Saturday, February 23, 2013

Junk Drawer No More! $12 Drawer Makeover!


This might be my husband's most favorite project that I decided to tackle for the sake of my blog. There's no doubt he loves when I get into a baking streak or on a whim decide to test out a few new Pinterest recipes in the kitchen but taking on the junk drawer, his most loathed drawer in all the kitchen? I'm pretty sure I made his week. 

Let's get something straight. This project was long overdue. A few months ago I decided to sort through the drawer and put important things in plastic baggies making them easy to find when necessary but within a matter of weeks, the drawer fell quickly back to looking like something off of Hoarders. 

Something had to be done and what better project to tackle on a lazy Saturday? After a quick trip to Walmart, I returned home $12 poorer but with 5 white drawer organizing trays. There were a few more expensive options but let's be real here. It's the junk drawer. I'm not going for looks. I'm going for clean, streamlined and organized.


Looking at that "before" and "after," I should be ashamed. That drawer is the first drawer you hit when you walk into our kitchen making it so easy to be the "catch all" drawer for all of our crap. Loose change, random nails and screws, a billion hair ties and bobby pins not to mention all of those rolls of scotch tape. I'm pretty sure I don't need to buy another roll of Scotch tape this year. But how would I have known that before? I didn't even know I had tape in that drawer!

With our new snazzy drawer organizers, it will be much easier to keep our "junk drawer" clean and in tip top shape. Junk drawer? More like Clean and Organized Central drawer! $12 dollars and forty five minutes well spent. I think my favorite part of the new drawer is those two little tin canisters you see in the top right corner. 


1. Chalk pens and dry erase markers. I have two large chalkboards in my kitchen as well as a dry erase calendar and menu-planning board on the fridge. These markers get a lot of use and now I can find them all in one place. 

2. Pens and Black Sharpie markers. I cannot tell you how many times I have dug through that drawer looking for a black pen or Sharpie marker. Jotting down quick notes or labeling lunches or bags of frozen milk, no more digging through that bottomless pit of a drawer.

3. Random screws and nails. With the ever-growing list of DIY projects around our house, there is always a pile of loose screws and nails hanging around. Rather than rush out to the garage each time I come across a straggler, I finally have a place to put them. 

4. Hair ties and bobby pins. Oh for the love. I am so guilty of leaving these things all over the place and the second I need either one? I can't find them anywhere. I'm so happy to have a little spot in the junk drawer just for them. 


5. Flashcards, crayons and markers. Eventually my plan is to have an "Arts & Crafts" tupperware bin out in the garage that I can snag when the boys want to work on an art project but in the meantime, it's nice having a few packs of markers and crayons in the kitchen that I could pull out at a moments notice. The toddler's flashcards are also kept here making them easy to grab when we have a few minutes to run through them each day. 

6. Tape, tape and more tape. Oh and scissors too. Self-explanatory. 

7. Chapstick, hand sanitizer, hand lotion. I am a beauty product hoarder. The cabinets underneath each and every bathroom in our house resemble the shelves of the local drug store but every time I go hunting for hand lotion or chapstick, I can't find a lick of it when I need it most. Problem solved. Oh and there's some little kid toothpaste in there for good measure.  

See what you can do with forty-five kidfree minutes and $12! Not too shabby. Now, if I could just find a place for the rest of the nonsense I pulled from the drawer...

Be sure to check back here on Monday for the Dog Days {of Winter} Are Over Project Challenge where myself and nine other fantastic bloggers challenged you to Clean It! I can't wait to see what you've come up with. I'm banking on finding some great home remedies for my much-loathed cook top as well as my stainless steel sink! See you then! 

8 comments :

  1. This is a great project! And for only $12? That's awesome. I may have to try this in our new apartment, before we junk up a drawer :).

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  2. I love it! Currently we don't have a junk drawer. We have a junk room! It's supposed to be the craft room/office but it has turned into the catchall room. Don't know where to put that? Put it in the craft room! I'm currently going through everything purging and organizing so we can repaint the room. I'll be so happy when it's done. Organizing a junk drawer sounds much easier!

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  3. I seriously looked at a drawer in the kitchen before I read this! Where did you find the drawers in Wal-Mart...the office supplies area?

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  4. My junk drawer needs this done desperately. Nice job lady :)

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  5. Very nice! My husband makes fun of me because I get upset when our "junk drawer" gets messy! :)

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  6. It looks great AP!! I have a junk cabinet that needs an overhaul like this! It drives my husband crazy too!

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  7. Looks great! We have a junk drawer...and a junk PILE on top of the cabinet too. I can't wait to get into this house so I can get organized. Because right now, it's a disaster!

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  8. Those little organizers look so great - thanks for the motivation - I need to get a handle on our junk drawer!

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