Do you have a junk drawer? If he doesn’t, then he’s a two year old or he’s stricken with the packless rat gene.

“Honey, where do I find a screw for this bracket?” calls my husband from the kitchen.

“In the junk drawer!” I scream from above.

If you are a pack rat, then you are more likely to have a “junk closet” or even a “junk room” (called a garage or pantry). Do you sometimes feel that you have become disorganized or have difficulty finding things? If you are just starting out in a new place, then you don’t have to worry much about this problem, unless you are moving from an old place. If you move from an old place, chances are you’ll replicate the same junk problem in your new place. Whether you have junk or are about to start creating junk, here are some tips to get better organized.

First, I have to tell you that I am a junk drawer advocate. If you are over 18, you need junk drawers. If you’re overly organized and don’t have junk drawers, then you don’t need to read any further. You are, in scientific circles, what they call an “atypical”, that is, not normal.

Junk drawers happen. They have a mind of their own. They’re a convenient area for hiding things before guests arrive, cleaning things off counters, and putting miscellaneous things you don’t know what to do with. Eventually… the drawer won’t close.

So the number one secret is to have more than one junk drawer. Ideally, you should have a junk drawer in each room. This follows the “keep it where you use it” rule.

While using the junk drawer, keep an eye out for a buildup of similar things, such as screws, rubber bands, bag clips, and hardware. If you have another drawer with the same stuff, consider putting likes with likes unless you need the duplicate items in another area.

Secret number two is to place some baggies and tape with a pen in each drawer. When you find yourself throwing something away in the drawer, like a charging cable, put it in the bag and write down where it goes. I wish I could time travel to 1985 and do this with all the chargers I have. This technique also works well for toy parts and miscellaneous electronics and hardware.

Secret number three is to order the drawers twice a year. With small boxes and baggies on hand, take out the things you’re not using and collect them from all the drawers. If you’re the rat of the pack (“Honey, I know I’m going to need this broken blender base someday”), then all of these items will go into a marked box in the garage or attic. If you’re not the rat of the pack, check out what you can recycle, throw away, or donate to the thrift store.

Finally, buy several sets of clear plastic drawers at your local home goods store and place them in strategic locations for tools, screws, hardware and glues, and other categories like batteries and electronics. The possibilities are endless. If you’re lucky enough to have a few closets, you can designate an entire shelf for these special organizers.

Looking for something? Now you know where to look.