About once per quarter, I feel my household on the brink of disarray. My closet’s bursting at the seams, my entire vanity overflows with duplicate products, and I’ve haphazardly stuffed dozens of plastic bags into a drawer until I decide I need them. Once it seems to get to a point of no return, I always fall into the same trap: By the time I’ve finally resolved to set aside time to organize everything, I put a strategic stop-gap in my own plans. Before I dare to get it together, I need to make sure I have all the right bins, containers, and storage solutions, thereby rendering me between a rock and a hard place. Finally, at some point during COVID I realized that running straight to the store was out of the question and I had to learn how to organize with items I already own.
Sure, some of these storage hacks aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but if they help you reuse a single-use item or find a new and easy way to display something you love, even better!
Use a shoe organizer as a spice rack
If you have a pantry with a door, hang a plastic shoe rack on the inside to organize your spices so they’re easy to access. (You can do the same with smaller items like your jewellery, but more on that another time!) The clear pockets make it easy to grab something without having to dig through the entire pantry.
Use an egg carton as a drawer organizer
Need an easy way to find odds and ends like paperclips, rubber bands, or safety pins? A clean, dry egg carton offers twelve easy-to-fill compartments.
Use a paper holder as a Tupperware lid organizer
Finding an easy and organized way to store your Tupperware lids is harder than solving a Rubik’s cube, but this neat hack works like a charm. (You can also use these to store small produce items like potatoes, garlic bulbs, or onions—or, my personal favourite, plastic bags.)
Use kitchen canisters as hair or beauty supply storage
We’re partial to using gorgeous vessels to display things like Q-tips and cotton balls, but for anything you’re storing behind closed doors, grab a handful of clear canisters to store items you’ll need access to on the daily.
Use a tiered, hanging fruit basket as an accessories organizer
We all have some weird dead space in our closets, so here’s a fun use for those tiered fruit baskets you see in every HGTV home: Hang one inside your closet to keep items like sunglasses, face masks, silk scarves, or other small items organized. You could also install one in your laundry room for a convenient place to store dryer balls, clothespins, or detergent tabs.
Use a lazy Susan as a nail polish organizer
Never fumble through a drawer of nail polishes again to find the shade you’re looking for. Even more, organize the bottles by colour and leave them on display for a gorgeous, feminine touch.
Use a pot lid rack as a handbag organizers
Store thin purses like clutches using a pot lid holder. Not only are they easier to find, but materials won’t rub up against each other every time you grab one.
Use old magazines as boot stays
Instead of throwing out old, thick magazines, roll them up, secure them with rubber bands, and stuff them into your boots in place of store-bought boot shapers.
Use a utensil organizer in your junk drawer
I use one inside my nightstand drawer to organize small items like pens, phone cords, earplugs, and even some skincare products I like to use just before bed.
Have another storage hack we didn’t think of? Share it with us on Instagram at @murchisonhume for a chance to be featured!
xx MLK
