Junk Drawers

**AmyBoz** · 01-24-2009, 08:51 PM

Do you have a junk drawer? If so, where is it? What is in there? Why do you let it continue to be a junk drawer?

Are you totally against cleaning it out and repurposing it to be a "something" drawer, as opposed to a catchall?

We have a junk drawer. It's under the counter that houses the phone. I am in the process of clearing it out and getting ready to repurpose it to be the matches/batteries ONLY drawer. Everything else in there can go, and I think WILL go, tomorrow, when I go around with my grocery bag to toss the trash.

How about you?

**khjmom** · 01-24-2009, 08:59 PM

We have one....and it drives me crazy. It is my dh's drawer, and has everything from batteries to screws and nails and such. It is organized as compared to some that I have seen, but not to what I want it to be. KWIM? I think I might buy some little divider baskets to help sort those things so it looks better.

**forHISglory** · 01-24-2009, 09:04 PM

We have one and it is under the counter that houses the phone, also! We have little dividers in it, and it's pretty easy to see what is there: batteries, a charger, pens, pencils, notepads, rulers, tape, extension cord, screws, some plastic thing that we can't remember what it is but are afraid to throw it away, some templates for drawing house plans, paper clips, rubber bands.......

**spyzvixxen** · 01-24-2009, 09:55 PM

Mine is in the kitchen in a drawer under the counter which contains rubber bands, clips & ties & such. I wish I could contain all of Vic's junk areas into one but heaven forbid I touch anything!

**IntlMom** · 01-24-2009, 10:13 PM

yep, in the kitchen desk by the phone. But it's "organized" with the little baskets, so it's pretty easy to find what you need....paper clips, pens/pencils, stamps......

**MommyBliss** · 01-24-2009, 11:19 PM

Our junk drawer is in the kitchen. I have an organizer in it and it generally holds some screwdrivers, pencils, pens, tape, hair doo dads. About once a month I open it and take out the kids stuff that has found its way there and redistribute it back to them.

**TigerGirl1226** · 01-24-2009, 11:25 PM

I have a junk drawer. I like to have a drawer that is the home for things that just don't belong in other places.

**elphie** · 01-24-2009, 11:44 PM

dh has one in the kitchen... its his to with as he pleases, I'm a very "a place for everything" type of organizer where he is more "out of sight out of mind". My not looking in that drawer and him not having to think about where to put absolutely everything is essential to cohabitation, lol.

**scottVee** · 01-25-2009, 02:54 AM

We have a junk drawer, and it's just ridiculous, the same random things you've all mentioned. Having once run an office with 6 employees, we still have a few drawers with way more paperclips and staples than we'll ever need. Every now & then we'll fill up a whole box with pencils and tape and stickers and give it some grade-school teachers we know. They're always happy to have more bits & pieces, and art supplies.

We also have a box under a desk for paper clutter. When it fills up, we recycle and file the stuff ... it still barely keeps up with the clutter everywhere else. Amazing how unimportant most of that junk is when we finally sort through it. Of course, these days, anything with names or addresses gets shredded. What a pain!

Oh, we donate a few cartons of magazines to the local library each year. Books are much harder to part with ...

**Momto2Boyz** · 01-26-2009, 07:47 AM

We have one in the kitchen also. I like it as a place to stick the junk that doesn't have anywhere else to go!

It has a silverware organizer in it, so things stay where they should. It houses batteries, office supplies, pens, pads of paper, and that is about it.

We plan on buying a new desk soon, the one we have currently doesn't have any drawers, but the new one will. Once we have drawers in the desk, then that drawer will be moved there!

**jas** · 01-26-2009, 06:37 PM

We have two in the kitchen one has the phonebook in it along with tray for pens, pencils, a few paper clips ect.

The other had dividers in it, but is clearly just bits and pieces of junk that could probably be cleared out and put to a better use. It has a few screwdrivers, old keys, hair ties, misc junk. They are in trays but it could all go I am sure.

**Michelle** · 01-26-2009, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by MommyBliss

Our junk drawer is in the kitchen. I have an organizer in it and it generally holds some screwdrivers, pencils, pens, tape, hair doo dads. About once a month I open it and take out the kids stuff that has found its way there and redistribute it back to them.

That's how it is here too. There are times when I have trouble opening it because the kids just shove stuff in there. I get pretty mad then :hopmad:

**Homekeepn** · 01-26-2009, 08:01 PM

No, I do not. I have one of those drawer storage units that you see in garages or workshop to store screws,nails,washers, ect. I have it hanging in the kitchen closet. In there I keep batteries,nails,screws,matches, and misc hardware. Each drawer is labeled clearly.
I do have a drawer for pens,pencils and misc office supplies all neatly organized in trays.
I do not keep things that are no longer working or that we don't know what it belongs to.

**The Muse** · 01-26-2009, 08:08 PM

I have one in the center island in my kitchen and it drives me insane. It's mostly DH's junk...10 tape measures, assorted papers with scribbles on them, some screw drivers, twist ties, paint swatches, old receipts, you get the idea.

I've tried to clean it out but everytime I start asking whether or not he needs this or that, he claims to need it all. I've given up and accept that the man is a slob and he needs his drawer.

If it were up to me, there would be no junk in my house, ever. I'm clutter averse.