Junk Drawer, No More! You Need To Try This Alternative…

This post is all about the best junk drawer alternative that made a huge difference in our kitchen!

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Junk Drawers Are ‘So Last Year’

Say it with me… “I don’t need a junk drawer”. Doesn’t that feel good? I get it, junk drawers are a total comfort thing, but I promise this alternative is a game-changer. It cleared up a whole drawer in our kitchen, and it also helped get us WAY more organized with our weekly mail.

Time To Purge The Junk Drawer

First things first, let’s get things cleaned out. I use the same method for organizing rooms, closets, drawers, and everything in-between. The first step is always purging. Clear everything out and start organizing it into “categories”.

Take note of what “categories” you have. Whatever you’ve been storing in your junk drawer needs a new home. For us that was: pens, mail, an assortment of tools, stamps, coins, etc. Pull it all out & start finding a home for everything. Chances are you already have one, but you stick things in the junk drawer because it’s easier.

The Best Junk Drawer Alternative

The biggest culprit in our drawer was mail. The second largest culprit? All those little items that needed to be put away, but you shove in the drawer instead. Somehow they never end up actually getting put away. This addition to our kitchen resolved both of these issues.

My holy grail… a magazine file holder! Seems simple, but let me explain…

I added a cute wicker one to our kitchen which matched our decor. I slipped it right in by our cookbooks. It blends in discretely while adding a little texture. Here’s why it works 10x better than a junk drawer…

I use it for spot to drop mail, documents, and other small items. The junk drawer kept things enclosed which led to me ignoring them. Now when cleaning up the kitchen each night, I do a quick “put away” of anything sitting in the file holder. I’ll do the same with the mail. Any major bills, I go through once a week. It’s been so helpful in staying organized and keeping our bills timely too!

Getting Organized

Once you’ve got a good system down with the file holder, it’s time to get your brand new drawer organized! I decided to make ours a mix of cleaning items & everyday functional items. Here’s what stayed in ours:

• Keys
• ONE pen and a notepad
• Scrub daddy sponges
• Microfiber cloths
• Garbage disposal tablets
• Cooking gloves

@ahousetohomey

Are you pro or anti junk drawer? 👀 #homehacks #smallkitchen #smallkitchenhacks #spacesavingideas #kitchenorganizationideas #junkdrawer

♬ original sound – Megan | Home & Lifestyle

It’s a simple solution, but it makes a world of a difference! If you try this out tag me, @ahousetohomey!

P.S. I rounded up an assortment of unique magazine holders. You can find them all here!