4. junk drawer

Every home has one: the messy utility drawer. From extra sauce packets to napkins, lighters, plastic utensils, playing cards, gum, mints, extra pens and pencils to even the monthly internet bill you accidentally stashed, the junk drawer is full of surprises.

While it can get messy, random junk can easily be organized if you take the necessary steps. Let’s dive into tips for how to organize your junk drawer.

Junk drawers can be an amazing spot in your home. There’s nothing like that feeling of finding the thing you were looking for in the junk drawer, which is likely why they’re so popular! However, a messy junk drawer means it’s time to declutter. If you haven’t used that old charger in the past few years, there’s a good chance that you won’t need it in the future.

The best way to start organizing is to decide what belongs in a junk drawer and what does NOT belong in a junk drawer. While it sounds simple, the best practice is to start by taking everything out. Not only is this the first step in being the best junk drawer organizer, it will give you a fresh space to help determine what you choose to keep and what’s okay to toss out.

It’s important to think about the likelihood that you’ll use an item in the future. If you haven’t used it in a while and don’t foresee a use for it in the future, set it aside for tossing. Then, it’s time to organize the remaining items that you plan to keep in the drawer.

Once you’ve gone through everything, it’s time to organize. There are a few different ways that you can organize your junk. Here are some good junk drawer ideas and other alternatives.

Containers: One way to organize your junk drawer is with little containers that divide up the larger space inside the junk drawer. Each little space created can be filled with different items to help keep everything neatly in its’ place.

Drawer Organizer: There are special drawer organizers that can work with just about any size junk drawer. They are created in such a way that they expand or compact to fit perfectly, creating little sections of the drawer for all of your items.

Muffin Tin: Another idea for keeping your junk drawer organized is to use items like a muffin tin to keep your items separated to make it easier to go through everything.

Silverware Keeper: You may even have this item lying around after you replaced your old one. A silverware keeper can be a great junk drawer organizer. It has sections available for your different types of items, but it is also the right size since it’s meant to be stored in a kitchen drawer.

Scattered: Some people prefer to jumble everything into the drawer and keep items somewhat together, categorized by type. After going through and removing the old items that will never be used again.