Odds N' Ends

Sarah Drake
Apr 13, 2019
2 min read

Assortment of tools and items in a mess — Odds N' Ends

Problem and Solution:

One of the most frustrating moments when tackling an area to organize is the very end. I think it is safe to say that nearing the end of a project we all find ourselves with a pile of odds n' ends. All the little things we keep around, "just in case." In the end what do we usually do? Add our pile to the current contents of our designated junk drawer. Out of sight out of mind right? Wrong! Its only out of mind until you go to open the drawer trying to find something and realize you can't open the dang thing or that you can't find anything without dumping the drawers contents on the floor. Junk drawers are just as, if not more important an area to organize along with the rest of the home. The purpose of a junk drawer is to be a spot for useful objects that you need frequently, yet they don't belong with any of the other things in the room. In a kitchen it holds items like scissors, twist ties, and a pad of paper. In your office its things like paper clips, pens & pencils, sticky notes, granola bars, gum and chap-stick.

Scissors, tap, tools, odds n' ends, pens and pencils, and deck of cards — Items typically found in a junk drawer

Declutter:

The hard thing about a junk drawer is that it becomes the spot where all the items we used once and might use again someday, or things you can slip into you pocket or purse and think to yourself "that might come in handy." The trick to organizing and cleaning your junk drawers is throwing what you don't need or what has outlasted its purpose away! The question then becomes what can you or can't you part with. Here is a list of 7 questions you can ask yourself to determine what is or isn't worth keeping anymore. Be objective and honest with yourself when it comes to these questions. A large part of keeping things organized is getting rid of unnecessary clutter.

Paper and entertainment clutter that could have sentimental value — Clutter that may or may not have value

Organize

After disposing your drawer of what is no longer of value to you. Its time to organize, group, and arrange what you have decided to keep. This is always my favorite part because it becomes a game of are these items similar enough to go together? It requires some out of the box thinking. After categorizing the items that will reside in your junk drawer it is time to find a way to divide your items so to eliminate them mixing together and creating a mess. You can find my list of ideas, prices and sites for drawer dividers here. Arrange your dividers and your junk drawer items in your drawer, and your done! Well you would like to think you were done now wouldn't you, truth is, you need to routinely clean out and organize your junk drawer. Try to organize it as least during seasonal cleaning, but preferably on a monthly or weekly schedule. For similar posts or more information check out this fellow bloggers junk drawer organization post.