A Pro Organizer Fixed My Messy Kitchen Junk Drawer

The problem with living in an absurdly small studio apartment is that you outgrow your space rather quickly. My kitchen area, if you can even call it that, is essentially one counter, a few cabinets, and a single drawer.

My kitchen junk drawer has become a catch-all of odds and ends that get cluttered fast. It stores everything from seasoning or condiment packets and plastic utensils to paper menus and so much more. It was messy, and despite seeming to have everything in it, I could somehow find nothing — including the items I actually needed (say, my poultry shears when I’m in the middle of trying to break down a chicken I just took out of the oven). 

The best thing to do in situations like these is to start fresh. So I tapped on organization expert Jessica Litman of The Organized Mama for her assistance in transforming my junk drawer. Here’s how she helped me fix it.

Litman’s first suggestion was to remove everything and give it a good cleaning. Once everything is out of the drawer, it’s easier to toss things I don’t need and organize what’s left. “Remove all the garbage that is sitting on the counter that was in the drawer,” adds Litman. She recommends getting rid of all the plastic forks, baggies, and any other opened but unused items. 

The next step was to organize the items together based on category. So all taco seasonings should go together. All the cutlery together. Then it was time to put those items back. The hard part, though? Maintaining that organization system moving forward or it wouldn’t be long before it goes back to where it started. 

I ended up removing the taco and other assorted seasoning packets, as well as tea bags and sweeteners to containers in my kitchen cabinet (which, truth be told, needs some organization in its own right), freeing up a lot of room in that drawer. 

Now the drawer contains items such as matches, a meat thermometer, corkscrews, wine stoppers, measuring cups and spoons — stuff that was strewn within the drawer before, but buried under the random plastic forks, napkins, and packets or baggies.

Litman shares that the best approach moving forward is to take it one day (or item) at a time for kitchen drawer organization. “When you get a new item, if it doesn’t fit into that category in that drawer, ask yourself if you have another location with that category. If yes, store (it) there. If not, ask yourself if you actually need that item. Because if you did, you would have a spot for that category!” says Litman.