by Mika Perry
When organizing, it’s important to consider the top spots for accessibility of your most-used items. Take a look at where things start to pile up, the high traffic areas. This is the prime spot for you to create an organizational system for supporting the activities of that space and all of the life that happens there.
For many, there is probably a high-traffic spot in the kitchen. You know the one: “the spot.” It might be along a thoroughfare between one room or the garage and into the kitchen. It’s becomes a jumping pad before heading out the door or a landing spot right when you come home. A junk drawer is perfectly at home here. Though, of course, the drawer doesn’t keep actual junk.
A friend said it best, “It’s the ‘useful drawer.’”
Everyone’s got one; it’s a fact of life. That’s because everyone needs a place for pens, paper, scissors, keys, chargers, coins, stamps, Chapstick; all the random things in life that you need day in and day out. But it can become a cause of stress if you never put system in place and continue to throw more things into it.
Here are five steps to organizing your junk drawer:
- Take everything out. EVERYTHING.
- Go through it all and decide what to keep, what to toss and what to distribute to another spot in the home, assuming you’re not storing donation items here in the junk drawer. Be ruthless. Keep only the essentials. Absolutely no takeout menus. We have Google now.
- Place everything back in a way that makes sense. Most-used items like pens up front, glasses cleaners and less-used house keys towards the back. It’s like putting a puzzle together.
- Once you’ve grouped items and put them in place, measure the drawer itself and the sizes of each “grouping.” Now it’s time to source the containers that correspond with the size of the groups. These acrylic storage organizers can be purchased individually and are ideal for creating a custom drawer. Do not buy these containers first! This must happen last, otherwise you will end up with dividers that don’t fit.
- Apply museum gel to adhere to the corners of the dividers so they don’t slide around. This is pivotal.
And there you have it! An organized home for all of the little things you’re not sure what to do with. For more details on this organizing process, catch this episode of the Good To Be Home podcast on organizing your home!
About the Author
Mika Perry is a mom, blogger, influencer and podcaster who shares thoughtfully-curated tips and tricks to help her dedicated followers live a more balanced, organized, healthy and happy life. As a former professional organizer, she is well-known for her home organization content. Mika also co-hosts the Good to be Home Podcast with her husband, Russ. Good to be Home is a weekly exploration of entrepreneurship, family, marriage, sobriety and how to balance business and life. Visit mikaperry.com for more of Mika’s helpful home hints and follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
