Clean out your Draw's!

Working here at Rubbermaid, lots of people ask me what my favorite organization product is. My answers always vary slightly, depending on which product I'm currently using or enjoying. Today? I am TOTALLY in love with our mesh drawer organizers! As a chick, I have tons of makeup, lotions and potions to keep me looking my best. My bathroom vanity's drawers can get a little crazy! A few months ago, I got my hands on some of these puppies and re-organized these drawers. 

 
(Aren't they pretty?!) The organizers come in different sizes and have an interlocking feature to keep them in place. I configured a couple in each drawer, sorted them by use, and have been loving it ever since! Functional, keeping my stuff in order and SHINY :) What girl doesn't like shiny?
 


However, if you DON'T like the metallic look, we have these! They are new and look pretty snazzy with their black with khaki insert. Find a color that compliments your digs and clean out those drawers! Its the gift that keeps on giving! (oh, and boys, don't feel left out, I organized Jon's side as well, and he's enjoying it too... probably not as much as me though!)

How I Handle Junk Drawers: Containerize!

Yes, I said drawerS. Plural. We have several. Some drawers don't qualify as "junk," but I use the same method for them all: containerize. I found the word "containerizing" on this blog, and had to give her props. (Thanks Laura!) Her post about establishing limits and boundaries is what it's all about for me. I hate looking through a bunch of little things (pen caps, chapstick, bandaids, nails, screws, hairties, chip clips, etc) trying to find one other little thing. 

My bathroom drawer is probably the largest and has the most stuff in it. Just about every inch is containerized. Some of the "sections" include: headbands, hairties (neutral colors), hairties (fun colors), barrettes/bobby pins, chapstick/lip gloss/extra mascara, eye liner/makeup brushes, eye shadow, pens/pencils/misc, and it leaves enough space in the corner for my notepads (that I use to write reminders to myself all the time!). Can you imagine if all of this stuff was just in a drawer all mixed together?

We also have a couple junk drawers in the kitchen. Our drawers aren't very big, so we have ended up with two. Once again, the boundaries are the savior that keep things in their proper place.

 
In another bathroom drawer, I use a cut down bandaid box as a container. It upholds the boundaries, and it's a great way to reuse the box. It holds my nail polish (top/right corner). Any old boxes will work - cereal boxes, granola bar boxes, etc - just trim them down to the right height and they are ready to containerize!

I think the most important thing is to put things together that make sense for you so you can find what you need. For example: one cubby for rogue nails/screws/nuts/bolts; another cubby for hairties/barettes/clips. It's however it makes sense to YOU. As long as you sort everything out (tossing what should go in the garbage), organize the items, and then (the key) be good about putting things back in their correct place, your junk drawer will keep your junk organized. 

I found this other story about a junk drawer, and it made me laugh...Katherine of Raising Five ended up organizing her junk drawer (a.k.a. the "no-no drawer" in her house) after she couldn't find a spare key. She also addresses the question of "what does your junk drawer say about you?" I found that quite interesting.

How do YOU handle - or better yet - conquer - your junk drawer(s)?

Junk Drawers - The Finished Project

I finally took some time this weekend to organize my version of a junk drawer. I filmed the results so you could see what I did!

Now I just have to get in the habit so keeping these containers organized!

Junk Drawers - Organizing, Categorizing, and Separating

I finally found sometime this weekend to begin tackling my "junk drawers." I decided to do some research beyond the AWESOME comments that my other post left to find out just where to start.

I stumbled on Christine Kane's blog post about what your junk drawer can teach you about success. This post made me STOP FEELING GUILTY about my "junk areas." If you're not an organized person all the time (which is definitely me), then work with it. You need a place to just dump things. That's fine as long as it doesn't get out of control (aka clean it out every once in a while).

So with some motivation, I started with the step of removing everything and placing it in like piles (this suggestion came from April Welch and Life Organizers.com). I did this with two questions in my mind that professional organizer and friend Organized Home suggests:

• How often do I use this?
• Can I live with just one?

I ended up with:

1. A pile for writing utensils (I have a lot of these...and no I cannot live with just one :) )

    2.  A pile of office supplies

    3.  A pile of cords/electronic stuff

    4.  A pile of memorabilia

    5.  A pile of scrapbooks

    6. A pile of decorating stuff

    7.  A trash and a recycle pile (even though I cleaned it out before I moved, I still found things I just did not want to keep)

    8.  A random pile of things I needed (lightbulbs, screws, etc.) that did not seem to belong anywhere else

Basically my floor looked like this...

I felt so accomplished. I went ahead and put all my decorating stuff out and around my apartment and decided to put my scrapbooks on a shelf in my living room so anyone can look at them.

So now all I have to do is decide how I am going to store these piles. I am headed out shopping next week (hopefully) so stay tuned!

Oh and if you need motivation try one of Organized Solutions 15 minute organizing tasks (including cleaning out that junk drawer)!

My Version of a Junk Drawer…Help Me!

I was talking to my cubical mate at work the other day and she said something that inspired me. “Junk drawers are a great place to start organizing. You can finish it quickly and feel satisfied.” Brilliant!

I was inspired to go organize my junk drawers until…drum roll…I realized I did not have any. As a recent college graduate who has been living in an apartment with five other people, drawer space is at a premium. There were no extras to throw junk in. Therefore, I have accumulated junk bins/bags. Cheap, somewhat stylish, randomly pieced together bins and bags to hold things I either did not need all the time or had no idea what to do with.

Moving recently and getting my first “grown-up” apartment that is ALL MINE (WOOHOO!!!!). I have decided to start off with organizing my things. The problem is I have no idea how to go about this. This is compounded by some restrictions/wants that I have about organizing my “junk drawers.” These restrictions/wants are as follows:
    • Drawer space is still at a premium in my little 700 sq. foot apartment
    • I will be moving in 12 weeks. Whatever I organize needs to be transportable.
    • Most of these things need to be easily accessible and easy to find
    • None of the things in this pile seem to be related

On a positive note, I do have a HUGE closet that is relatively empty. I am trying to stop myself from just throwing everything in there and closing the door :)

Okay so what is in the pile:
    • Office supplies: pens, pencils, highlighters, staples, glue, scissors (I think), paper clips, graph paper, etc.
    • CDs – program cds, picture cds
    • Pictures and cards (only ones important to me…I threw out the rest before I moved)
    • Cords – charging cords, connect to the computer cords (I have a lot of little electronics)
    • Scrapbooks
    • Important documents (thus the huge black safety box my mom insisted I buy and I was mad because it cost like $70…hello, poor college student who can eat off of that for like 3 weeks) 
    • Other really random things

So please, please, please tell me how to get started or send some suggestions!!