I'm convinced every single Iowa home has one of these. If you don't, can you really say you live in Iowa?

To be honest, this probably isn't strictly an Iowa phenomenon. This special spot in your home can likely be found in homes far and wide, across the entire midwestern region of the United States. I grew up in the Midwest and don't have many friends or family members from either coast, so I'm unsure about homes near an ocean.

Do you have a special place in your kitchen, dining room, or living room where you put miscellaneous items? These items don't necessarily belong in any certain spot but they have to be placed somewhere. You need a place to put rolls of scotch tape, scissors, random pens/pencils, extra phone charging cords, batteries, and whatever else you can think of.

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Does your junk drawer look like the one in my home?

Gabe

Supposedly junk drawers have been around for a long time. According to the Oxford Dictionary, "the earliest known use of the noun junk drawer is in the 1910s. OED's earliest evidence for junk drawer is from 1912, in Journal Allied Society."

I'm curious about what project I was working on where I needed to use sanding paper. I must've thought I would need to use it again. Now I'm worried there's a project I haven't finished and my wife is ready to let me know about it...

Essential Junk Drawer Items

If your junk drawer is a vital part of your life, you might as well set yourself up for success. I've started so many projects and then realized I needed a small screwdriver. I always know I can find one in my junk drawer.

According to RPM Clarity, you should always keep these 10 things in your junk drawer.

*These are not in any specific order*

Pens and a Notepad
Flashlight
Batteries Screwdriver
Pliers
Tape
Superglue
Tape Measure
Scissors
Rubber Bands

Does your junk drawer need some updating or some organizing? I know we normally just toss stuff into our junk drawers and shut them but having a few simple organizers to put things can help you find what you need more quickly. You and I have both stood over our junk drawers searching for something longer than we want to.