No matter how long you’ve been on the decluttering journey, there’s one area that we all struggle with—the junk drawer. Read on to find out how to clean out your junk drawer, and keep it clutter-free from now on.
Everyone’s got a junk drawer. It’s like a right of adulthood. When we move our stuff into our first home, within days we have selected a place that will become the catch-all for everything that is important and/or homeless.
Some of us don’t even wait for our first home. I can remember tucking an actual drawer under my childhood bed, which held all of my treasures. I’m not sure where it came from (there’s a dresser out there somewhere with a piece missing), but it was a constant in my life for as long as I can remember.
And maybe that’s why the junk drawer, in one form or another, has followed me ever since. It’s always been there, in every place I’ve ever lived. The dorm rooms. The apartments. Our houses.
Junk drawers are ubiquitous. I’d be willing to bet we all have one. So, with something so deeply ingrained in our homes and habits, how do we eradicate it? Or at least empty it?
The purpose of the junk drawer
Why do we have these spaces in the first place?
I think there are basically two answers for this question. The first is that our junk drawers hold all the things that we need often, but don’t have a specific place for. The utilitarian scissors, the pen we need for quick notes, a Phillips-head screwdriver.
The other answer is that we need a place for all the things that we find, keep, but have no home for. The random button, the battery that may or may not still work, the half-empty pad of post-its.
The junk drawer becomes a holding cell for everything that we need and don’t want to have out of reach. It’s random bits and pieces that we can’t put away, but can’t part with either.
No matter how clean and organized out homes are, the junk drawer is a haven of clutter. The last bastion of mess. And so it can be hard to get rid of.
Why you need to let go of your junk drawer
If you’ve been working toward a more clutter-free home, your junk drawer is holding you back. Like a weekly donut run while you’re on a diet, it undermines your efforts and your goals.
I know it seems like a small thing, but every time you drop some random item into that drawer, it shackles you to the way you used to organize your house. The way you used to keep things that weren’t needed. The way you used to put things down instead of putting them away.
Once you empty out your junk drawer, you’ll feel freer and more satisfied. You’ll be proud that you gave up something that most homes have. And you’ll feel like you’ve made big strides, despite the relatively small size of that drawer, toward your end goal.
How to clean out your junk drawer
Start this process by taking an inventory of what’s in your junk drawer. Is it useful stuff? Random stuff? Both?
Once you know what’s in there, begin putting things in their proper places. Stationary with stationary. Buttons with sewing stuff. Tools with tools.
What you may find is that some items were in there for convenience, so you could just grab them and go. Consider if maybe those types of household items need to be moved en masse to a closer location than where they currently sit.
Instead of having a random screwdriver sitting in a drawer, maybe you need your tool box under the sink to handle all small repair jobs. Maybe tucking your sewing stuff in the spare bedroom makes it too hard to get to. So, move it into the first floor laundry room for easier access, especially if you do most of your mending on the living room couch at night.
Once you’ve put away the useful things, take a look at what’s left. The question-mark battery—do you want to toss it or test it? The post-its—will you finish them or do you already have a new pad you’re using?
We hold onto clutter because we can’t let go and because we worry we may need it. These are both emotional responses to stuff. So, take the emotion out. Think logically: Do I need this or not?
If you can answer that question for each item, you’ll be surprised by how much you land up tossing. Once you look at your junk drawer from a fresh and emotionless perspective, you will see how much you held onto needlessly.
I know how it feels. I’ve gone through my junk drawer and thought, “What on earth was I holding onto this for?” It’s such a relief to cull through it and dispose of what I really don’t need.
Once the drawer is empty, your next challenge is to keep it that way.
How to keep your junk drawer empty
Now this part is up to you. You can either keep it empty (my recommendation) or fill it only with necessities. The reason I recommend leaving it empty is that we too easily put things into a junk drawer without really considering why. When we’re busy or distracted, that’s when we make the worst decisions.
If you choose to leave things in it, make sure they are only the most important items. Consider putting an organizer or something that will limit what goes into the drawer because of the limited slots. Assign spots for what’s in there so that nothing extra gets added. And check back often to make sure you’ve kept it clutter-free.
If you choose to leave it empty, or at least not used for a junk drawer, then start by putting a piece of tape over the handle or drawer to discourage opening it. This is to break the habit of just mindlessly putting things in the drawer. Once the habit is broken, you can leave the drawer empty or repurpose it.
I hope that this post has helped you see how you can clean out your junk drawer and keep it clean from now on. Decluttering is a process and some areas are more hardwired for clutter than others. Good luck! I have every faith that you’ll get rid of that container of clutter and reach your goals of a simpler and more joyful home.
Do you have a junk drawer? What makes it so hard to get rid of? I’d love to hear in the comments.
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