My Three Junk Drawer Organization Essentials
Ahhh, the junk drawer. It’s that annoying spot in all of our houses that holds all the random stuff that we need to access on a semi-regular basis but don’t have a better spot for. I’ve organized mine a few different times here on the blog, but it’s safe to say I’ve finally landed on the formula that gets it organized and keeps it that way. So today, I’m chatting about my favorite junk drawer organizers and all of the essential tools I use to keep ours in shape.
Before we dive in, let me acknowledge this: I live with other people, and that means no system stays in perfect working order. As much as I try to organize, sometimes things just don’t get put back where they belong. But, having a solid system in place means that when it’s time to clean it back up, it only takes a few minutes! In fact, when I got ready to take the photos for this post, my junk drawer looked like this:
I know. It looks bad. But, it’s been about two years since I last cleaned it up, so it’s to be expected that some things need to be adjusted. Since I already had a really solid junk drawer organizer in place, though, it only took me about twenty minutes from start to finish to whip it back into shape!
Junk Drawer Organizer Essentials
When it comes to junk drawer organization, I’ve got three things I’d consider absolute essentials. Just three! If you have these three things on hand, I think it’s safe to say you can get any junk drawer organized and clean. Are you ready to see them?!
Essential #1: A Multi-Compartment Tray
Grab a similar organizer here!
I’ve had this little two-tier multi-compartment tray in our junk drawer for years now and I’m telling you, it’s a workhorse! I think that having one singular junk drawer organizer with tons of little compartments is such a great way to hold a bunch of the little essentials that can get lost otherwise.
Ours holds things like pushpins, spare change, random keys, Command strips, extra Pura scents, and more. For me, having a two-tier tray like this is an absolute must so you can really maximize the storage space in your drawers! I put all of the things I access all the time on the top tier, and stuff the things I don’t use as much on the second tier.
Essential #2: Modular Junk Drawer Organizers
Grab this set of junk drawer organizers here.
Once you’ve got your little multi-compartment tray in place, the next thing I think you have to have is a set of modular organizers that will fit into a variety of drawer sizes. I love that they’re interlocking so they don’t move around, and there are a few different sizes so there’s a good size for everything.
I have a pretty large junk drawer, so I use quite a few of these little trays in mine. But, if you have a smaller drawer you can use fewer – that’s the beauty of a flexible set like this. You can even split it up between a few different drawers to really maximize the organization.
Having small trays in your junk drawer to hold different categories of items is an absolute game-changer and once you try it you’ll never go back. As a bonus, it also makes it way more likely that your family will also help keep things organized since it makes it a little more clear where things go!
Essential #3 Cord Organizers
And my final essential? Cord organizers! I don’t know how things are in your house, but in mine we’ve got tons of cords all over the place. It can be really hard to keep them organized and before I discovered these cord organizers they were always a mess.
Now, I always keep some of these velcro cord organizers on hand and they keep the cords tightly wound and all in one place. It makes it look a lot nicer when I tuck them into one of my junk drawer bins, and it also makes it a looooot easier to find what I need!
If you want to get it even more organized, grab some of these cord labels. That way, you always know exactly what each cord is for.
And with those three essentials, your junk drawer can also look like this.
Ahhh, sweet, beautiful organization.
Other Junk Drawer Organizers
Are you feeling inspired to get your junk drawer organized, too? Here are a few more options to get your wheels turning!
- Adjustable Drawer Organizers (2-Pack)
- Bamboo + Silicone Adjustable Tray
- 16-Piece Acrylic Organizers
- 3-Slot Drawer Organizer
- 13-Piece Acrylic Organizers
- Bamboo Drawer Dividers
- Expandable Drawer Organizer
- 5-Piece Wood Drawer Organizers
- 15″x6″ Drawer Tray
- 9-Compartment Adjustable Organizer
- 32-Pack Drawer Organizers
- Expandable Organizer Tray
- 4-Compartment Drawer Organizer
- Small Expandable Drawer Organizer
- Small Battery Organizer
- Magnetic Cord Organizers