A journey towards minimalism is inevitably going to have setbacks, but the kitchen junk drawer is my decluttering nemesis. Every time I clear it, it comes back to haunt me… the wondrous crevice I can fill with one swoop of an arm across the kitchen counter. I need a new strategy because I refuse to be defeated by a piece of cabinetry.
We’ve all been there (at least I hope I’m not alone on this one): You lose track of time, remember someone’s due to arrive at the house in ten minutes and instinctively hide all those nick-nacks in the only place they’re welcome… the junk drawer. Mari Kondo says successful minimalism lies in having a place for everything. The trouble is, a junk drawer is a place for literally everything! No border control, no immigration laws, everything is welcome in the trusty junk drawer.
Renaming the Junk Drawer
My previous purges on the junk drawer have failed me, so its time to tackle the issue from a different angle. Instead of just working my way through the contents of the drawer and returning them to their home country, I want to eliminate the identity of the junk drawer all together. It’s a lost soul, no real purpose other than to contain the dregs of superior storage solutions. Goodbye junk drawer, it’s time for a revolution.
What is the role of this new drawer? It’s my go-to place when I’m looking for something really useful, yet it’s full of stuff I haven’t used in months, if ever. The drawer previously known as Junk Drawer is now to be called the Everyday Drawer. Citizens have to qualify through the following criteria:
- An item a member of the family uses every day. You have to be useful and willing to work hard to be welcome in the Everyday Drawer.
- An item often required quickly and with ease. You may have some special skills you can contribute to the safe and convenient running of the home.
What Do I Use Everyday?
The junk drawer has previously contained some really useful items, but many are there for occasional use. They swim around amongst the everyday items and I can spend 5 minutes trying to find a pair of scissors when I know there are three pairs in there.
Either the occasional skilled items need a new home or I need to separate them within the drawer. I finally got around to buying some drawer organizers… where have you been all my life?! No more searching for a pencil for homework, no more searching for loose batteries rolling around freely.
I have kept the occasional items in the drawer but have imprisoned them in a lidded container, allowing the hard-working fellows to take center stage.
Deportation & Final Thoughts
Plenty of things had to make their way back home… I couldn’t believe how much medical stuff had made its way to the drawer. Itch cream, band-aids, sugar level testing kit, vitamins etc. We have a medicine cabinet, why is this stuff in here?! Going back to Marie Kondo’s place for everything… how do we go about breaking the habit of not returning things to their rightful place?
A friend mentioned a while back how she found it frustrating that her daughter’s hairbrush, toggles etc always ended up cluttering the kitchen counter. They never had the chance to make it back to their home in the bedroom or bathroom. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em… We have a drawer in the kitchen/breakfast area that is just for hair paraphernalia and face wipes. Maybe you think that’s a bit gross? Hair in the kitchen?! But I’d be surprised if anyone with daughters doesn’t end up brushing their hair in the kitchen. Maybe your hair stuff floats around your junk drawer?
If things that have a place repeatedly end up away from where they belong, move their home. Mass immigration and reorganization. Make it easy to return things by considering how you use them. I’m feeling hopeful in my defeat of the junk drawer. What is your decluttering nemesis?
