de-junk your junk drawer

Did you know that 90% of people have a “junk drawer”? That’s a lot! So, I’m not going to tell you that you can’t have a junk drawer; however, I am going to recommend that you organize it a bit so that instead of a junk drawer, it can be called your HELP drawer.

Here are just a few simple steps to make this transition:

1. REMOVE EVERYTHING. Take everything out of the drawer and place it on top of your counter. If your junk drawer is removable, remove it from the track and turn it upside down onto your counter. You may want to lay a sheet of newspaper down first to help protect your countertop.
2. SORT. On your counter, begin categorizing each widget (i.e. thumbtacks in one pile, buttons in another, toothpicks in another, and so on.)
3. FIND DIVIDING TOOLS. Find something around the house that you can slip into your drawer to keep these categorized items separated, such as an ice cube tray, drawer dividers, small boxes, or 3 oz Dixie Cups. Organize these separators into your drawer.
4. CATEGORIZE INTO COMPARTMENTS. Finally, begin replacing the items you are going to keep, ensuring that each categorized item is in its own place.

You're done! Voila! One minute you have a junk drawer, and the next minute, you have a help drawer!

For more organizing tips, visit my website: www.andreadekker.com