Need to get a handle on junk drawer organization? This post is for you! I’ve used multiple containers and trays, and have the best recommendations depending on the size and content of your drawer.

The Junk Drawer

We all have one. The drawer that collects every stray penny, rubberband, leftover screw, bit of paper, single battery, pair of scissors, etc. An eclectic collection of meaningful, regularly used items, and also an assortment or random. Some of us have more than one…#raiseshand

Good intentions often turn into the ‘just throw it in the drawer’ mentality. Suddenly, the drawer is a mess and nothing is easily located. See Exhibit A.

We’re fortunate to have several drawers in our kitchen – enough to house silverware, cutlery, flatware, and our “junk.” We have three such drawers dedicated to non-kitchen wares. Really, it’s not junk. Everything within is useful. However, when the drawers are not organized, they easily turn cluttered and junky.

Purposing Drawers

The three junk drawers in our kitchen can be classified as follows:

Junk Drawer 1: Mostly tools, like a hammer, screwdrivers, measuring tapes, glue gun, screws, small nails and the like

Junk Drawer 2: Assorted batteries, scissors, tape, pencils, pens, markers, 3m strips

Junk Drawer 3: cash, keys, gift cards, small cords, safety pins and sticky notes, sunglasses

Drawer Organizers

Previously, I used little baskets that fit into the drawer and housed various items. They worked fine, BUT they were constantly shifting and dumping. Baskets are usually a cheaper option than a tray, but – let’s be real – you’re probably going to have a junk drawer indefinitely. Like, until the day you die. So, grabbing a decent organizer is a legit splurge.

I came across this organizer at Target recently. It’s an actual junk drawer organizer that is even labeled with pictures! (You can’t see them in the pic below, so I labeled them for the purpose of this post.) Best part? It’s $6.99. WINNER.

This is a GREAT organizer, though I didn’t use it according to the way it was labeled! Outside of using it as a junk drawer organizer, it would also make a great desk organizer, too! (PS. The cash is my kid’s Christmas money – all ones – a gift from my parents! Don’t think we’re keeping crazy amounts of money in our kitchen drawers!)

My most FAVORITE drawer organizers, though, are the fixed and expandable trays for flatware. While I do use them for our flatware, I have also repurposed them for junk drawer organization! Seriously, they’re perfect. The one pictured below is the expandable one and stretches out to fit into a larger drawer.

I love that that dividers expand into larger compartments to fit oversized items (like the 3m boxes). It’s also easy to open the drawer and quickly note when we’re running low on batteries or tape. The longer sections are great for rulers, too!

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If you’re interested in junk drawer organization, you can shop the post below!

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