This may be a controversial statement, but hear me out: I don’t believe in junk drawers. Now, I know what you’re thinking, did I click on the wrong post? Aren’t we learning how to organize our trash drawers and not embarrass them? Well, no, you didn’t click wrong and yes, we will go into detail on how to organize the trash drawer in a moment. But before we do that, it’s important to dive in why I don’t believe in junk drawers.
My biggest problem with a trash drawer is the word “junk”. Definition: second hand or discarded item that is considered useless or of little value. Why are you taking up valuable space in kitchen, mud bathor office with items of small value? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that everything in your trash drawer needs to be of high quality or valuable. However, what it needs to do is serve a purpose.
When organizing any space from fridge for you wardrobe, each work needs to earn money. If you don’t wear those black pumps, give them. If you passed Quarantine-inspired baking phase, throw that sourdough starter away. Items in your trash drawer? Take the same approach. Each piece of “junk” needs to serve a purpose.
Featured image of Nicki Sebastian.
It’s time to break the habit of imitating everything
This is the second problem with a garbage drawer. We’ve been conditioned to simply throw items we don’t know what to do with in a trash drawer and think about them another day. This is how you end up with a drawer broken at the seams and never being able to find the battery you know you have or that matchbook when the power goes out. Just like other spaces in your home, your trash drawer should contain categories. It’s important to think about each item before you add something new to the drawer.
Changing the mindset of your trash drawer from being a master space for trash to a space for single-purpose sorted items is the first step in organizing your trash drawer. Once you let go of thinking about drawers as junk, you’ll be more likely to maintain the organization system we’ve laid out. Keep scrolling to see my step-by-step guide to organizing your trash drawer.
1. Take everything out
Has everything! I know just thinking about it can make most of us wince, but the first step to organizing your trash drawer is to empty it all out. New life motto? If Marie Kondo makes it a habit, you should probably incorporate it into your organizational routine as well.
2. Declutter
The next step is to declare the items you currently have in your trash drawer. In the beginning, this will be easy with things like taking out the trash. But don’t stop there! Write with each pen to make sure it works, test the battery, test the flashlight, etc. Think about what items you don’t need in your home and which items might be ready to donate.
3. Relocation
After you’ve sorted and shrunk the items in your trash drawer, you next have to determine if anything can be moved to another area of your home. Do you need to keep your screwdriver in the kitchen drawer or maybe in the garage? Need a ruler in your trash drawer or better yet in the kids’ work area?
4. Create a directory
Well, doesn’t it feel better already? Now that you’ve sorted and relocated the items, you’ll be left with pieces to return to your trash drawer. Take these items and create a category for the drawer — the scissor section, the tape section, and I know we all have the battery section.
5. Measure (and Add) Products
Once you have your categories, you’ll want to measure your drawers to organize your products. Some sort of bin or drawer organizer is essential for a trash drawer. Because this drawer often holds multiple categories, it’s important to create sections so that everything has a home and you don’t end up with a big mess again. Measure your drawers from side to side and back to front (don’t forget about depth) and then play a little Tetris with the matching compartments in your drawer and work through your categories. Friend.
6. Put everything back — But don’t forget the last touches
This is the step you’ll thank yourself for later. You will put everything in the drawer/category that you added. Then take it one step further. This step will be unique to your trash drawer but think about sharpening each pencil in the trash, finding the end of the tape and folding it, or refilling the lighter. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference, because now everything in your trash drawer is ready for immediate use.
Organize your trash drawer with the help of these hard-working products
This post was originally published on April 13, 2021 and has since been updated.
