Organizing Junk Drawer

The Junk Drawer Holds Everything But Junk

 

Frankly, my junk drawer is insulted!

I did not mean to insult it, but apparently I have.  Perhaps that is why, over the years, it has lost this little part or that little bit that I so desperately needed.

Looking in the dictionary, I find that junk is a traditional Chinese seagoing vessel.  That is true but I don’t think that is what I meant.  However, I have seen some junk drawers, perhaps just like yours, which could hold everything, including a Chinese ship.  Junk, according to the dictionary, is any old discarded material or anything that is worthless, meaningless or contemptible.  No wonder my junk drawer is insulted.  Any junk drawer worth its weight is stuffed with valuables.

People might wonder why in the world would a professional organizer advocates keeping a junk drawer.  Without a junk drawer, how do you find a twist-tie to close the bread wrapper, a battery for the remote or a pen for a message? Without the drawer, how do you find the phone book, a magnet to hang art work on the fridge or one more birthday candle to make the right number on the cake?

Let us rename it the Necessary Drawer.  It is surely necessary to have one in every household. Who does not need a glue stick, scissors, a lighter, an ink pen, several pennies, and a Phillips head screw?  In other words, a junk drawer holds everything but junk.

Organizing Junk Drawer
Junk Drawer Before

 

Organizing Junk Drawer
Junk Drawer After

To tidy up your necessary drawer, you really do need to remove the worthless junk.  Remove everything from the drawer and give it a good cleaning.  Sort out the items that were in the drawer by deciding if you need it or use it.  If you do not need it or use it, out it goes.

You can make it easier to find items in your junk drawer by using a junk drawer organizer.  Just search on line under the key words “junk drawer organizer.”  Or, you can purchase a variety of small square and rectangle baskets at a dollar-type store.

You might wonder why bother with sorting out a bunch of junk.  Remember, it is actually a bunch of necessities. Sorting the necessary items – from batteries to spare keys to stamps- into the small baskets or drawer dividers will keep them from shuffling together like a deck of cards each time the drawer is opening and closed.  Organizing should make your life simpler, even when it involves the junk drawer.

I do not know what’s in your junk drawer but here are some ideas of great things to have on hand in the kitchen:

Scissors
Tape
Glue stick
Paperclips
Spare keys
Stamps
Pens
Notepad
Phonebook
Take-out menus
Tape measure
Rubber bands
Calculator
Flashlight
Holder for loose change
Lighter
Screwdriver
Batteries
A compartment for small parts and mysterious pieces of things
And a place to keep coupon


 

Lea SchneiderAuthor Lea Schneider, a columnist for What’s Cooking America, is a freelance writer and organizational expert whose organizing ideas have been published in many magazines including Woman’s Day, Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen and Bath Ideas, Family Circle, Parents Magazine, as well as numerous newspapers and websites.  She is a member of the Association of Food Journalists.

Getting organized is all about living simpler and making things easier.  The bonus is it often leads to saving money.  Lea Schneider’s kitchen organizing columns tell you how to organize the many things that relate to kitchens, menus, meals, and special food events.

Check out all of Lea Schneider’s helpful home and kitchen columns at Organizing Kitchens, Pantries, Menus and Meals.

 

 

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Kitchen Organization   

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