Moving might not seem like that much of a hassle, until you get into the minutia. What do we mean by the minutia? These are the tiny details that exist around us all the time, without us really taking notice. Until, that is, we have to pack them.
Case in point: the junk drawer. How does one go about packing the junk drawer, particularly if one is not entirely confident what it contains?
Check out Apartment Therapy’s two cents on tackling the junk drawer before you reach for the packing tape.
Evaluate Your “Inventory”
Before you can consider how best to pack your junk drawer, you need to evaluate what is actually in there. Dump everything out on a clean counter space and take stock. The trick when it comes to these small details is to sort and store so that you aren’t overwhelmed by any loose or random objects.
Organize items into meaningful categories; for instance, paperclips, rubber bands and pens could all be stored together in a ziploc bag and then packed inside a corresponding “home office” box. That way it’s easy to unpack these small items in the appropriate place when you’re unpacking in the new space.
Pro-tip: only pack items that are actually still useful; take a second to check that your pens do have ink and toss any that don’t. Hop online or call the number on the back of gift cards to check whether or not there is still a balance left to use. If not, toss it in the trash, along with any old greeting cards, post-it notes, grocery lists, etc.
A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “Do I want to unpack this item?” If the answer is no, trash or recycle it and save the packing space for something else.
Review and Reassign
You can use this strategy on other “junk drawers” in your home.
Let’s be honest, most of us have more than one. For instance, bathroom vanities are notorious spaces for clutter to accumulate, especially items that we no longer use — and probably shouldn’t. Think expired products like old makeup, or items that have fallen out of their original packaging and have accumulated dust, like Q-tips and cotton balls.
Most of these items will get reassigned to the trash can while others, like loose ponytail holders and bobby pins can be collected and contained in designated spots, like small cosmetic or storage bags, making them easier to pack in the “bathroom” box.
If you have lots of stuff that isn’t trash-worthy but that you don’t want to pack, consider adding it to your yard sale items.
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