10 Things You Should Never Store In Your Junk Drawer

Contrary to what you may believe, a junk drawer is not meant to be a catch-all for life’s throwaways. That would be your trash can. Still, many people treat their junk drawer as a pre-garbage can limbo. 

But despite the disregard with which we treat our junk drawers, they can serve a useful function in our everyday lives. In general, though, there are still some junk drawer dos and don’ts. Read on to learn how to organize your junk drawer and what does and doesn’t belong there. 

What Is A Junk Drawer?

Often in kitchens, a junk drawer is where we all tend to stash anything that we’re really just not sure where to put. 

But that usage just dilutes the functionality of a true junk drawer. In fact, the name “junk drawer” could be misleading. Professional organizer Kate Swenson prefers to call it a “grab and go drawer,” while another pro, Mary Davis, is partial to saying “miscellaneous drawer.”

“We all call it a junk drawer out of habit. But really, it’s more of a miscellaneous drawer, because it should be things that we actually use and not literal junk,” says Davis. “Not storing the junk in there is kind of the key.”

What To Keep In Your Junk Drawer

There are plenty of things worth keeping in a junk drawer. However, you should be sure that these items are useful and needed for your everyday life, and don’t have another, more suitable place to live, like a medicine cabinet or office desk drawer. Here are a few items you can (and should) keep in a junk drawer:

Writing Utensils

Swenson and Davis both say that pens are a must-have in any junk drawer and are sure to come in handy if stored there. Professional organizer Tonia Tomlin agrees and adds a useful black marker to the list. Just be sure to periodically check if your pens still work. If they’ve dried out, toss ’em out.

Small, Select Tools

Davis likes to always have a small screwdriver and tape measure nearby, so she makes sure to keep them readily available in her junk drawer. Only keep tools in your junk drawer that are regularly used inside the house for everyday projects.

Adhesives

In a pinch, tape and glue can be easily grabbed out of a junk drawer for securing mail or quick fixes. Depending on your needs, scissors. paper clips, and a stapler may be good inclusions, too.

Batteries

Something around the house is always in need of new batteries, and the junk drawer can be a good place to keep the spares. Be sure to store junk drawer-bound batteries safely in a battery storage container. 

Eye-Glass Cleaner

If folks in your household wear glasses, a cleaning cloth and solution will be in high demand. For easy accessibility and quickly cleaned eyewear, the junk drawer should do the trick.

What To Toss From Your Junk Drawer

Kitchen Items

Junk drawers are commonly found in kitchens; however, Davis advises against getting kitchen items mixed up with the junk drawer. Instead, that drawer should be a place for things that will regularly come in handy in the kitchen or center of the home, but don’t really have any other obvious place to go. The junk drawer is a place for necessary things that don’t belong anywhere else.

A Tool Set

While a miniature tool or two is advisable to keep in the junk drawer, the whole toolbox definitely doesn’t belong in there, especially as loose tools just floating around amidst clutter. No one wants to hastily reach into the junk drawer for a quick retrieval and accidentally knick themselves on a misplaced pair of pliers. 

Broken Things

“I would not recommend putting anything that’s broken in the junk drawer,” says Tomlin. “I don’t know why people do this, but sometimes when a toy or something in the kitchen breaks, they just shove it in the drawer. Why don’t you just make a note to replace the item and just throw it away?” 

Makeup

Tomlin also advises against storing makeup in the junk drawer. Keep replacements closer to the bathroom or wherever your makeup routine takes place to avoid junk drawer cluttering. Plus, you don’t want loose powders getting all over the rest of your stuff.

Charging Cords

These days, most people have too many charging cords for too many devices. Tomlin recommends setting up a dedicated charging station for convenience and to save your junk drawer from an onslaught of electronic accessories. Adds Swenson, “Stay away from putting charging cords in the junk drawer because what people tend to do is just throw the cords in without wrapping them nicely and neatly.”

Expired Coupons

Re-sort through your junk drawer regularly to take stock of what is in there. If you use the junk drawer as a convenient place to store coupons, be sure to relocate expired clippings to the trash so that they don’t pile up.

Money

“Money is an easy thing to throw in a junk drawer, but I wouldn’t,” Swenson says. “Coins in a little container could be okay, but I wouldn’t throw dollar bills in there. They’d get all crunched up.” Keep your loose change together in a small tin, like what you use for Altoids or gum.

Bills And Receipts

Similarly, keep bills and receipts out of the junk drawer to stay on top of them. “A lot of people come home and they just throw their receipts in the junk drawer,” reveals Swenson. “Those actually need to be organized correctly, especially if you own your own business and really need those receipts.”

Medicine 

A dedicated medicine cabinet in the kitchen is recommended over a chaotic junk drawer with important medicines haphazardly thrown in there. Unless the extent of your medicine is a small bottle of Advil or Tylenol, it’s best to keep prescription and over-the-counter meds in their own organized location. You’d hate for your expensive medication to get lost in your junk drawer and expire.

Soy Sauce Packets

When Swenson is organizing a client’s junk drawer, she unfortunately finds soy sauce packets in there all too often. The same goes for Chick-fil-A sauce packets, she says. Don’t forget ketchup, mayo, and mustard packets, too.

“People forget about the packets, and they just stay there and get old,” says Swenson. “Then, next week you’re going to get more takeout and more sauce packets anyway, so keep them out of the junk drawer and just toss them.”

Tips For Organizing Your Junk Drawer

Once you’ve identified what to keep and what to toss from your junk drawer, it’s time to get it organized. Here are a few tips:

1. Dump everything in the drawer out on a large surface, like your counter or kitchen table. 
2. Sort all the items by category so they can be grouped together, get rid of unnecessary duplicates, and re-home items that can be stored elsewhere. 
3. Invest in containers to hold each category of item. You can find these at stores like IKEA, Target, Walmart, and The Container Store. But you also don’t have to buy anything if you’re on a budget. Small containers you have around your house, like old phone boxes, cardboard jewelry boxes, and mint tins, are all perfectly capable of containing your odds and ends. 
4. Clean out the physical drawer before you put everything back, and consider laying contact paper on the bottom. 
5. Put everything back in the drawer neatly and in their designated containers, remembering to leave space for more items to be added later. 
6. Remember to do a quick clean-out of the drawer a few times a year.