Before and After: A Kitchen Junk Drawer Gets a Sleek New Look in an Hour
Ah, the kitchen junk drawer. We love it for its convenience and ability to tuck away miscellaneous cords and keys and utensils, but what’s meant to be a command center can quickly become a cluttered catchall that actually hurts more than helps.
“You still need to be able to find what you’re looking for,” homeowner Michelle of @forthosewhoasked_ says — and in her kitchen, that was absolutely not the case.
“It was an absolute disaster — I’m surprised we could even close it!” she says of her household’s version of the drawer that seems to pop up in spacious kitchens everywhere.
“I couldn’t find a set of keys to our back door, and after rummaging through the drawer for about 10 minutes, removing everything, I knew I couldn’t put it back the way it was,” she says.
Her drawer contained items that needed to be weeded out — and some that just needed to return to “more appropriate places like the garage.”
In an hour, she sorted through the contents and was able to throw away a lot of old papers and miscellaneous items. She also added tags to her keys for quick finding. “I am not a pack rat, so getting rid of items is easy for me,” Michelle says. “The hardest part will be keeping it this neat and tidy!”
Although Michelle’s drawers had plastic white organizers before, their too-small divided spaces just weren’t cutting it — in fact, the overflow made the drawer feel cramped. But Michelle loves the way her new bamboo Threshold organizers (she paid about $50 for all of them) look and match with the rest of her kitchen, and they will certainly help maintain the tidiness.
After her quick project, this junk drawer is more aptly named a “utility drawer,” Michelle says, and she can now quickly find her USB cords, keys, tape, scissors, and lighter.
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