Do you feel like you can’t find anything in your house? No matter how hard you try, everything is cluttered and disorganized?
Maybe you just need some organizational tools to get your place in top shape!
Yes, you can spend hundreds of dollars on fancy organizers for your closets, cabinets, and drawers. But you don’t have to. There are some ideas that we absolutely love that will keep your home neat and tidy, without breaking your budget. Here are our top picks.
Hanging Shelves
If your closets are packed solid and overrun, invest in some hanging shelves. Either add them to the top of the closet or section off half of it and hang them with strong screws and a level. You can fold your T-shirts, stack your hats, or stow your shoes easily on these shelves — and be able to find them when you need them without ransacking the entire closet.
Decorative Baskets
The best thing about baskets is that they are pretty AND functional. Buy some mid-sized wicker or black cloth baskets and set them under your living room end tables to keep your remotes, magazines, and anything else normally scattered about. Put baskets on the top shelves of your closet to store stuff you don’t use every day. This way, you can pull the basket out easily rather than digging around the top of your closet on a step ladder. Add a couple baskets to your bookshelves to store extra books, notebooks, and pens.
Drawer Separators
These inexpensive marvels will seem to double the space. Add them to your sock and underwear drawers so you can store more of each. Use them in the kitchen to make it easy to find your utensils and small bowls. They’re even helpful in your home office to keep all your supplies in their places so you don’t spend 10 minutes searching for a rubber band.
Hooks
These may be the MVP of organizational tools because the possibilities are endless! The key here is that most of us have more vertical space that we don’t maximize. Install a few hooks next to your front door to hang coats, umbrellas, and keys. Use them in your closets to store neckties, belts, handbags, and hats. Add them to your laundry room to hang brushes and delicates bags. You can even screw some small hooks into the bottom of a cabinet shelf and hang your coffee mugs. Since you can buy them at any big box store or hardware store for a couple of bucks, we think hooks are the best!
Colorful Bowls
Style meets function when you set out colorful bowls to use as storage. Find one that looks good in your entryway and throw your keys and sunglasses in it. One sitting on your dresser can hold your cell phone. Use one in your kitchen to display your fruit and vegetables.
Over-the-Door Organizers
Hanging organizers can hold tons of stuff that would otherwise get lost in your closet and cabinet space. Choose a small one to add under your sink in your bathroom to hold your hair dryer and curling iron, or a larger one over the door of your linen closet to stow small items like toothbrushes, contact cases, lip balm, sunscreen, and deodorant. They also come in handy in the kitchen on the bottom cabinets to keep your plastic wrap, spices, or extra cleaning supplies organized.
Large Clear Jars
Storing small items in a neat-looking way is easy with large clear jars. Pick some up at your local dollar store and stash your cotton balls and Q-tips in your bathroom. Keep your pet’s treats in them to make them stay fresh longer, pour your bulk buys of pasta and rice in them, and store clothes pins in the laundry room. Make a go-to jar that houses everyday material like twine, scissors, tape, rulers, and extra pens in a cabinet. They are great for craft room and toy storage, too. With clear jars, you never have to wonder what’s in them.
Lazy Susans
Do you have a deep cabinet that’s hard to reach into? If so, you’ve probably been wasting that storage space. Buy an inexpensive Lazy Susan and put your dishes, bowls, and whatever else is in that cabinet on it. Instead of pulling a muscle as you reach far into the cabinet, give the Lazy Susan a whirl and what you seek will be front and center at your fingertips.
Getting and staying organized doesn’t have to be costly. If your budget won’t allow for custom closet renovations or expensive organizational tools, use your imagination and improvise. By using these tips, you can take cost-effective ideas to make your space more functional and keep everything in its proper place.