By HILARY JOHNSON
How to Sort Out That Messy Drawer
Desks are one of the most difficult places to organize. The drawers in them, as well as other drawers around home, can be a challenge to get in proper order. If you have a drawer that you struggle to shut, and cannot find anything in when you need it, here are some ideas to help you get started on the path to drawer organization.
Begin with an Empty Slate
Instead of trying to clean within a mess, your first step should be to simply remove everything that is in the drawer. Take out all your pens, random business cards, souvenir keychains, and other knick-knacks. Make sure there is nothing left in the drawer. At that point, cleaning the drawer is the next step. Use some disinfectant, or water with a bit of vinegar and a drop of your favorite essential oil to wipe out the inside.
Get Rid of What You Don’t Need
Instead of stuffing everything back in, go through the contents you have removed and decide what you do and do not need. If you haven’t used an item in one year, or you forgot that you had the item there in the first place, get rid of it.
Depending on the value of the item, you can throw it away, donate it, or sell it online or at your next yard sale. If you need the item but you do not need it in this exact drawer, put it into another place where it is still accessible but not taking up valuable space in your small drawer.
Find a Permanent Home for Everything
As you decide where to put everything, give each item a permanent home. Instead of letting small items roll around in the drawer, use dividers to keep things in their place. This way you can be assured that your desk will not get back into the mess you found it in this time. Keep items with other items that are similar, for easy searching at a future date.
Try a New Method of Organization
If what you have been using for organization is obviously not working, now is the time to make some changes. Perhaps you need to buy a drawer insert that will provide the drawer with some obvious places to store items. Maybe you need to buy something as simple as a small tray for a drawer that is causing you grief because small items keep getting mixed up with each other.
Whatever your issue is, there is some way to fix it. Visit a home organization store to see what they have that might meet your organization needs in a better way than what you are currently relying on. Just don’t make the mistake of buying storage items that you don’t need, which soon end up becoming new clutter in your home.
Decluttering and organizing a drawer that has gotten out of control is a tedious task, but can be done pretty quickly when you know what you are trying to achieve.
By making some decisions and possibly investing a small amount of money, you can clean up those drawers in a minimal amount of time. Use these tips to create a drawer space that will make you smile instead of grimace every time you open it.