Knowing how to organize a junk drawer well is one of the more underrated home organization skills. A good junk drawer is not a dumping ground — it's a curated collection of things you genuinely reach for in a pinch. Getting there takes about 60 minutes, some honest editing, and a decent drawer organizer. This guide walks through the process the way we approach it at The Uncluttered Life, Inc.
Set your timer for 60 minutes and take a before photo.
Pull Everything Out and Start Fresh
Junk drawers are either a source of quiet pride or low-grade daily frustration. Mine is in the first category, but I have seen plenty of the second. The difference usually comes down to whether the drawer has ever been properly reset.
I love my junk drawer. But it has to be neat, orderly, and I need to know exactly what is in it. Mine holds only things I will reach for in a genuine pinch: a sewing needle with black and white thread, a small screwdriver to avoid getting out the full toolkit, measuring tape in both metal and fabric, and several flashlights with extra batteries. These items are not stored like-with-like as the KonMari Method® recommends, because they are individual, unrelated things. That is the honest definition of a junk drawer.
At my previous house I had one. In my current house I have two, because the kitchen has more drawers and the extra space is worth using intentionally. One holds remote controls for the electric blinds, patio screen, fireplace starters, and an extra set of car keys. The second holds the more traditional mix of odds and ends listed above.
To begin, put a towel on the counter to protect the surface and pull everything out. Remove the drawer organizer, wipe the drawer clean, and return the organizer before putting anything back. Starting with a clean, empty drawer makes the whole process more satisfying.
Group What You Have
How to organize a junk drawer at the grouping stage is trickier than other categories, because the items are deliberately dissimilar. The goal is not perfect like-with-like grouping but functional proximity — things that tend to get reached for together can live near each other.
In my remote control drawer, every remote is labeled. The patio screen remote and the outdoor television remote look identical. Without a label, they create confusion every single time. The same is true of the blind remotes — one controls the kitchen, one manages the whole house. Labeling them took five minutes and has prevented a small amount of household friction for years. This matters especially when I am traveling and my husband is navigating the drawer alone.
Group what you can, set aside what clearly belongs elsewhere, and note anything that needs a label before it goes back in.
Edit Honestly
A junk drawer is not a storage unit for things without a home. If something has been in there for a year without being touched, it does not belong there. Editing this category means asking whether each item would genuinely be missed if it were gone — and if the answer is no, it should go.
Menus are a common junk drawer occupant. If you are keeping physical menus, they can tuck neatly under the drawer organizer where they stay flat and out of the way. Coupons are worth keeping one of, at most. The same pizza coupon arrives every week without fail.
Be honest about things that have been holding space temporarily and never moved on. Old batteries with no indication of charge, duplicate items you forgot you already had, objects that belong in another room entirely — all of these can leave the drawer during the editing step. If items are in good condition and genuinely useful to someone else, donate them. Everything else goes.
Return Everything to Its Place
A good drawer organizer — bamboo or clear plastic — makes containing everything much easier and keeps the drawer looking intentional rather than accidental. When selecting one, measure the internal dimensions of the drawer, not the drawer itself. Almost every drawer has a lip or insert that reduces the usable space, and an organizer that does not fit properly defeats the purpose. Brightroom organizers from Target are an affordable option that come in multiple sizes and work well in most kitchen drawers.
Return only what passed the edit. The drawer should feel genuinely useful when you open it — every item in there should have a reason to be there, and you should be able to find any of it within seconds. That is how to organize a junk drawer so it stays organized rather than reverting to chaos within a month.
Take an after photo. You are finished for the day.
Steps provided by professional organizers at The Uncluttered Life, Inc.
Pull the Next Card
The Declutter Deck® covers every room and category in your home with the same focused, step-by-step approach. Each of the 52 cards gives you one specific task sized for 30 to 60 minutes. Tag us at @lifehackdecks with your before and after photos.
