Sometimes one oversized junk drawer is harder to manage than two smaller drawers that each hold half the clutter. That’s why I decided to empty our double-wide junk drawer, which had become increasingly unruly, and redistribute its contents into some free drawers on the other side of the kitchen near the office. We’re fortunate to have more storage than we need in this kitchen, and moving these everyday office-type items closer to where we actually use them simply makes sense.
I find it easiest to take drawers out and set them on the floor so I can spread everything out and see what I own. From there I sort into “keep,” “store elsewhere,” and “donate/trash” piles. It’s a simple method that makes decisions faster and helps prevent the same unused items from taking up valuable space for years.
Here I am, going through the contents and deciding what should go where. Spreading things out lets you spot duplicates, expired items, and things you never use. It’s surprising how much hidden clutter can be revealed when you actually look through a drawer instead of shoving things back in.
Some practical junk drawer organization tips I use (I’m no professional organizer, just someone who likes a tidy home):
- If you haven’t used an item in six to twelve months, consider storing it out of the way or letting it go. Everyday drawers are for everyday items.
- Group like items together so you can grab everything you need at once, for example, keeping address lists, stamps, and a return-address stamp in the same place.
- Keep only the pens and pencils you actually use. Excess writing instruments clutter space and slow you down.
- Limit paper clips, rubber bands, and other tiny items to a reasonable quantity. Use small divided boxes or trays to keep them contained and easy to find.
- Avoid deep piles. Shallow, spread-out groupings make it easier to see what’s available without disturbing everything.
- Snacks help sustain momentum during organizing—an energy boost prevents the task from feeling like a slog.
These are the empty drawers we used, located right off the office in the kitchen corner. Moving office-related junk closer to where we work made sense and freed up the oversized drawer for less-used items.
The top drawer now holds envelopes and stamps on the right, our green address book and address stamp up front, and a brown divided box with pens, pencils, scissors, paper clips, binder rings, bandages, and other small essentials. Having dedicated spots for these items makes them quicker to find and easier to return when you’re done.
The second drawer became home to batteries, rubber bands, safety pins, markers, crayons, heavy-duty 3M Velcro (handy for keeping frames from being pulled down), checkbooks, and bank paper tubes for rolling change. Update: John preferred not to have our checkbooks visible on the internet, so those have since been relocated to a more secure spot.
Update: We’re babyproofing as Clara grows. She doesn’t open kitchen drawers yet and is always supervised in the kitchen, but as soon as she shows interest we’ll add babyproofing measures and share how that changes our drawer setup.
The third drawer now stores cloth napkins, table runners, and paper napkins—items that are bulkier but still used regularly and better kept tucked away than left loose in a large junk drawer.
At the bottom of the old junk drawer I found a permanent red ink stain from an old floppy disk—retro and random. It’s funny how small discoveries make the process entertaining.
Another odd note: my feet made it into several photos—about a third of them—so apparently I’m part of this post too. My favorite find was an old soccer button featuring a little-boy John. He was so cute back then—and still is now—and I can see a lot of Clara in that face. The eyeball cabinet knobs seem to be checking him out as well.
What I learned from this quick organization session:
- Organizing often takes less time than you expect. This whole project took less than thirty minutes once I committed to it and worked efficiently.
- Spending a half hour now can save time later—if you maintain the system, you’ll avoid wasting minutes hunting for small items each week.
- There’s genuine satisfaction in starting the day with a tidy drawer. Small wins like this can brighten an ordinary morning.
What small organizing tasks are you tackling lately? Clearing out a single drawer can be a surprisingly rewarding project. And if you stumble across floppy-disk-era relics or remember dial-up modem noises, you’re in good company—memories like that make organizing feel a little nostalgic and a lot more fun.