I used AI and QR codes to inventory my junk drawer, keepsakes, and other easily forgotten belongings. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Easy to use and genuinely helpful for specific cases. Companion app’s search function works well. Affordable at $20 per pack.
Only useful if you update the app whenever you move or add an item. Photo-scanning technology makes some errors. Stickers can leave residue.
A key ingredient to feeling organized is having a space that’s organized. That logic also helps explain the ubiquity of the junk drawer. It’s simply not realistic to have a dedicated spot for every item you own, so assigning a single destination where you can house all the leftover stuff makes sense.
That is, until you can’t find your utility scissors or flashlight or stamps or favorite highlighter or double-sided tape when you need any of those things. Regular organizing conventions won’t help you keep track of everything in your junk drawer—or any other storage area, for that matter. For example, nicely labeling your boxes is great, but if you lose track of where you put them, you’re toast.
Also, that box labeled “kitchen stuff?” You definitely don’t know every item that’s inside. The clever SmartLabels system, which uses a QR code sticker for the outside of a bin, box, drawer, or other location and a companion app to keep a digital inventory of its contents, could help with each of these organizational pitfalls. The system is simple to use, but its value in functioning as an up-to-date digital inventory of your belongings depends heavily on how often you update the app.
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