Organizing your junk drawer can be quick, easy, and done on a dime. It’s easy to fall into a rut with cleaning and organization. And in hopes of keeping up with all the chaos, we toss those odds and ends into a drawer to be left out of sight.
That is until the next time we need a pencil.
After a while, that drawer becomes an unhappy reminder each time we open it.
So let’s get that drawer under control. You still want those items, but we need them out of sight and easy to find. Follow these easy 5 steps to organize your junk drawer fast and cheap.
1) Declutter Your Junk Drawer
Empty everything out of the drawer. It’s best to start with a clean slate. Vacuum any wayward crumbs and disinfect the bottom of the drawer so you have a fresh start to work with.
Think about what items you can toss or recycle. These things aren’t likely to “spark joy” for you in the first place, but you certainly know if you haven’t used it in a year then it can go.
Rehome items that may not need to be in a junk drawer in the first place like appliance manuals and other items you don’t need to access regularly.
2) Sort Your Junk Drawer Items
Place the items in like piles. You’ll begin seeing a pattern to your particular junk. Try to find additional items that may not need to be housed in your junk drawer.
There isn’t a perfect list for junk drawer items because everyone has his or her own set of needs. But here is my working list of items I keep in our kitchen junk drawer that may help you focus your items.
Kitchen Junk Drawer
- Pens
- Pencils
- Erasers
- Sharpie
- Tape
- Scissors
- Rubber bands
- Flower food
- Twist Ties
- Paperclips
- Box Tops
- Birthday Candles
3) Find Storage Solutions on the Cheap
Be sure to measure the width, depth, and height of your drawer before heading out to the store to buy storage containers. There is no need to spend more than a dollar on each container. You could purchase fancy dividers, but it is a junk drawer after all.
I like to find organizational bins at the Dollar Tree. They have some really great plastic tubs with rubber bottoms and rubber feet so they don’t slide in the drawer.
For a dollar!
Also to get more bang for your buck, consider using utensil dividers. They fill more drawer space but have multiple sections per unit.
Pro tip: Use poster putty on the bottom of plastic tubs that don’t have rubber feet to prevent them from sliding in the drawer.
4) Arrange Your Items
Now that you have the storage tubs organized to fit in your drawer place your piles of items away. Yes, it’s still a junk drawer of a variety of items, but you should be able to easily see and access everything.
Use snack-sized baggies to keep small items together. This is perfect for twist ties, Box Tops, and more little item you may want to keep in the same box but separate.
Everything should have a place.
What you don’t want is the need to riffle through the items, sending them into disarray, when you need something.
5) Keep It Organized
You should have been able to do this process in about twenty minutes unless you have a hard time letting things go. But even easier is keeping your junk drawer clean. Now that everything has a place all you need to do is make sure items find their home.
About once a month make sure you edit your junk drawer. Delete extra items if the tubs begin to overflow or become difficult to find things in.
Another great time to remind yourself to do drawer organizing is spring-cleaning. It’s the perfect time to take your items out, reevaluate their usefulness, and wipe down the plastic tubs. But the more often you upkeep your junk drawer the faster cleaning it will be.
Wasn’t That Fast and Cheap?
Organizing can be fast and cheap if you tackle it one drawer at a time. I get that everyone loves KonMari, but if you don’t think you have that kind of time or energy into revamping your entire house organizing your junk drawer is that one step closer to a more organized life.
If you would like more tips to quickly cleaning your home check out my article on 5 Easy Tips to Quick Clean Your House.
You’ve got this mamma!