How to Organize Your Junk Drawer

Reclaim valuable storage space with our four easy steps to cleaning out your junk drawer.

We all have one in our kitchen. The dreaded junk drawer. The place where mysterious keys, old coupons, and knickknacks go to never be seen again.

When you don’t know where something goes, it’s easy—just throw it in the junk drawer. When you have guests coming over and you need to quickly clean off your counters, you store everything in the junk drawer.

It’s time to get organized and take back that valuable kitchen space. By following these four simple steps from Blain’s Farm & Fleet, you can turn your junk drawer into a usable space once again.

1. Empty Your Junk Drawer

Before you even begin organizing, it’s best to empty the entire drawer. Lay all the items out on your counter or table. This way, you can see everything that’s in the drawer.

Start by throwing away garbage, such as expired coupons or grocery receipts. If there is anything old with your credit card number or personal information on it, put those things in a pile to be shredded.

While your drawer is empty, give it a good cleaning. We suggest using a paper towel or cloth and all-purpose cleaner to disinfect the drawer, and get rid of any dust or crumbs.

2. Sort Through Everything

Once you’ve thrown away any garbage, it’s time to start sorting through what’s left. Put similar items in piles together. Here are some categories you could sort them by, depending on what’s in your junk drawer:

• Tools (nails, tape measures, screwdrivers, etc.)
• Office supplies (scissors, paper clips, pens, pencils, etc.)
• Electronic accessories (batteries, headphones, chargers, etc.)
• Personal care items (lip balms, hair ties, lint rollers, etc.)
• Other household items (lighters/matches, can coolers, chip clips, etc.)

As you’re going through everything, see what actually belongs in other areas of the house. Any loose screws or nails should go in a tool box or a garage storage area. Many personal care items should go in the bathroom.

Sorting items by room makes it easy to put things away once your junk drawer is organized.

3. Organize and Store Everything

The easiest way to keep your junk drawer organized is by using some sort of drawer dividers or storage containers.

There are plenty of ways to do this. One of the easiest ways to organize small items, such as push pins or buttons, is to use an ice cube tray. There are also drawer organizers with dividers that you can buy.

It all comes down to what you’re storing and which way will be the easiest to stay organized. Just make sure to measure your junk drawer before buying new organizers. You don’t want to get ones that don’t fit in your drawer.

4. Keep Your Junk Drawer Organized

It may seem like a no-brainer, but continuing to stay organized is the key to keeping your junk drawer clutter-free. Schedule a time when you can regularly clean out your junk drawer. It could be once a week, every month, or whenever.

An easy way to remember is to schedule your cleaning time with your other household chores. Stay on top of your cleaning schedule, use the drawer organizers, and reclaim your kitchen drawers.

For more tips and how-tos like these, check out our Cleaning Blog.