Ruminations on a Junk Drawer

I'm not sure if the familiar urges for spring cleaning have just reached me early this year or if my home was crying out for an overhaul, but I have spent the past two weeks culling and cleaning chez moi. Not a junk drawer went unturned, not a picture frame undusted.

I tend to be a very tidy person anyway and always have a clean home. Every night before I go to bed I do a once over and make sure there are no dishes in the sink and that the cushions on my couch are propped up in an orderly fashion. There is nothing worse, to me, than waking up to a messy house. And, of course, I make my bed every morning without fail. (I think my mother told me when I was a kid that if I didn't make my bed, spiders would crawl into it- that scare tactic seemed to work wonders as I still do it today!)

However, just because it looks outwardly tidy does not an organized home make. I would hide things away in drawers, cupboards and baskets thinking that out of sight meant out of mind. The trouble is that whenever I would pass these drawers and cupboards I would get an uneasy feeling because I knew deep down that the clutter behind those doors was there to stay... until I dealt with it.

So I decided to tackle my home, one junk drawer at a time. I probably thew away 5 large trash bags full of things that I had been storing- talk about junk! Now, as opposed to having- count them- 4 junk drawers in my kitchen, taking up highly valuable space, I now have one drawer that I call my 'miscellaneous' drawer. It no longer contains 'junk', but has highly useful things like take out menus, nuts and bolts, errant pens and appliance manuals.

The best method for tackling junk drawers for me? Do one at a time. Dump everything out on the floor while you are watching television (preferably some cleanliness motivating show like Clean House, How Clean is Your House? or Anthea Turner Perfect Housewife). You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish in a half an hour- horrified at the trivial junk you've been holding on to- and proud that you have done something productive rather than merely wasting away in front of the television.

I am not sure how long this junk-drawer-free life will last, as I tend to be a very "going through a phase" type of person. But I aim to do my best.

So I would love to know... how many junk drawers do you have?

Image of Anthea Turner, Perfect Housewife courtesy of www.dailylife.com