Courtesy Photo A junk drawer is seen in this undated photo.

Junk drawers are truly like an archaeological dig or time capsule.

According to the Facebook group Creating Spaces Now, the term “junk drawer” appears to go back to 1912, when a New York City dentist referred to his single drawer where he kept all his gadgets handy.

However, in the trade journal American Machinist, an October 1902 letter to the editor stated, “A junk drawer is an excellent place to store up the variety of junk that comes to hand from time to time.”

In an National Public Radio feature interview, Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist at Golden State University, states a junk drawer is a revealing source of a person and household.

Yarrow noted that typically stashed in America’s junk drawer are:

* frequently used tool-like things, such as scissors, bag clips, magnets, pens, and tape,

∫ small objects — safety pins, thumbtacks, and toothpicks — that might get lost in the world at large,

∫ hastily stowed items, like receipts and spare change,

∫ infrequently used medications — ointments, aspirin, Band-Aids, antacids — for otherwise healthy people,

∫ and infrequently used car and household knick knacks, such as ashtrays, scratched-up sunglasses, or frequent shopper cards.

Yarrow commented, “It gets interesting, because what people also store in junk drawers are things they can’t part with, but don’t use — like vacation mementos and love notes.”

She refers to them as puzzle pieces of the past.

She added, “Good intentions like Nicorette and sunscreen are often in there.”

Yarrow continued, “New arrivals to the junk drawer scene are tech accessories for long-abandoned products, such as chargers and cases. For some reason, people can’t throw them out, but they don’t know what to do with them. And, of course, I usually find a few old shopping lists in there somewhere, too.”

WHAT SHOULD YOU TOSS?

Mary Cornetta, a professional organizer associated with Better Homes and Gardens, recommends the “cleansing” of your junk drawer by tossing or placing elsewhere some of the following items:

∫ cords and chargers

∫ coupons and menus

∫ takeout packets and plastic dining utensils

∫ medicine and vitamins

∫ excess pens and markers

∫ needless office supplies, such as staples or paper or binder clips

∫ money or credit/debit cards

∫ gift cards

WHAT SHOULD YOU KEEP?

Former host of TV’s “This Old House” and author Bob Villa has assembled a list of items you should keep in your household junk drawer.

In part, he recommends:

∫ multipurpose screwdriver

∫ rubber bands

∫ flashlight

∫ tape measure

∫ duct tape

∫ charger cords

∫ scissors

∫ twist ties

∫ pocket knife

∫ memo pads

∫ writing pens

∫ small trash bags

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.