargers, and all the other small objects that tend to end up in this drawer.
I did double duty in my kitchen, utilizing some small older plastic food containers that I was going to toss.

 

kitchen junk drawer

4. My Junk Drawer Golden Rule to Keep it Clutter-free

Throw out anything you haven’t used in 60 days.
If you haven’t used it, trash it.
Don’t hang onto something and add to the clutter because you think you might use it. Instead, stick to the rule that if you haven’t used it in 60 days, you don’t need it. This should help clear away a good deal of items taking up precious space. Then give it a good cleaning.
My junk drawer looks pretty disgusting, but most of it is the scratches to the MDF board that I used inside.
To fix this issue, I used some Simple Green and paper towels and it came out looking good.

simple green to clean drawers

5. Store It Elsewhere

Hair ties, makeup, jewelry, and other accessories that have a home should not be in the junk drawer.
Remove all of these items and find them a proper home.

Does your significant other have a drawer of his own? This is my husband’s drawer and never the two shall mix! His drawer is neatly organized with plastic bins in another area of the kitchen close to the back door, so he can grab and go.

mans junk drawer

6. Keep Checking Weekly

Spend 20 minutes a week checking the drawer and cleaning out unnecessary items.
Winning the war of the clutter is a marathon, not a sprint. Spend a few minutes each week checking on the drawer and removing any items that don’t belong in it.

7. Establish Clear Rules

Make sure that your spouse and children know that the junk drawer is a group effort. Encourage them to help out in maintaining it and be mindful of how they use it. This will help avoid the clutter from creeping back in.

 

And if you’re looking for more ideas on how to organize and declutter your home, don’t forget to check this post about the Do’s and Dont’s of the KonMarie method.

Are you ready to say conquer junk drawer organization? Then try these tips on how to get rid of the junk drawer for good, and reclaim your drawer space once and for all. Your beautiful kitchen will love you for it!

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pinterest graphics with text organize your junk drawer tips

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13 Comments

  1. I have a junk kitchen utensil drawer. Seriously, why do I have a melon baller? I have had that thing 15 years. Never made melon balls. Think I’ll use the same idea and tackle that today.

    1. I actually use a melon baller, so send it to me…LOL! I certainly have gotten rid of a ton of other stuff though ;-))

    2. I use mine to fill deviled eggs!

  2. Great ideas, Janet! Pinned to my Perfect Storage board for you and my followers. 🙂 Always looking for good storage solutions ~ especially here in our tiny home. <3

    Have a great day!
    Barb <3

  3. Linda of No.Cal. says:

    I did it I did it x2 !! LoL I did this a day or two after the j.d. POST.
    I ‘tackled’ the junk drawerS !! NOW there is one.
    There was a j.d. in the kitchen and one in the utility room. WHY ???
    I didn’t measure the ONE j.d. I was going to keep… located in the utility room but I did follow all the other GREAT steps. I was snickering while emptying-cleaning. There were many many useless lil’ ‘things’ in them that I ‘might’ someday NEED. NOT !! I
    WE now have an extra utensil drawer in the kitchen. For those tools occasionally used AND room for a tape dispenser and h.h. scissors.? T.Y.

  4. We’ve always had a junk drawer and I assumed everyone had one. But once at a friends house I was helping in the kitchen to cook dinner and opened a drawer to find silverware. I quickly shut it and said, oh I must have found your junk drawer! Her teenage daughter then said, they’re all junk drawers and then proceeded to open one after another to show me. I was mortified and felt really bad, but I’ll tell you, I never saw such a mess in my life. I felt even worse at how rude the daughter was to her own mother. I’ve always been organized (Catholic school) but realize now that many people are much more comfortable with chaos than I am!

    1. Too funny looking back at some of these moments Margo! As we have a general contracting remodeling firm I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of chaos that we see in client’s daily lives. Enjoy your weekend!

  5. Useful post so thank you. Sad to say that I have a junk drawer that has not been cleaned out for years. I do not even remember what is in there so I like the 6 month suggestion. Love the idea of reuse/repurpose of the plastic food containers.

    1. Sounds like it might be time to get to it then Carolina and I’m glad that you found this helpful!

  6. I no longer have a junk drawer. I moved and downsized from 4000 sq feet to 1058 sq feet last May and have been organizing ever since. (I also had two huge 3-day yard sales before moving which helped.) This 2-bedroom, 2 bath apartment is just perfect, probably because I have an extended garage, which enabled me to have storage shelving along the length of the garage wall as well as a SMALL studio at the end to house All my crafting supplies. I tend to be pretty organized and am thrilled to be able to find an item when I want it. My motto is that everything should have a home. I will continue to downsize by saving my “treasures”, of which I have many. That seems to be a natural process as some things lessen in emotional value and I am able to release them.. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the process and love that many of the treasure I have saved over the years are now being used again….old friends. I have no problem selling things/donating as I downsize and being more settled. Thanks for the post.

    1. I so agree that everything should have a home!

  7. Reading Eileen’s comment reminded me of the old Good Housing Keeping rule “A PLACE FOR EVERY THING AND EVERYTHING IN IT’S PLACE”

    1. Indeed…a good way to feel great about one’s surroundings