Iqaluit (Apr 19/04) - If you think your closet is a nightmare, try rummaging through the lost and found boxes of Nunavut.

Whether they are actual boxes, laundry baskets, plastic bags or just bulletin boards, the lost and founds of Nunavut are the sad little worlds of the lost mitten -- mittens, socks, and even pants (recreation staff still want to know how that happens) that eventually end up in the hands of charities, or the employees who find them.

"Shoes. Pairs of shoes. Shirts. Shirts wrapped in towels," is how Kyle Ferguson, assistant general manager of the Frobisher Inn describes the tangle of items left behind in guest rooms at Nunavut's largest hotel.

He couldn't think of many bizarre or out-of-the-ordinary items his staff have picked up over the years. But people visiting Nunavut's capital have been forgetful with valuables.

"We see quite a bit of jewelry. Books. Sometimes you see carvings left behind."

Ever wonder what the Frobisher Inn does with all that stuff they find and keep stored in a back room just off the front desk area?

"We hold on to it for about three months," said Ferguson. "Then we give it away to the women's shelter in Iqaluit. Or if staff likes something they can keep it."

The hamlet of Cambridge Bay doesn't have an actual box for lost community items. They have a lost and found "cork board" explained SAO Mark Calliou.

The most popular items left behind are mitts and keys, said Calliou, which can be easily pinned to the centrally-located board.

"You can't miss them, once you come up the stairs."

Gjoa Haven hamlet office sticks with the classic cardboard box to throw their lost and found items. But last week, their box had just been emptied, so it was a little boring.

In Kugaaruk, you don't just find the usual clothing items and stray keys but survival tools, too.

Vince Ningark once found a nifty, hand-made snow knife with a sheet metal blade and white plastic handle.

Kugaaruk's lost and found fills up every few weeks at their front desk, but people tend to be quick to realize something is missing in their life, and return to the hamlet office to look.

"We keep stuff for about two weeks," said Ningark. "But in most cases, people pick them up."