Go to your kitchen right now.
Open the third drawer down on the left. You know the one. It is the only place in your house that contains a birthday candle, a tube of superglue, three rubber bands, and a key to a car you haven’t owned since 2015.
It is the Junk Drawer.
Every organizing guru will tell you to declutter this space. They want you to color-code your paperclips. They want you to throw away the soy sauce packets.
But they are wrong. The junk drawer isn’t a mistake. It is a necessity.
The “Purgatory for Small Objects”
Why does this drawer exist?
It exists because real life is messy. There are certain objects that simply do not have a home. Where does a single AA battery go? Where do you put the little Allen wrench that came with your IKEA bookshelf?
If you didn’t have a junk drawer, these things would end up on your counter.
The problem isn’t that you have a junk drawer. The problem is that your junk drawer is jammed shut because it is too full.
3 Ways to Tame the Chaos
You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect drawer. You just need to be able to open it. Here is how to fix it in 10 minutes.
1. The “Mystery Key” Purge
This is the easiest win.
Take all the keys out of the drawer. Look at them. If you cannot immediately identify what door or padlock a key opens, throw it away.
We hold onto these “just in case,” but let’s be honest. If you haven’t used it in five years, it is trash. Throw it out.
2. The “Bento Box” Method
A big empty drawer is an invitation for chaos. Everything slides around and gets mixed up.
The Fix: Buy a few small, cheap plastic bins (or use old Tupperware containers) to act as dividers.
Give every category a bin. Pens go in one. Batteries go in another. Loose change goes in a third. Now, when you throw something in, it has a specific “zone” to land in.
3. The “Pen Test”
Why do we keep dried-out pens? It is a sickness.
Grab a piece of scrap paper. Test every single pen in the drawer. If it scratches, skips, or is dry, toss it immediately. You will likely clear out 50% of the drawer just by doing this.
Conclusion
Stop feeling guilty about your mess. You are allowed to have one drawer that is a little wild.
Embrace the junk drawer. It is the hardworking hero of your kitchen. Just make sure you toss those Taco Bell mild sauce packets before they expire.
Tell me in the comments: What is the weirdest thing in your junk drawer right now? I definitely found a fidget spinner from 2017 in mine.
