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Most homes have a junk drawer. It’s the place where random odds and ends end up when nobody knows where else to put them. A spare key, a couple of pens, loose batteries, and that mystery screw from who-knows-what can quickly turn into a pile that’s hard to sort through.
A junk drawer can be useful, but it shouldn’t become the default storage spot for everything. If yours is getting crowded, start by pulling out anything you don’t need or could store somewhere more suitable. Here are 12 common items that are better off somewhere else.
Keys Without a Home
Most people have at least one mystery key tucked away in a drawer. You have no idea what it opens, but you keep it because getting rid of it feels risky.
If you can’t identify a key after checking around the house, consider letting it go. For keys you do need, give them a proper home on a key rack, hook, or dedicated tray.
Related: The Things That Can Wreck Your Dishwasher Over Time
Scraps of Paper
Small pieces of paper tend to multiply in junk drawers. Receipts, old notes, phone numbers, shopping lists, and random reminders can quickly fill up valuable space.
Keep only papers you actually need. Important information can be saved digitally, while old notes and scraps can head straight to the recycling bin.
Pens
A junk drawer can become a graveyard for pens. There’s usually a collection of dried-out pens, half-working pens, promotional pens, and a few that you never actually reach for.
Test them and keep the ones that work well. A handful of reliable pens is usually plenty.
Coupons
Coupons only help if you actually use them before they expire. Once they disappear into a drawer, they’re easy to forget about.
Keep current coupons somewhere you’ll see them, such as your wallet or a small holder near your shopping list. Toss expired ones instead of letting them pile up.
Related: 10 Strange Things That Are Surprisingly Smart to Stockpile
Rubber Bands
Rubber bands seem to have a permanent place in junk drawers, and keeping a few around can be handy. The problem starts when you have dozens of them tangled around everything else.
If you have more than you’ll realistically use, declutter the extras. Store the remaining bands together in a small container so they don’t end up wrapped around keys, scissors, and other drawer contents.
Miscellaneous Screws
That lone screw might be useful someday, but a junk drawer isn’t the best place for a collection of hardware.
Move loose screws, nails, washers, and other small hardware into a toolbox or divided organizer. If you know what a particular screw belongs to, label the container so you can find it later.
Condiment Packets
Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and other condiment packets often end up scattered around the kitchen. The junk drawer makes them easy to forget about, too.
Keep packets together in a small basket or container near your regular condiments. You’ll be much more likely to use them before they get old.
Related: Always Keep These 17 Seasonings and Condiments in Your Emergency Pantry
Takeout Menus
Paper takeout menus aren’t as useful as they once were. Most restaurants now have their menus online, so there’s little reason to let a stack of old menus take up space in your drawer.
Recycle the ones you no longer need and save your favorite restaurants in your phone instead.
Old Batteries
Loose batteries can create problems if they come into contact with metal objects such as coins, keys, or other batteries. Batteries can also leak as they age.
Store batteries in their original packaging or in a dedicated battery organizer, preferably somewhere separate from loose metal objects. Check older batteries from time to time and dispose of damaged or leaking ones according to your local disposal rules.
Coins
Loose change has a way of taking over a junk drawer. A few coins are fine, but a growing pile can make it harder to find the things you actually need.
Keep your change in a coin jar or another dedicated container. Once you’ve collected enough, you can use it for purchases, deposit it at your bank, or exchange it.
Broken Items
The junk drawer is often where broken things go to be “fixed later.” A broken zipper, missing button, cracked gadget, or damaged kitchen tool can sit there for months.
If you’ve had the item for a long time without repairing it, be honest about whether you’re really going to fix it. Repair what is worth keeping and let go of the rest.
Related: 12 Things You Should Save Before Taking Out the Trash
Random Items You Don’t Use
This is probably the biggest junk drawer culprit. If you haven’t used something in months and can’t think of a realistic reason to keep it, it may be taking up space for no reason.
Give useful items a proper home, donate things someone else could use, and discard anything that’s no longer useful. Your junk drawer should hold the small things you reach for, not become a storage spot for everything you don’t know what to do with.
A little editing can make a junk drawer much easier to live with. Once you clear out the items that don’t belong, you’ll have more room for the genuinely useful odds and ends that tend to come in handy around the house.
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