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27 Recycle old plastic shopping bags. Store them in an empty Kleenex box ‘til you need them.
28 Store batteries in plastic berry baskets until you’re ready to drop them off at the recycling centre.
29 Ditto for compact fluorescent bulbs and orchard fruit baskets.
30 Big, busy family? Paint one entire wall in your mudroom in chalkboard paint so everyone can easily leave messages for one another.
31 Keep one basket per person in your mudroom or front entrance, so everyone knows where to drop off/find their personal on-the-go essentials like keys, bags, homework etc.
32 Designate a back-to-car zone by your entranceway, and put anything there that requires returning to the trunk – i.e. reusable grocery bags, empties – so the next person to use the car will remember to bring them.
33 Remove the front and back from a picture frame and string rows of wire across the centre. Hang it or lean it against the wall and hook earrings onto each wire.
34 Use an old dressmaker’s dolly to hang necklaces and hook earrings into.
35 Shopaholics can put those pretty boutique bags to use by hanging them on the wall or arranging them on a shelf, where they can store scarves and belts.
36 Do a card run – birthdays, holidays, new baby etc. – once a year and store cards in a file tote.
37 Use ice cube trays to hold clips, erasers and other desk-drawer essentials.
38 Use an old wooden stepladder to hold books.
39 Use white address label stickers to label what each cord in a power bar is for.
40 Paint an oversized canvas in one bold colour and hang it from the wall. Pin a rotating collection of your kids’ artwork on it.
41 Post a sheet of paper on your bulletin board and note office supplies that need replenishing.
42 Use a canvas over-the-door shoe organizer to organize small kids toys and art supplies.
43 Those ubiquitous Danish butter cookie tins can be both an art project and art storage unit for kids. First let your child decoupage it. Then use it to hold crayons and pastels.
44 Post those novelty basketball rings above anything you want your kids to slam dunk stuff into rather than the floor: garbage cans, laundry baskets, etc.
45 For preschoolers too young to use hangers with ease, install a low bar in the closet and simply drape dresses and pants across it to keep them wrinkle-free and easily accessible.
46 Have your child plan their wardrobe one school week at a time. Store outfits within five stacking cubbies or on five combination hangers (hangers with a bar and clips to hold pants as well as a top) to streamline their morning routine.
47 Keep sheet sets organized by folding and storing the fitted sheet, flat sheet and pillowcase inside the second pillowcase.
48 If you don’t want to buy stacking shoeboxes, recycle the cardboard boxes your shoes came in by cutting out a panel at one end for visibility and ventilation.
49 Install a closet organization system: it’ll pay itself off with time and aggravation saved!
50 A well-lit wardrobe is easier to keep organized. Install a Solatube, skylight or adequate artificial light for your needs.
Image courtesy of Pottery Barn
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16 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.
Hi Diane210 that was a really good idea! we can use it too!!! Heidi12 thanks