1 Use old baby-food jars to hold spices. Stash them in a drawer upside down so this recycling trick looks sleek, not cheap.
2 Store all your instruction manuals in one binder in the kitchen or pantry.
3 Collect your takeout menus in a binder. Or stuff them into a Ziploc bag and stash 'em – where else? – in the fridge or cupboard.
4 Use a cardboard six-pack container to carry condiments from kitchen to deck in BBQ-casual style.
5 Keep a tray or basket on the kitchen counter where kids can drop off permission slips and adults can put mail requiring immediate action. A second tray can handle lower-priority paperwork.
6 Don’t waste time constantly topping up cereal-sized food storage containers with dog or cat kibble. Use a metal trashcan to store one bag at a time in rodent-proof style.
7 Use a recharging station to keep your cell phone, MP3 player and other portable device cords untangled and your gadgets fully charged.
8 Can’t find fresh garlic or onions? Keep them in clean knee-high nylons. Hang in a cool, dry place.
9 Post a sheet of paper on the fridge and note groceries and supplies needing replenishing. On grocery day, just grab the sheet and go.
10 Reduce spoilage of fruits and veggies by “rotating” your crops. Put new ones underneath ones that were already in your crisper.
11 Use small jam jars to hold cotton swabs, balls and other essentials inside your bathroom vanity drawers.
12 Use an old wooden stepladder to hold bath and hand towels.
13 Cut the amount of time you spend going from linen closet to bathroom by installing extra towel storage via a hotel-style double towel bar.
14 And a stash of bath towels rolled inside a basket helps, too.
15 Store kids’ bath toys in a fine-laundry bag. Hang from the faucet 'til fully drained.
16 Use a shower organizer and just the basics: mild shampoo, conditioner and a body wash.
17 Stash extra shower products in plastic caddies – one per family member.
18 Keep cleaning products in a caddy, too.
19 Post a sheet of paper in the bathroom and note bathroom supplies that need replenishing. On grocery day, just grab the sheet and go.
20 Assign teens and tweens their “own” towel sets by colour. Sorting laundry becomes super-easy and sharing-aversive kids are content.
21 For the living room or family room, get an ottoman or bench with hidden storage under the seat.
22 Large woven or wooden baskets stash clutter effectively, so stock up.
23 Got kids? Get large tubs that can be used to deploy toys – and quickly move them out of living spaces when company’s coming.
24 Don’t hold on to magazines. Just rip out any pages you want to keep for future reference, keep in a file folder, then recycle the rest.
25 Toss dirty socks into mesh fine-laundry bags. Orphaned socks will be a thing of the past.
Image courtesy of Pottery Barn
15 Comments
Thanks ! That is a great list
I just ordered your magazine via mail today so decided to check out your web site. What a treat I am in store for. I particularly liked the hint for storing sheet sets in the pillow case. What a great idea.
I love to organize and I love this list. I was proud to say "I do that" to several of your suggestions. I really think storing plastic bags in an old kleenex box a great idea.
when after laundering pillow slips fold the pair together so you wont have to search for the other slip.
omg like this is so useful! hehe
Hmmm. The only thing I see wrong with many of these ideas is that everything tends to end up in the open. I like things to be organized out of sight. However, I already use several of these methods and see a few new ones to try! Thanks!
Great ideas! I gotta say, when I read #24 ... I felt pain...I just can't bring myself to rip out my gorgeous magazine pages! Instead, i wait till the pile is so high and give them away...it's not better. I just can't bring myself to defile the entire book! :)
Tip #66 is a great idea for storing out-of -season items, but not for silk-filled duvets. According to the manufacturer in China, the silk fibres are broken by having all the air removed out of the storage bag. It's preferable to store silk dubets in an old pillow cotton pillowcase.
wow,am very organized but folding two pillow cases together & also using pillow cases to store sheets great idea.thank u
One thing I can't stop raving about is my new KNIFAWAY storage solution for kitchen knives. Got it a our office Xmas exchange. It is meant to be mounted on the inside of a kitchen cupboard door. Talk about efficient use of space plus safety and convenience. I threw out my stupid knife block and now my knives are just as easy to access but they are out of sight and my counter is that much more uncluttered! Did I say how much I love it! They are so affordable too, I've found out where to get it via the web and I've ordered a bunch for stocking stuffers!
I love buying magazines to find new ideas on decorating and designing, I scan and copy to my computer any articles or pictures that I like, that way you do not destroy the magazine. When I have finished with the magazine I take it too my doctors office or the urgent care and leave them in the waiting room. Most doctors offices have outdated magazines and alot of the time the magazines go missing and there is never anything to read. Check with staff to make sure this ok, I did before hand and they love it when I bring in new magazines. Tobey McCool Oshawa
instead of filing those paint chips, unscrew the light switch from the room it corresponds to and tuck it behind, not only helps you, but your future home buyer. Ann, Maple Ridge, B.C.
instead of filing those paint chips, unscrew the light switch from the room it corresponds to and tuck it behind, not only helps you, but your future home buyer. Ann, Maple Ridge, B.C.
This list is totally gay. Just to be clear, I do not mean in the cool 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy' way. I mean in the bad way.
Buy men's or boys socks all at once (about 6-10 pr) and purchase them all the same make, design and colour. There will be no (or less) orphaned socks after washing then.