12 Things You Shouldn't Store In Your Junk Drawer, According To Professionals

Plus 5 things you should.

Contrary to what you may believe, a junk drawer is not meant to be a catch-all for life’s throw-aways. That would be your trash can. Still, many people treat their junk drawer as a pre-garbage can limbo. The junk drawer is where we all tend to stash anything that we're really just not sure where to put.

Really, that usage just dilutes the functionality of a true junk drawer. In fact, the name ‘junk drawer’ could be misleading. Professional organizer Kate Swenson prefers to call it a “grab and go drawer,” while another pro, Mary Davis, is partial to saying “miscellaneous drawer.”

Meet The Expert

• Kate Swenson is the founder and CEO of ORDER by Kate, a professional organizing company in Alpharetta, Georgia.

• Mary Davis is the owner and founder of In Good Order professional organizers in Richmond, Virginia.

• Tonia Tomlin is a professional organizer and the owner of Sorted Out in Dallas, Texas.

“We all call it a junk drawer out of habit. But really, it's more of a miscellaneous drawer, because it should be things that we actually use and not literal junk,” says Davis. “Not storing the junk in there is kind of the key.”

A junk drawer (or whatever you want to call it), can be incredibly useful if it’s kept tidy and clutter-free. Professional organizers recommend drawer dividers to keep junk drawer contents in neat order. Exactly what should be in there to promote the most practicality will shift slightly from household to household depending on what kinds of things your family uses regularly and needs handy. In general though, there are still some junk drawer dos and don'ts. Here’s what does and doesn’t belong in a junk drawer.

Things You Should Store In Your Junk Drawer

Writing Utensils

Swenson and Davis both say that pens are a must-have in any junk drawer and sure to come in handy if stored there. Professional organizer Tonia Tomlin agrees and adds a useful black marker to the list.

Small, Select Tools

Davis likes to always have a small screwdriver and tape measure nearby, so she makes sure to keep them readily available in her junk drawer. Only keep tools in your junk drawer that are regularly used inside the house for everyday projects.

Adhesives

In a pinch, tape and glue can be easily grabbed out of a junk drawer for securing mail or quick fixes. Depending on your needs, scissors may be a good inclusion too.

Batteries

Something around the house is always needing new batteries, and the junk drawer can be a good place to keep the spares. Be sure to store junk drawer-bound batteries safely in a battery storage container.

Eye-Glass Cleaner

If folks in your household wear glasses, a cleaning cloth and solution will be in high demand. For easy accessibility and quickly cleaned eyewear, the junk drawer should do the trick.

Things You Shouldn’t Store In Your Junk Drawer

Kitchen Items

Junk drawers are commonly found in kitchens; however, Davis advises against getting kitchen items mixed up with the junk drawer. Instead, that drawer should be a place for things that will regularly come in handy in the kitchen or center of home but don’t really have any other obvious place to go. The junk drawer is a place for necessary things that don’t belong anywhere else.

A Tool Set

While a miniature tool or two is advisable to keep in the junk drawer, the whole tool box definitely doesn’t belong in there, especially as loose tools just floating around amidst clutter. No one wants to hastily reach into the junk drawer for a quick retrieval and accidentally knick themselves on a misplaced tool.

Broken Things

“I would not recommend putting anything that's broken in the junk drawer,” says Tomlin. “I don't know why people do this, but sometimes when a toy or something in the kitchen breaks, they just shove it in the drawer. Why don't you just make a note to replace the item and just throw it away?”

Makeup

Tomlin additionally advises against storing makeup in the junk drawer. Keep replacements closer to the bathroom or wherever your makeup routine takes place to avoid junk drawer cluttering.

Charging Cords

“Stay away from putting charging cords in the junk drawer because what people tend to do is just throw the cords in without wrapping them nicely and neatly,” says Swenson.

These days, most people have too many charging cords for too many devices. Tomlin recommends setting up a dedicated charging station for convenience and to save your junk drawer from an onslaught of electronic accessories.

Expired Coupons

Re-sort through your junk drawer regularly to take stock of what is in there. If you use the junk drawer as a convenient place to store coupons, be sure to relocate expired clippings to the trash so that they don’t pile up.

Gum, Candy, And Mints (If Not Stored Properly)

“I wouldn't keep gum in the junk drawer unless the gum is in a plastic container. Stay away from paper because the paper can get wet and then it could get sticky,” says Swenson. “Candy, gum, and mints need to be contained well if they’re in a junk drawer. That’s the key.”

Money

“Money is an easy thing to throw in a junk drawer, but I wouldn’t,” says Swenson. “Coins in a little container could be okay, but I wouldn't throw dollar bills in there. They'd get all crunched up.”

Bills And Receipts

Similarly, keep bills and receipts out of the junk drawer to stay on top of them.

“A lot of people come home and they just throw their receipts in the junk drawer,” reveals Swenson. “Those actually need to be organized correctly, especially if you own your own business and really need those receipts.”

Medicine

A dedicated medicine cabinet in the kitchen is recommended over a chaotic junk drawer with important medicine haphazardly thrown in there. Unless the extent of your medicine is a small bottle of Advil or Tylenol, it’s best to keep prescription and over-the-counter meds in their own organized location.

Soy Sauce Packets

When Swenson is organizing a client's junk drawer, she unfortunately finds soy sauce packets in there all too often. The same goes for Chick-fil-A sauce packets, she says.

“People forget about the packets and they just stay there and get old because you'll never use them,” says Swenson. “Then, next week you're gonna go to get more takeout and get more sauce packets anyway, so keep them out of the junk drawer and just toss them.”

Kids’ Toys

“Any small kids’ toys just don't belong in a junk drawer,” says Swenson. While it can be nice to have toys on hand, especially in households with young, impatient kids, throwing toys in the junk drawer rather than a designated storage space or playroom can start a habit of misplacement and overtake the otherwise functional drawer.

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