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If you have a kitchen, you likely also have a kitchen junk drawer containing essential items such as pens, batteries, electronics and chargers, medication, coffee supplies, and even documentation like passports or appliance warranties. While there is a lot of information available on the organization of these miscellaneous items within your kitchen junk drawer, it is best to determine one or two purposes for your drawer and organize it for those purposes only. This approach helps eliminate the chaos of a junk drawer and encourages you to keep your drawer organized long-term. We’ve narrowed down the top five common “junk drawer essential” categories to help you determine the best “junk” drawer for your lifestyle!
Your kitchen is one of the central rooms in your home, where meals are prepared and daily necessities for both work and school are organized. Avoid searching for essential devices like headphones, smartphones, and smartwatches by transforming your kitchen junk drawer into a charging station. Having one simple, accessible location to charge electronics eliminates the hassle of searching for items during the hustle and bustle that occurs in kitchens on the mornings of work and school weeks. In any new or existing drawer, you can install a Docking Drawer Blade Duo outlet, which features a variety of ports including fast-charging USB-C (PD), to keep all types of devices charged and ready to go for the day. Not to mention, you will keep your countertops clear of cord and device clutter by charging your devices directly in the drawer. Kitchen charging drawers are not just excellent organization tools, they are also great for encouraging family members and guests to eliminate screen time during meals and enhance quality time together.
Left: Kitchen junk drawer before organization. Right: Kitchen junk drawer after transformation into a charging station.
If the majority of your kitchen junk drawer contains tools like screwdrivers, tape measures, batteries, lighters, flashlights, packing tape, and scissors, then creating a utility drawer may be the best solution for your drawer organization. More so than other drawer purposes, utility drawers can be difficult to prevent from turning back into a typical junk drawer, so opting for drawer organizers and dividers dedicated to specific items is key to staying on top of this drawer organization. Turning your kitchen junk drawer into a utility drawer is especially valuable for homes and rental spaces that do not have a dedicated space, such as a garage, for utility items. Keeping these tools readily available in a common space like a kitchen allows for easy everyday access, and it is also helpful during any power outages caused by severe weather when items like flashlights, lighters, and backup battery packs are important.
Utility drawer image via simplyspacial.com
While medications you take at night may be best stored in a bathroom drawer, your kitchen is the ideal place to have a dedicated space for any medication you take in the morning or around meal times. This includes vitamins and supplements taken in pill form or powders used as an addition to smoothies, soups, and dressings for additional health benefits. Keeping these items in a centralized kitchen drawer near a refrigerator, pantry, or even where you store your blender, can help simplify taking daily medications or supplements. Depending on your lifestyle, you can also incorporate herbal teas, tinctures, or essential oils to create a holistic wellness drawer. Drawer dividers are a great addition to your kitchen wellness drawer to keep medications and supplements organized, and textured drawer liners work well to help prevent medication and supplement bottles from moving too much when you open and close your drawer.
Kitchen supplement and medication drawer image via @simplyspacialhome
If your kitchen junk drawer holds potentially dangerous or sensitive items like prescription medications, passports, lighters, button batteries, or even sharp kitchen tools, adding a lock to create a secure storage drawer can help protect young children and even visitors from accessing these items. Creating a secure drawer is no longer limited to a lock and key function—now, there are security options that incorporate fingerprint recognition for added protection to your kitchen drawer. If you would like to secure valuable electronic devices inside your locked drawer, consider adding a charging outlet directly in the drawer (like this popular choice) so you can connect devices inside the secure drawer, ensuring they’re both safe and fully charged. Also consider using items like non-transparent storage boxes or even a false bottom drawer to avoid leaving sensitive items easily visible even if the drawer is open. The level of security you choose for your drawer depends on its contents and how easily others may access the drawer. If possible, select a kitchen drawer away from your more commonly used kitchen drawers to avoid confusion or frustration. While creating a secure storage drawer in your primary home is important, it is also something to consider for any rental or vacation homes you own that have frequent visitors.
Secured kitchen drawer image via diamondatlowes.com
If you are an avid coffee or tea drinker (or both!), repurposing your kitchen junk drawer into a coffee and tea supply drawer can bring organization to all of your beverage accessories. Store essential items like coffee scoops, K-Cups, coffee filters, tea bags, tea infusers, and more. If you are an espresso aficionado, store your portafilter, espresso tampers, specialty filters, and kitchen scale in one easy location to brew the perfect espresso shots. No matter your beverage of choice, select a kitchen drawer nearest to your brewing devices as your coffee and tea supply drawer to simplify your routine and keep your items from being left out on your kitchen counter. Make it easier to clean any coffee grounds or loose tea pieces that find their way into your drawer by incorporating drawer dividers with a bottom or utilizing drawer liners. It can also be beneficial to choose a drawer near a trash can for quick disposal of items like used tea bags and coffee filters, espresso pucks, or used K-Cups.
Coffee and tea kitchen drawer image via orderandbliss.com
Though focusing on one central purpose for your kitchen junk drawer is ideal, often the size of your drawer or space in your kitchen does not allow this approach. In those cases, you can create a dual-purpose drawer by installing drawer dividers. Want to combine your coffee accessories with your morning vitamins? Or, maybe you want to charge your devices and store your utility items in the same drawer? No problem. The true goal behind repurposing your kitchen junk drawer is to transform it into a space that gives purpose to what matters most to you.
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