Itch to Pitch - The Kitchen Junk Drawer

Once again, I've had a crazy and hectic week and kept procrastinating on any decluttering. I had initially planned to finish off my office this week, but at some point over the weekend I discovered a veritable decluttering emergency. I don't remember if I was trying to put something in, or get something out of the kitchen junk drawer... or maybe I was just trying close the drawer after Ninja Hubz got something out (Apparently he is physically incapable of properly closing drawers and cupboard doors. After 13 years of marriage, I've come to accept this and I just close things after him instead of nagging. Gotta choose your battles). Whatever the reason I was in there, I discovered it was full. I mean completely, totally, packed to the gills, unable to open the drawer all the way FULL. My weekly decluttering project was clear.

Here it is, in all its chaotic glory:

Actually that's only about half of it. As I said, it was so full and stuff was crammed in there so tight, I couldn't open it all the way.

I carefully removed all the contents, until this is all that remained:

Birthday candles, safety pins, some peas that fell out of a seed packet, and some empty battery packaging. Oh, and our first Ninja Kitty's id tag from where we adopted him. Thirteen years ago. Very important things to keep on hand.

This is everything else that I cleared out of the drawer (click for a larger image):


Yeah, really. That was all in one drawer. Are you ready for it? The inventory:

• 7.5 packs Juicy Fruit gum (all hard as a rock)
• 2 dog clickers
• 1 hex wrench tool thing
• 1 carabiner key ring
• 1 tiny pair cheap scissors
• 4 books of matches
• 1 pocket knife
• 21 cigarette lighters (functional)
• 2 cigarette lighters (non-functional)
• 1 pack shoelaces (black)
• 1 crock-pot lid holder thing
• 1 tube ointment of some kind (for cats I think)
• 1 tube dog toothpaste
• 1 key fob for car we no longer own
• 2 remote controls (no batteries) for portable fans
• 2 candles
• 2 books and 1 plastic thingy ma bob for Ninja Hubz' TomTom
• 1 notepad
• 2 doses cat flea treatment from 2003
• 3 doses cat flea treatment from 2004
• assorted packets of seeds
• 1 thingy deal for circuit breaker
• 5 assorted dog brushes/combs
• 1 dog nail trimmer
• 1 roll scotch tape
• 1 flashlight (functional, surprisingly)
• 1 mini sewing kit
• 1 empty 35mm film canister (film?!?! really???)
• 1 squirt gun
• 1 tube iron cleaning stuff
• assorted cat toys: 9 mice, 4 foam soccer balls, 1 ping pong ball, 4 poofy things with bells, 1 zip mouse
• 2 cans shoe polish
• 2 tubes shoe polish
• 1 fridge/freezer thermometer
• 1 measuring tape
• 1 cat harness/leash
• 1 fur removal cleaning tool
• 2 pill minder boxes
• 1 battery charger
• assorted batteries

Sooooo, I'm starting to think I should probably clean and declutter more than once every 6 years. Here's the after:


It closes quite easily now :)

Check out more decluttering awesomeness at the Happy Housewife's Itch to Pitch Challenge.