The infamous junk drawer that none of us can live without - it too needs to be organized to make our kitchens more efficient. In the Housewares Forum, we agreed that it's ok to have one, some folks have more than one, and the contents we keep in them are quite similar.
Everything from sauce packets, to keys, twist ties and twine. Mine even has an electric knife and rolling pin. In fact, unless an item has a designated spot in the kitchen, this is the likely overflow corner. But keeping it organized and tidy makes it so much easier to see the contents, let alone, find what you're looking for.
Removal of Non-Kitchen Items
Depending on the size of your junk drawer, keeping items like curtain rod hardware, telephone wiring and plumbing parts may be contributing to drawer congestion and should be relocated to a miscellaneous hardware box away from the kitchen, leaving room for often-used articles.
Articles That Have Become Obsolete
Things that are broken beyond repair, batteries that you suspect are not good, and outdated sauce and food packets, should all be discarded.
Also discard items that you're not likely to ever use, like pencil stubs, birthday candle ends, and corks you've been saving for....well, you never know. There comes a time when a decision has to be made on the lifespan of these items and well, it might as well be during this drawer restructure.
We all seem to keep keys, even those that were from previous vehicles and homes, but we haven't figured out why we keep them. Take time to sort, discard, tag, mark and bag the active ones. You may want to hold unto the 'unmarked' ones for a few days, pondering may result in clues as to their origin.
Group & Organize
Elastic rubber bands are handy items to keep, but in the drawer they become tangled with whatever else gets close. A good spot for saving these is on the inside door knob of the broom closet - no tangle and easy to grab when you need one.
Small items like nails, tacs and pins should be put in small jars or empty medicine containers. This will reduce the risk of injury, and make them easy to find.
Crayons, markers and pens should be relocated in a small bin with other drawing and coloring supplies.
Tools like a small hammer, screwdriver set and measuring tape are definite keepers. In fact, every kitchen needs a basic tool kit, but 4 flat screwdrivers, may be a little bit much.
Drawer trays can help to organize the rest of the junk drawer items into groups for easy retrieval. Ensure the drawer contents are all clean and you're done. Now, doesn't that look better?
More Steps to an Organized Kitchen
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Everything from sauce packets, to keys, twist ties and twine. Mine even has an electric knife and rolling pin. In fact, unless an item has a designated spot in the kitchen, this is the likely overflow corner. But keeping it organized and tidy makes it so much easier to see the contents, let alone, find what you're looking for.
Removal of Non-Kitchen Items
Depending on the size of your junk drawer, keeping items like curtain rod hardware, telephone wiring and plumbing parts may be contributing to drawer congestion and should be relocated to a miscellaneous hardware box away from the kitchen, leaving room for often-used articles.
Articles That Have Become Obsolete
Things that are broken beyond repair, batteries that you suspect are not good, and outdated sauce and food packets, should all be discarded.
Also discard items that you're not likely to ever use, like pencil stubs, birthday candle ends, and corks you've been saving for....well, you never know. There comes a time when a decision has to be made on the lifespan of these items and well, it might as well be during this drawer restructure.
We all seem to keep keys, even those that were from previous vehicles and homes, but we haven't figured out why we keep them. Take time to sort, discard, tag, mark and bag the active ones. You may want to hold unto the 'unmarked' ones for a few days, pondering may result in clues as to their origin.
Group & Organize
Elastic rubber bands are handy items to keep, but in the drawer they become tangled with whatever else gets close. A good spot for saving these is on the inside door knob of the broom closet - no tangle and easy to grab when you need one.
Small items like nails, tacs and pins should be put in small jars or empty medicine containers. This will reduce the risk of injury, and make them easy to find.
Crayons, markers and pens should be relocated in a small bin with other drawing and coloring supplies.
Tools like a small hammer, screwdriver set and measuring tape are definite keepers. In fact, every kitchen needs a basic tool kit, but 4 flat screwdrivers, may be a little bit much.
Drawer trays can help to organize the rest of the junk drawer items into groups for easy retrieval. Ensure the drawer contents are all clean and you're done. Now, doesn't that look better?
More Steps to an Organized Kitchen
