There are some universal truths that cannot be denied. The earth is round. Taxes are inevitable. Everyone has a junk drawer.

Even the tidiest of minimalists are bound to have a secret stash of tangled charging cables and ancient hot sauce packets tucked away somewhere.

The good news is that you no longer need to live in a state of disorder. With just a few simple steps, you can conquer the clutter once and for all.

Declutter

The first and arguably most important step when it comes to de-junking a drawer is to adopt a ruthless attitude. Show no mercy when going through the drawer’s contents and get rid of anything that doesn’t serve a purpose. Three years worth of chopsticks? Gone. Coupons for a bargain store you don’t really like? Bye! Not only does it give you a lot less to organize, it’s like a mental breath of fresh air.

Categorize

Now that you’ve trimmed the non-essentials, it’s time to work on an organization system. Take a look at the drawer’s remaining contents and try to group each item in a semi-organized fashion. It could be as simple as putting all food related things in one area or you can get really into it by colour-coding or arranging by size. The key is to know what works for you and is most likely to stick.

Divide and Conquer

There’s no point in cleaning out your junk drawer if it’s just going to return its state of chaos within a week. Head to your local home store and pick up some inexpensive drawer dividers. Even a cheap cutlery tray can do the trick. The idea is to assign each item a place and to get into the habit of always putting it back after you’ve used it. If you’re feeling crafty, you can spruce things up by lining the drawer with patterned paper which could very well motivate you to keep it tidy.

Pare Down

A surefire way to clear the clutter is to simply have less stuff. Junk drawers notoriously attract all types of tools, most of which you never actually use. Streamline your setup by investing in one multipurpose tool that takes up a fraction of the space but is guaranteed to get the job done—and Leatherman has the solution you’ve been looking for! With 18 versatile tools in one compact package, a tool like the Heritage Wave will clean out that junk drawer quite nicely.

Take some time to identify other space-wasters and do away with them. If one product can do the job of three, remind yourself that less is more, especially when it comes to keeping you space mess-free.

Make a Habit of It

Regardless of how well-intentioned you may be, chances are pretty high that the clutter is going to creep back in. The trick to staying on top of it is to schedule regular straightening up sessions into your routine so that it never gets to a point where you need to do a complete overhaul.