Want an inexpensive way to organize your junk drawer? Use recycled boxes!
Table of contents
- Want an inexpensive way to organize your junk drawer? Use recycled boxes!
- Is your junk drawer a total mess? Well, mine was, and I am a professional organizer.
- Here is what our junk drawer looked like. Messy, even with the silverware trays…sigh.
- Our solution to keep it organized? Empty boxes!
- In the meantime, go through all the stuff in the junk drawer and organize and purge!
- Measure the height of the junk drawer and cut down all the boxes to fit.
- Arrange the boxes in the drawer so they use all the space.
- Then the fun part – fill them up!
- Lastly, admire your handiwork and see everything at a glance.
Is your junk drawer a total mess? Well, mine was, and I am a professional organizer.
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I had tried in the past to organize my junk drawer using silverware trays. They were okay, but they were too small and slid around inside the drawer. Nothing had an obvious designated place. When the kids put something in the drawer, they just placed it in the front. As a result, it got harder and harder to find anything.
I finally found an easy way to re-organize my junk drawer. I didn’t spend any extra money. And I even did some recycling!
Here is what our junk drawer looked like. Messy, even with the silverware trays…sigh.
I decided we needed make spaces for each item, so they would be easier to find. After all, that is what I tell my clients all the time.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
Our solution to keep it organized? Empty boxes!
I saw lots of great pins on my go-to, Pinterest. People recycled cardboard boxes into all kinds of other things. So, that’s what we did.
Start saving those cereal, tissue, and pre-packaged cardboard boxes and small plastic butter and yogurt tubs.
We are a family of 5, with 3 teenagers. Not surprisingly, it really didn’t take that long to save up that many boxes! I just set aside an extra laundry basket out in the garage. I stored the sizes I thought would work best in it. Ones that were not too big and not too small.
We do try to eat healthy, but yes, we do have junk food, too. Don’t judge us based on the boxes you see 🙂
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In the meantime, go through all the stuff in the junk drawer and organize and purge!
You know, the locks that you lost the keys for and the broken pencils. There are also the 300 leftover Allen wrenches from all the furniture you have put together over the years. And they are all the same size.
What did we discover? Lo and behold! We found 4 rolls of transparent tape! Who knew? Not us, obviously!
We also have enough birthday candles and matches to last for several generations. So it really made a difference to go through everything and reorganize it!
Measure the height of the junk drawer and cut down all the boxes to fit.
We used a ruler. With a Sharpie and a utility knife, we cut them all down to just below the drawer height. That way, they won’t catch when opening and closing the drawer. Then I set my engineer-minded husband and son to work fitting all the boxes into the drawer.
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Arrange the boxes in the drawer so they use all the space.
Otherwise, they will slide all over the place. I think my guys did an excellent job fitting them all in the drawer just like a jigsaw puzzle!
I did not tape them all together because they fit nice and tight. This way is easier to take, say, the whole box of rubber bands for a project. But you could tape them all together and make it into one unit, too.
Then the fun part – fill them up!
Since I had already purged everything from the drawer, I looked at what was left and grouped like items together. Transparent tape went in one box. Double-sided tape went in the same box. All the suction cups were in another box. The light timers, twistie ties, and felt chair feet pads, were grouped together as well.
Group them how it makes sense to you so you can find things easily.
Lastly, admire your handiwork and see everything at a glance.
It is an inexpensive way to get customized storage for your junk drawer. You can use boxes you already have. And it’s fun to arrange them in the drawer, too.
Try it yourself and let me know how it goes!
~ Pam
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Looking for other ways to use cardboard boxes? Try these: Awesome ways to recycle cereal boxes!
I’ve been using all kinds of boxes & containers to organize drawers & pantry & craft room for years now. I also use French’s Fried Onion containers; (after they are empty of course!) 😉
Parmesan containers; Pringles’ containers; Folgers coffee containers;
Large Cinnamon containers; I’ll also cut the bottom of cereal boxes to whatever height I need, depending on what I need it for. I also save all my prescription pill bottles to make different craft items out of. I’ll either use contact paper to cover the cardboard or paint them and the containers.
Nice, Brenda! They really are easy (and cheap!) to use, arent’t they? Thanks for letting me know! ~Pam