Most people have at least one junk drawer in their kitchen. This is a compartment that holds everything from dried out ink pens to rubber bands and bits of dust. These miscellaneous items take up a tremendous amount of storage space, and it is completely unnecessary. Why not get rid of it once and for all? Just because your mother used kitchen drawers to hold office supplies and other things that did not have a home does not mean that you have to do the same. Free up more kitchen storage space, and get rid of the junk drawer once and for all. It should hold cooking utensils instead of pencils and a bunch of parts and other random items.
Use a Basket to Hold Pencils and Pens
When looking for practical ways to get rid of the junk drawer, consider a lined basket or two. Clean out the junk drawer, and fill lined baskets of the appropriate size with pens and pencils. Crayons, markers and other art supplies should be placed in a craft box and kept separate from everyday writing implements. Place the basket of pens and pencils on a computer desk or in another location that everyone can reach. Baskets look much better than drawers filled with miscellaneous junk.
Use Jars or Tins to Hold Paperclips, Rubber Bands and Twist Ties
After ridding the junk drawer of everything from paper clips to unidentifiable parts and pieces of long forgotten items, set up decorative jars or tins to hold and organize commonly used things. Separate paperclips, rubber bands and other items of use. The jars or tins will look like a part of the decorating scheme instead of containers to hold miscellaneous junk drawer items.
Buy a Plastic Storage Box with Drawers
If a kitchen drawer has become a mini office, get rid of it for good. Replace the junk drawer with a small plastic compartment with drawers. Separate writing instruments from other office supplies, and store it in a room other than the kitchen. A more appropriate location would be in a bedroom or alongside a living room desk. Save the kitchen for cooking and dining, and use another location for storing office supplies and related items.
Implement a Junk Box Instead of a Drawer
If it seems impossible to get rid of a junk drawer because this type of organization is not practical or possible, use a junk box instead. Buy an eye-pleasing papered box with a lid, and fill it with everything that was in the drawer. It can be kept in an empty space on the kitchen counter or on a desk. Use it as a catchall for pens, pencils, paper clips and anything else that would otherwise end up in a kitchen drawer. Cabinet space is priceless, and it should be used with forethought and care.