Sometimes one big drawer of junk isn’t nearly as easy to navigate as two smaller drawers full of half the junk each. So in that vein I decided to transfer all of the stuff out of our double-wide junk drawer, which has gotten increasingly “rowdy.” Especially in comparison to the obedient glasses, mugs, and vases in the upper cabinet:
We have some completely empty smaller drawers on the other side of the kitchen near the office which should do the trick. We’re blessed to have more storage than we know what to do with in this kitchen – and putting this stuff near the office is so much easier since we use 99% of it in the office anyway (but don’t have the means to store it in there yet). And now – how exciting for you guys on this fun Thursday morning – you get to come along for the entire junk-drawer-transfer adventure. Fasten your seat belts. It’s gonna get ca-ray-zay.
Here I am cheesily sorting stuff and trying to decide what should go where (I love taking drawers out and parking it on the floor to go through them- then I can spread everything out to see what I have – and then make “keep”, “store somewhere else” and “donate/trash piles”).
A few tips from an admittedly not-very-varsity organizer (I just dabble, so let’s call me JV):
- If you haven’t used it in 6 months to a year, you might not need it at all (or may be able to store it somewhere out of the way, like in a small storage box in the closet as opposed to giving it real estate in the everyday-use junk drawer)
- Try to group like items together so you can grab them all at once if you need to (ex: address book, postage stamps, and address return address stamp)
- Nobody needs five hundred pens
- Nobody needs five hundred paper clips
- I realized that we moved a stack of Post It Notes and hadn’t used one since the move. Or before the move. We’re just not Post It people. Which is good to know since we’ve had that same unused pad for years (taking up space that something we do use could have been inhabiting).
- Corralling the smaller items in little divided boxes is always nicer than having clips and pins and staples lying around without any structure around them to “contain” them
- More shallow piles vs. fewer deep piles are easier to go through when you’re looking for something (you can see more so you don’t mess up the entire drawer searching for something at the bottom of a deep pile)
- Snacks keep the organization effort moving (a handful of jelly beans = energy)
Here are those empty drawers located right off of the office in the corner of the kitchen:
And here’s the top drawer after packing in a ton of stuff in a slightly more organized manner (envelopes and stamps on the right side, our green address book with our address stamp and tape and stapler in the front, and a whole lotta pens, pencils, scissors, paper clips, binder rings, wire, band-aids, etc in the brown cubbied box).
Here’s the second drawer with batteries, rubber bands, safety pins, markers, crayons, 3M heavy duty velcro (great for keeping frames from getting pulled down by Clara) along with checkbooks and paper bank tubes for rolling change. Update: John didn’t like the idea of everyone on the internweb knowing where our checkbooks are so they have since been relocated (even though I countered that our alarm could stymie Clooney and the rest of those Oceans Eleven guys – did he not read yesterday’s post?).
Update: When it comes to babyproofing, we’re doing that as we go. Clara doesn’t open kitchen drawers or cabinets yet (and is always supervised in the kitchen), but the second she shows any interest (aka: even touches them, let alone opens them) we’ll babyproof and share a little update as things in our house evolve.
Oh and that third drawer got to house all of our cloth napkins, runners, and paper napkins:
And check out what I found at the bottom of the old junk drawer. Nope, not a cute baby girl, a permanent red ink stain from an old floppy disk. How random and retro is that? Ha.
Another random occurance: how many times my feet made it into this post. They’re in 33% of the pictures. That has to be an all time record.
But my best discovery was this old soccer button with little boy John on it. How cute was my hubby twenty years back? Of course he still is, but this is a whole new level of cuteness. And I see a whole lotta Clara in that sweet face. Note the eyeball cabinet knobs checking him out too.
My takeaway from this project a three fold. 1) Organizing always feels like it’s going to be a bigger/more annoying task than it actually is (this whole thing took me less than thirty minutes when I just parked it on the floor and got ‘er done). 2) Taking those thirty minutes out to do this will probably save me an hour a month if I stay on top of these drawers and keep putting things back where they go (since it’ll be much easier to find things that I search for regularly- thereby saving me time). 3) There’s nothing like waking up to a freshly organized junk drawer on a sunny Thursday morning. Yeah, that’s right. I know how to have a good time. It’s the little things, right?
What little things are you guys up to these days? Any organization to be had? Hope you find at least one floppy disk (or evidence thereof) somewhere. Ah, those were the days. John and I were just reminiscing about dial up internet. I can still perfectly mimic the sound of connecting to the modem. Oh yeah- I’m that shrill. Once again $herdog proves she knows how to have a good time.
Sarah says
My husband’s pet peeve is a messy junk drawer. Well, actually a “junk drawer” in general so he calls it the “everything useful drawer”. Yes, he’s strange.
Is it weird that I look forward to trash day? It feels like an organization day because our town picks up recycling and 4 bags of yard waste in addition to regular trash which we have very little of. I use Thursday mornings as a goal for getting as much yard work and general cleansing done. Hey, I’m a teacher in summer break, it’s the little things!
YoungHouseLove says
No way- John loves trash day too! So funny.
xo,
s
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
I love garbage day, too! And my day is also Thursday, so yup, yard work on Wednesdays, etc. But recycling is only picked up every other week, so some weeks are more exciting than others.
Charisma says
Sherry!
Our Ella is about a month older than Clara, and for some reason has been getting into drawers (and anything else that opens) for a while now. We were gifted those latches you screw into the cabinets, but I’m not a big fan of them so I’ve been using thick rubber bands instead. Just put one around two knobs (horizontally for base cabinets or vertically for the 2 bottom drawers). It’s worked wonderfully, was free, is a cinch for us to undo, leaves no damage to our cabinetry, and she still hasn’t figured out how to take them off yet (it’s been months). Once she figures it out we may have to take more drastic measures : ).
YoungHouseLove says
Katie B loves that tip too! I’ll have to try it out!
xo,
s
Sarah B says
Burke Soccer League! I still have medals with that logo on it from when I played there!
Rachel Tatem says
I love love love organization! So much fun… I know I’m weird but it is such a great feeling to open up a closet, drawer, cabinet and have everything right where you need it/want it!
cindy says
everytime I watch hoarders I get into the organizing mood and since I have found freecyling I have donated lots of items like canvas pictures, stuffed animals and various other toys…I am not where I would like to be with overload of stuff but I hope once we move that will help with the organizing :)
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Haha! I hate cleaning our junk drawers! Good job, though!
So have you ever considered asking your readers to volunteer and come over and help with housework?! LOL! I’m totally getting the itch to fly out there and help you paint your kitchen! Would I have to be sworn to secrecy!? I could do it. Promise. I’m a very good cutter-inner! LOL! Oh, and I can help babysit too!
I swear I’m not creepy
Lindsay from Tell’er All About It
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- sure. Come on over!
xo,
s
Sara says
This is totally off topic but I’ve been looking for a blog that I saw once upon a time (probably linked to it from a comment on your blog) and can’t seem to find it!! It’s written by a stay at home mom (hubby’s a lawyer if I remember correctly) with three kids who lives in California. They recently took a trip to Hawaii with friends and posted about that… anyone know of this blog?
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know who it could be for Sara?
xo,
s
Noel says
Since you asked what little things we are up to……
I just got my first teaching job (3rd Grade) and I saw my classroom today. I thought of you the entire time because boy is it ugly! It’s old and yellow and leaky with closet doors that don’t stay closed (because it’s apparently even sinking)…but I’m still thrilled that it’s my own classroom.
I know it’s not exactly home improvement related, but it’s the same idea so I wanted to ask if you have any advice, just in case. I’m not allowed to paint, but I really want to tone down the bright, super stimulating, busy yellow color somehow. Do any colors come to mind that coordinate well with yellow? It should be pretty easy to bring in color (through rugs, bulletin boards, painted furniture, decorations, curtains, ect.). My goal is to make it as soothing, relaxing, and inviting as possible.
Do you think it would be okay to post a picture on Facebook even though it’s not home related? It does remind me a lot of an old run down house, haha. I’m a teeny bit overwhelmed at this, so I appreciate any advice so much!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Definitely post a pic on our Facebook page so people can chime in with ideas for you! I immediately thought you could cut a lot of yellow on the walls by hanging up cork tiles or even a big piece of pegboard (you could paint it white or leave it au-naturale). Just so the eyes have somewhere to rest (and both could be functional for hanging/displaying stuff). Would love to see a pic over on Facebook though!
xo,
s
Noel says
Thank you so much! I love that idea and it’d be both helpful and functional. I’ll go post a picture on Facebook now!
RA says
Good ole basic Color Design 101 says use the color opposite(s) on the color wheel to tone down the yellow. That would be purple, into the reddish-purple range on one side, blues on the other. If you had a blue room that needed to be warmed up do the opposite. That is, go for the oranges, reds, yellows. Once you see a color wheel it will become clear to you.
Congrats and best wishes in your new teaching career!!
Tess says
Tonight (I can’t right now because I am at work) I am going to take to the streets shouting “that was the best thing that ever happened to me!” so you can say that DID actually happen once. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- love it. Video evidence is requested.
xo,
s
Erin says
I can’t wait until you guys redo this kitchen!
KJ says
I think that my favorite thing about the $herdog nickname is the dollar sign….priceless.
Jennifer says
I love organizing, it’s one of my favorite things. I was watching “clean house” today and my favorite is when they make them get rid of all of their crap. I used to love “clean sweep,” too, because of the Australian dude.
Way to go! You’ve inspired me to do the same.
Monika says
I did some organizing last night! I went through a bunch of my craft/office stuff and rearranged and re-packed things. Now everything has a place (and I know where it is) and I feel a million times better.
Another commenter mentioned organizing instruction manuals. To tackle this I have a metal filing cabinet in the basement where I store all that stuff. It’s organized by category like small appliances, computer stuff, etc… It works really well and you can find filing cabinets secondhand and they’re relatively inexpensive.
Also, add me to this list of organizational junkies that loved this post! :)
Dana @ House*Tweaking says
Is that a taped off soon-to-be wide doorway to the dining room I spy? Sorry, I’m a little nosy when it comes to reno’s!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah we’ve had that green tape up for months. Gotta live with it to be sure, you know? We just found out we’ll need a permit to widen that door so it could take a while but we can’t wait to get that done!
xo,
s
Rosemary M. says
So I just noticed a tiny smiley face on the bottom of your site. To the right of the word “Disclaimer”. Is that a cute little mistake?
BTW I heart your “filler posts” although to me they are just awesome posts. Speaking of “filler posts”.. i’m still curious about John’s 1st Father’s day post :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha – that smiley face is actually on any blog that uses WordPress Stats to track traffic (which we do). They hide it somewhere on the page to keep track of page loads. Isn’t he cute? I love him.
As for the Father’s Day post (it’s actually John’s second), that’s coming up this afternoon! He’s writing it right now, actually…
xo,
s
Rosemary M. says
It’s a cute little tracker!
Sorry about that John! I forgot Clara was around for June last year.
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, he squeaked an extra special day out since she was born before Father’s Day but after Mother’s Day in 2010. Lucky guy.
xo,
s
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
it looks good. Such a pain when the baby starts getting into drawers. We had to put those blasted latches on our lower cabinets, because our little man would. not. Leave. the cabinets alone!! Put it off as long as you can, it’s a pain not having easy access to your cabinets!
Ana Silva says
Haha, I see you used $herdog again. It’s going to stick is just a matter of time :)
katie o. says
I would pay you to organize my kitchen drawers. Seriously. The one junk drawer most people have has multiplied into 5 in my house. Guess I should consider myself lucky for having that many kitchen drawers though. :)
Emily says
I, too, love organizing and decluttering more than anything!
Quick question: Where did you get the glass cups with the wicker sleeves? I am head over heels in L-O-V-E with them and can’t find anything similar!
YoungHouseLove says
Those were on clearance from Sur La Table about three years ago but I’ve seen really similar ones at HomeGoods and TJ Maxx. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Charlene says
Now I feel guilty I’m just sitting here on the computer instead of tackling the multiple junk drawers that have grown in my kitchen. I do have a kitchen cupboard and countertop question. I am currently getting quotes for refinishing (affordable but not as pretty) my kitch cabs or replacing (expensive and pretty). So I am dealing with the whole lets hope it looks nice and not like I cheaped out by cutting costs issue lol! So my question is this…are you keeping your current cabinets? I see that the previous homeowners put granite on the older cabinets and it just seems weird to super upgrade on top but not underneath. Seems like that would put you guys at a tough decision to keep the granite or not. Or am I just obsessing too much about this stuff? Really, I keep having dreams about shaker style cabs.:-0
YoungHouseLove says
Haha – we’re obsessing the same way. So you’re not weird at all. We’re still not 100% sure about anything but we’re planning to keep the cabinets and the counters but add an island and reconfigure things a little. Our original cabinets in our first house were extremely small (couldn’t fit a standard dinner plate in the uppers) and in all the wrong spots (since we reconfigured the layout so dramatically by closing off a doorway) so we knew we couldn’t work with those. Happily, these cabinets are bigger and probably from the 80s (as opposed to the 50s/60s) so we’d love to try to work with what we have. At least for the first phase of the kitchen makeover. Who knows where we’ll end up down the line though!
xo,
s
Dana L. says
In our house we like to affectionately refer to our junk drawer as the “useful sh*t” drawer, because really, it’s not junk in there, now is it? That being said, it could surely use some organization!
Elizabeth says
The junk drawe is the ONE place in my home I always keep organized. The linen closet and pantry? HA!!!
Ben says
Hey love your site, just a quick question is floor in the kitchen ceramic tile?
thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, it’s vinly tile. That peel-and-stick looking stuff. Someday we’d love to upgrade but for now it works!
xo,
s
Whitney says
Ha! I just did this same thing last night. I absolutely love organizing and getting rid of clutter so now our junk drawer (that somehow got renamed to the “oh, sh*t drawer”) has very little in it when before it was overflowing with random items.
MB says
Someone probably already suggested this but….I didn’t have time to sift through all the posts. Just use rubber bands on your kitchen drawers and cabinets to baby proof. Haven’t met a toddler yet with the fine motor skills necessary to remove a double wrapped rubber band and you don’t have to screw any special hinges or locks into/onto? your cabinets. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Jules says
Last night I reorganized our linen/medicine cabinet. I was SO happy to get rid of a ton of stuff, and then shook my head at myself for everything I just packed and moved 2 months ago. Probably could have done without at least a box worth of stuff!
Verena says
Oh man I love doing this as well, but with my purses!
dana828 says
Burger must be one well-behaved pooch to allow you to sort through your junk drawer on the floor! My dog would be running off with everything the second I set it down. All my organizing must be done out of her reach, or behind closed doors. And that goes double for clothes-folding! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! If it’s not food he couldn’t care less. Haha.
xo,
s
Necole says
I think you have just given me the motivation to get my junk drawer in order. I need it done before the end of the summer. I will have two girls in school, and will have to keep up with their things.
NotJune says
I’m quite surprised you guys have a paper address book (I do too)! I would have thought you’d be all techie for that. (Love the pre-emptive baby safety comments too- hilarious.).
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that funny? We’d cry if we lost that little green book. It has everyone in it! Our computers might have 5% of the info it has.
xo,
s
Lauren says
Where do you guys store batteries and light bulbs? Trying to figure out a resourceful and practical spot for them!
YoungHouseLove says
We have batteries in that second drawer. As for light bulbs, they are in a big woven basket in the corner base cabinet of our kitchen near the sink (there’s a lazy susan in there). Keeping them corralled in a basket is nice so they don’t roll all over the place.
xo,
s
KathyG says
Where do you keep your bills, other correspondence that needs responding to?
I keep a designated drawer that contains current-ready-to-pay bills, other correspondence that needs a mail reply, a small assortment of thank-you cards, birthday cards, get well cards, as well as your mentioned extra blank envelopes, address book, stamps, address lables/stamp. My checkbook too incidently. That way I can quickly put together anything that’s going out into snail-mail.
One time, I literally got a gift in the mail, opened it on the way back into the house, walked straight to that drawer, wrote a TY note, addressed & stamped it, and returned immediately to the mailbox with it – without ever sitting down!
I’ve only been that efficient ONCE (in my entire life), but I love to tell that story. HA
YoungHouseLove says
Now that is amazing. Never done that in my life! We do have a little cubby thing in our office between our desks that we use to store things that need to be responded to (although we do try to pay bills as soon as they come in just to get them done with so we don’t have to look at a pile of them).
xo,
s
Angie says
Organizing feels sooooooooooooooo good!
I use a 4×2 expidit bookshelf (on it’s side) in our family room. The baskets hide all the toys and turn it into a adult space in the evenings. The only problem is those suckers are deep and hide all manner of toys! Yesterday I dumped all of them out on the floor and did a major organizational overhaul. I found lables with photos(for my non reading girls)to velocro to the front. My oldest is only 3 but already she pipes up when things get chaotic and announces the need to organize. I bet ya’ anything Clara will be just like mama as well!
Amanda says
We’re moving in a couple of months and I’m really looking forward to HAVING drawers in our kitchen! We only have two drawers in our kitchen at all right now, and they’re both those tiny little half drawers that you can’t actually fit anything in!
Kim says
I love that you post about everything including organizing junk drawers! And I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who likes to keep the ‘junk’ drawer neat – hee hee! I just recently reorged quite a few of my kitchen drawers and it made me sooo happy ;)
Mai says
Just curious, how long did it take for you to do that? Whenever I take a bunch of things from an area of the room and try to organize it, I always end up taking forever (at least 3 hours) to put things back! It’s one of the reasons why I am bit petrified of reorganization. Yet the feeling afterwards feels sooo good.
I uncovered a bunch of floppy disks that I bought a decade ago (probably) the last time I did some reorganization. I had put them aside to recycle, but recycling proved to be more difficult than reusing, so I ended up doing crafts with them today since they’re a colorful bunch. Photo frames! Like this one: http://i52.tinypic.com/x6h6c4.jpg
YoungHouseLove says
I think it took about a half hour. Not so bad, right? I just had to keep from getting distracted, so I just sit and don’t get up (not to put something in the wrapping paper closet or anything like that- no roaming allowed). I just make piles on the floor to get carried to other places when I’m completely done. Seems to work pretty well (although Clara is a pretty great distraction sometimes).
xo,
s
Isabel says
Now I’m all inspired to try to bring some shadow of organizing to my kitchen cabinets… let’s see if the inspiration will still be there this weekend!
I have to say it, though, I absolutely love the little green napkin with the two birds and flowers in your 3rd drawer.
You wouldn’t by happy chance remember where you got them, would you? *hopeful smiley face goes here*
YoungHouseLove says
Those were from John’s mom from Target I think!
xo,
s
Mandy says
Hi guys!
I’ve been following your blog for probably six months now, and I absolutely love it! You have such wonderful design ideas and I always come away from your posts with a chuckle.
My hubs and I are expecting our first baby (a boy!) in August, and have spent the last three months working on his nursery. You guys (and, let’s admit it, pinterest) inspired us to tackle most of the nursery on a DIY basis. AND, I’m excited to report, it’s done!!! I’m a teensy bit proud of it (the first DIY project we’ve ever really tackled in our 4 years of marriage) and wanted to share it with you!
http://mrandmrsbreitenstein.blogspot.com/2011/06/blakes-nursery-revealed.html
Okay, that’s all :) Just wanted to stop by and introduce myself, so I can feel a little less stalker-ish every time I stop by your blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Completely adorable! I love every last DIY detail! Especially the tree on the wall! Amazing. Congrats on your little boy on the way!
xo,
s
jenn says
what does the tape on the wall near your old junk drawer indicate? hmmm? :D
YoungHouseLove says
That’s the opening that we want to make someday (we taped it off a few months ago to live with it for a while). Just found out we need a permit so it might take a while. Boo.
xo,
s
Rachael says
One of the best junk drawer tips I ever got was from Real Simple magazine.
I try my hardest to use re-usable bags at the grocery store, Target, etc. but sometimes I forget or am in a pinch and get the plastic bag. I like to keep them for future use (they’re great for bathroom trash can bags and for dog you-know-what clean-up on walks) but they can quickly multiply.
What you do is take an old cardboard paper towel roll and stick your plastic bags in there. That way you can store a bunch but it only takes up the room of a paper towel roll in your junk drawer. You can even have Clara paint it for an “art project” one day (I painted mine with stripes during a night of boredom).
Love the organizing tips!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that! So smart.
xo,
s
Jim says
I just went through a two week organize my entire house adventure that took me to exotic places like every single closet in my house, junk drawers, cabinets and everywhere in between. The best part was – speaking of hundreds of pens – that when I went to clean out my husband’s nightstand I found a drawer FULL of pens. And only pens, pencils, highlighters…the works. I should have taken a picture!
Also, I can’t believe I was beaten to the “that was the best thing that ever happened to me” comment! Well done Tess :) I laughed out loud – thank you.
My dirty secret is that I have a “just throw all mail into it basket” since I cant seem to stay on top of it…once it gets full I finally take the time to sort, shred, pay attention to what needs attention. That typically happens every 2-3 weeks.
Carly says
I just organized the linen closet… it took all of 10 minutes, but I feel so much better now that I don’t have to worry that when I open it the towering pile of sheets and blankets is going to come crashing down on my head. Or a house guest’s head… that would be bad. I used the tip of putting each corresponding sheet set in a pillow case from the same set to keep everything organized. I think that was a tip from you guys… brilliant! :)
Laura says
Waaaaay off topic, but did you see the chalkboard-painted horse statue today on Apartment therapy?
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/roundup-chalkboard-paint-off-the-wall-149696
I know it’s not white porcelain, but I thought it was pretty cool, and kind of your style, Sherry. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Obsessed!
xo,
s
christy says
I love to organize and I especially love organizational storage containers of just about any type. If you’re anal like me, here’s a link to some free printable labels:
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/organization-basics/free-printable-storage-labels/?page=8#page=12
They’re totally legit from Better Homes and Gardens. I think they’re great and if you scroll through the pages, you can find printable labels for all sorts of stuff.
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome! Off to check them out…
xo,
s
KiTX says
Confession? I have not a junk drawer, but a huge junk box in our bedroom! That junk box needs organization like no one’s business. Oh, well, maybe after this semester ends (grad school- it seemed like such a good idea a year ago…)!
priscilla says
Love all the organized drawers! The best thing I have ever seen for keeping babies out of cabinets is a magnetic lock.
The round magnet sticks to the inside of the cabinet doors, and there is a knob-thing that is separate and magnetized.
Just keep it in your kitchen window or somewhere like that and touch it to the outside of the cabinet (where the magnet is on the inside) and voila! The door opens.
Nothing shows, kids cannot pull it loose (neither can adults for that matter). My daughter has twin toddlers and they are everywhere in that kitchen but cannot get into anything except their “special cabinets”.
Works great!!
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve heard great things about those too! Thanks for the tip.
xo,
s
Autumn@Space for Living says
Be still my beating heart! I love organizing drawers. I would go into strangers’ houses and clean out their drawers if they would let me.
Sherry, your drawers look great (oh, I’m glad John didn’t write this one or that would’ve sounded creepy). I love how you split it into two smaller drawers. So many good organizing tips in the comments too! We all love a good declutter fest!
CampDallas says
great, that is! So funny!
CampDallas says
What?! You don’t use post-its??! Maybe it’s the teacher in me…or the daughter of a 3M employee in me, but I pretty much couldn’t live without them. Ha!
Verena says
I love sorting out “junk” – always so satisfactory!
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family says
Here is to hoping that Clara stays out of the drawers for a while longer and more importantly that Sherdog catches on. I think it is a fabulous nickname.
Althought it is already the name of a website for MMA fighting…not sure if you two would have anything in common (except MMA guys and Sherry like to go around barefoot).
Cool nail polish by the way!