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A lot of people have one or more drawers in their homes where they store a lot of odds and ends, a “junk drawer.” When’s the last time you decided to organize your junk drawer? Probably not too recently! This is actually one of the toughest organizational challenges there are, even though we’re talking about a relatively small space. By nature, junk drawers collect lots of little bits and bobs that don’t really seem to “fit” anywhere else. Here are some junk drawer organizer ideas to help you out.

• Start by pulling everything out of the drawer! Yes, it’s a scary prospect, but just do it! You will probably find lots of stuff you can throw away or donate, and that gets a huge part of the job done right away. You may also find a lot of items that actually do have homes elsewhere in your house, and which you do not need a junk drawer organizer to deal with. If this takes a long time, just do this part of the job today, then put everything back in your drawer until tomorrow.

• Next you need to organize everything that’s left in the junk drawer. The best way to do this is by using a lot of small containers, which can be open or closed—that is up to you. Small plastic containers for your drawers are among the best options. Why? Simply put, they are cheap and flexible, and will do what you need. If you buy clear plastic organizers, you will be able to see everything when you open the drawer, even if you are purchasing boxes that close.

• Try to organize according to some logical scheme. If you have multiple junk drawers, try and designate each for different purposes. You could have a junk drawer for office supplies and another for beauty supplies, and another for assorted stuff you’ve collected, and so on. Try and store same items together in your boxes, or at the very least, related items. The more sense your organizational scheme makes, the easier it will be to find what you need, and the easier it will be to put new stuff away in your junk drawers without creating a whole new mess.

What’s amazing about well-organized junk drawers is this—they suddenly cease being junk drawers! When you stop treating the stuff you own like junk, you begin to appreciate its real functionality. What was previously a junk drawer for random items suddenly becomes a very useful office drawer for necessary supplies, or a dresser drawer for makeup and other beauty supplies!

It takes some effort to get junk drawers under control. For some people, it may only take an hour, while others might take days of work to get their drawers organized. It depends on how many you have, how full they are, and what is inside them—as well as the other organizing systems you have set up in your household. It’s a very rewarding organizing chore, though, and once you’ve completed it, you will love your new functional drawers!