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77 Get – and use – a garden hose caddy.
78 Edit your hangers. Choose: wire, plastic or wood and unify the hangers in every closet.
79 Use pillboxes to stash your earrings and rings when traveling.
80 Use a soda-can dispenser in the fridge so you can access your pop easily without tipping.
81 Use a wall-mounted broom and mop holder, or tie ribbon loops on the end of poles and hang them from hooks in your closet, garage or utility closet.
82 Make a party kit. Stash napkins, extra glassware and plates, votive candles and holders, extra vases, cocktail picks and other necessities in an old wine crate and pull it out pre-party or pre-holiday entertaining so you don’t waste valuable cupboard space.
83 Use a binder to store all medical records and information for everyone in your family, including each pet. Use dividers for each family member and include plastic pouches or expandable pockets to contain receipts and tiny record cards.
84 Stash awkward, easy-to-misplace necessities (extra hairbrushes, lint roller) in decorative reusable tote bags. Hang them off a doorknob in every room.
85 Burn digital images to CD once a month so you’ll never lose them if your computer (gasp!) crashes. Or print them ASAP!
86 Store photos in archival-quality, acid-free boxes until you have time to organize them in albums.
87 Get a heavy-duty paper shredder for peace of mind – and efficient shredding without risk of overheating.
88 Place your shredder where you intercept daily mail. If that’s the kitchen, so be it.
89 Put a small plastic caddy in your gym bag so you can manage hair care and skincare products without dropping anything. Excess water will just drain out.
90 Stop losing lock combinations and computer passwords once and for all. Jot everyone’s codes and combinations down in a notebook and store it in your family’s fireproof lockbox.
91 Store reusable shopping bags one inside the other.
92 Always keep one cute, foldable shopping tote in each of your heavy-rotation purses so you’re never caught without.
93 Avoid the last-minute drugstore run by always having a kit of your favourite travel-sized toiletries (and common OTC meds like allergy pills) packed and waiting in your suitcase.
94 Get a gift-wrap organizer and stock up on a year’s worth of wrap and ribbons, or ready-to-fill bags and tissue.
95 If perishables regularly go to waste in your fridge, start planning weekly dinner menus. Just buy ingredients for those meals, plus lunch basics. Post the menu on your fridge so you’re on track.
96 Mount a magnetized knife rack to a wall in your utility closet or basement, to keep your most commonly used screwdrivers and wrenches handy, not buried in the toolbox.
97 Donate your battery-powered emergency flashlights and stock up on windup models so you never have to worry about replacing batteries.
98 Stop stressing over the emergency preparedness kit the Canadian government recommends all families have. Just make one and get on with your life. Visit getprepared.ca to learn what to put in it. Stash it in a rolling suitcase so it’s mobile in case you have to be, too.
99 Plan a closet cleanout once per season. Less mess makes staying organized a lot easier.
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