5 Tips for Organizing your Catch-All Drawer

This story was produced in partnership with Duracell. All opinions are mine alone. #DuracellOptimumBrandPartner

We all have them. That one drawer, usually in the kitchen or the mudroom, that is a catch-all for all. the. things. Ever since we added kiddos to the mix, our catch-all drawer situation has grown increasingly worse. This past spring, I spent a couple of weeks organizing my entire kitchen and the catch-all drawer was at the top of my list. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to open the drawer without having to hold a pile of papers down. Here are some of my top tips for keeping your catch-all drawer organized.

Trash the junk mail – If I have one tip for keeping your catch-all drawers clean, this would be it. I can’t remember how many times I have shoved the day’s mail in the drawer when I needed to clear the countertops and the mail just got buried under the next day’s pile. Now, every day, I immediately recycle the items that we don’t need. At that same time, I open all of our envelopes and divide them into important bills and less important items that require follow-up.

Keep items you use every day on hand – If organized properly, catch-all drawers can be more helpful than a messy bourdon. I always stock up on items I use daily and keep them in the drawer so that they are easily accessible – and keep the rest of the items we don’t actually use and need, out. Some of our favorites are pens, markers, tape, scissors, chargers and batteries. Between my two kiddos, we are always going through batteries. and our favorites are Duracell Optimum. Duracell is the #1 trusted brand, which is so important because every single toy comes with batteries these days! We recently tried new Duracell Optimum batteries, which you can find at your local CVS store. Duracell Optimum batteries deliver extra life* in some devices or extra power* in others, vs. Coppertop in a wide range of devices. Having Duracell Optimum batteries on hand in AA or AAA sizes means playtime for the kids and chill time for mommy. This also cuts down on clutter because we don’t have to keep a ton of extras on hand!

*Delivers extra life or extra power, vs. Coppertop AA/AAA in a wide range of devices.

Empty your Pockets – Just like the mail, I like to empty my pockets as soon as I get home. I throw my change in a small basket and it’s perfect to have on hand for parking meters. Once a month I take the extra change out and add it to our large change container, which we will hopefully empty one day and use for a family vacation!
Use Small Baskets to Organize – I am a sucker for a cute basket and these small ones I picked up are perfect for a catch-all drawer. Using small baskets or dividers is a great way to keep items separated and they help keep items from getting buried under other things. I like using a few different sizes to accommodate all the different items in the drawer.

Every month, do it again – No matter how many times I follow my own tips, I oftentimes find random items making their way back in the drawer. If I put it off too long, it gets too overwhelming, so I spend about 10 minutes each month re-organizing. It makes a huge difference!

I hope some of these tips help you in your quest for a clean catch-all drawer! What are some of your favorite organizational tips and items you keep in your catch-all drawer?