Works For Me Wednesday: The Junk Drawer That Could May 21, 2008

 

I haven’t yet met a kitchen without a junk drawer.

 

In every home we’ve lived in, the kitchen junk drawer fills up quickly. I took a curious glance in there a few minutes ago and saw the following:

 

loose batteries (do they work? how long have we owned them exactly- 5 years? more?)

lock de-icer (which we’ve used exactly once)

super glue (also used once, glued two fingers together, and gave up completely)

old keys (that we’re afraid to throw away….what if they unlock the buried treasure in our basement??)

small screwdrivers (for reattaching those cabinet knobs that my toddler loves to unscrew)

red tape to repair a tail light (when did we need this, exactly?)

a tape measure (listen, you can always use a tape measure)

an oddly shaped metal thing (no idea what this is; could be a crucial part of something)

 

Listen, you might say, just organize your junk drawer already. Well, you could be right. Someday I might do just that. All of those homeless and forgotten items might be appropriately allocated to locations that actually make sense. But not anytime soon. Standing in line are all of those things that we organize and re-organize in cycles: closets, basement, files, toy chests, the plasticware cabinet, the garage. My car! My husband’s car.  Oh, man.

 

I’m already a little tired. But I love me some organizing, so I’m up for it all! Meanwhile, my junk drawer will remain delightfully, happily stuffed to the brim with odd items which defy memory or explanation. The lone spot defying the stampede of organization that is taking over television, magazines, and the internet. For a quick fix, I shoved everything into small plastic trays. Somehow, this seems to help while still maintaining the junky integrity of such a drawer.

 

Get a junk drawer. Or if you have one already, love on it a little. After all, it’s the last thing that needs or wants your attention (is there a prize for that?)! My junk drawer works for me. For more great tips (or if you’re sorely disappointed in this one) check out Rocks In My Dryer!