We've rounded up several tips for organizing your home. So as you start on your spring cleaning, you can keep your space tidy too.
12 Of Our Best Tips for Organizing Your Stuff
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Kitchen Storage Rail
Make space in your kitchen by installing a stainless steel rail from which you can hang kitchen utensils, coffee mugs, pots, pans, and more. This is one of our favorite tips for organizing if you have unclaimed wall real estate. It doubles as a great place to arrange and/or dry dishtowels and oven mitts.
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Put a Lazy Susan in Your Fridge
A lazy Susan in your fridge keeps small items close at hand. If your refrigerator door shelves are filled with salad dressing and mustard and the rest of the condiments get lost behind leftovers on the top shelf, this organizing tip is for you. Keep everything in plain view by storing overflow condiments on a lazy Susan on one of your fridge shelves. One spin and that small jar of capers will be a cinch to spot.
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Decorative Backsplash Rack
Backsplash racks offer easy access and stylish storage. Most versions take just a few minutes to install. Backsplash racks have a few disadvantages, though. All your kitchen utensils have to look good, since they’re on display. And if you ever decide to remove the rack, you’ll be left with screw holes in the backsplash; not a big problem with drywall, but ugly and unfixable in tile.
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Divide Deep Drawers
Deep drawers often contain a jumbled pile of interlocking utensils. Our solution is a sliding tray that creates two shallower spaces. Make it 1/8-in. narrower than the drawer box, about half the length and any depth you want. Ours is 1-3/4-in. deep. When you position the holes for the adjustable shelf supports, don’t rely on measurements and arithmetic. Instead, position the tray inside the drawer box at least 1/8-in. lower than the cabinet opening and make a mark on the tray. Our shelf supports fit tightly into the holes, but yours may require a little super glue.
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Make the Most of Your Cabinets
Your cabinets have a lot of great storage space to begin with, but you can get even more use out of them than you think! Implement one, some, or all of these tips for organizing to maximize storage even if your kitchen is tiny.
Cutting Board Storage
To store cutting boards, mount a rack on a cabinet door. Use a sheet of 1/4-in.-thick acrylic plastic; plywood would also work. You can cut acrylic with a table saw or circular saw as long as you cut slowly. Knock off the sharp edges with sandpaper. Round the lower corners with a belt sander. For spacers, use No. 14-8 crimp sleeves or any type of tube or even blocks of wood would work.
Measuring Cup Storage Rack
Free up pantry storage space by hanging measuring cups inside a kitchen cabinet. Position and mount a wood strip so that the cups will hang between the shelves and allow the door to close completely. Mount a second strip for your measuring spoons, then screw in cup hooks on both strips.
Plastic Bag Holder
This is one of the easiest and cheapest tips for organizing on this list. An empty rectangular tissue box makes a convenient holder for small garbage bags, plastic grocery bags and small rags. Simply thumbtack it to the inside of a cabinet door.
Under-Cabinet Knife Storage Racks
Pull-down racks give you instant access to kitchen essentials without the clutter of spice racks or knife holders. When the cooking is done, the rack swings up against the underside of the cabinet. Buy an acrylic knife rack or build an under-cabinet drawer to hold knives, spices or other small items that take up counter space.
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Rethink The Space Under Your Sink
What’s hiding under your kitchen sink? If the space under your sink is anything like ours, it’s an overcrowded jumble of cleaning supplies, sponges and plastic bags. But you can easily reclaim this space with these tips for organizing that area.
Storage Bins
There’s a great way to store the aforementioned items right on the door of the sink cabinet. Cut a plastic storage tub in half with a utility knife and screw it to the inside of the cabinet door through the plastic lip at the top of the tub. Just make sure you position it so you can shut the cabinet door when all your bags and other supplies are in the bin.
Hang Spray Bottles
It can be hard to keep spray bottles from falling over and making a mess under your bathroom and kitchen sink. To keep them upright, hang them from a short tension rod in your cabinet.
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Skinny Laundry Room Cart
A lot of laundry rooms have a narrow wasted space either next to or between the washing machine and dryer, and it’s usually a hideout for socks and lint. To take advantage of this space and organize your laundry room, build a simple plywood laundry room cart on fixed casters to hold detergents and other laundry supplies.
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DIY Tiered Hangers for More Closet Storage
Short on closet space? Use a lightweight piece of chain to stagger hanging clothing in tall closets to maximize space. Just loop the first link of the chain over the first hanger, and hang subsequent hangers on every other links after. Hang up to six shirts for the rod space of one.
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Wire Shelving
Wire shelving is a great and affordable way to take advantage of otherwise wasted space. You can utilize it in any area where other shelving or storage options are impractical.
Closet Nook Shelves
Salvage the hidden space at the recessed ends of your closets by adding a set of wire shelves. Wire shelves are available in a variety of widths. Measure the width and depth of the space. Then choose the correct shelving and ask the salesperson to cut the shelves to length for you. Subtract 3/8-in. from the actual width to determine the shelf length. Buy a pair of end mounting brackets and a pair of plastic clips for each shelf.
Joist Space Storage
Don’t waste all that space between joists in a basement or garage. This is an often overlooked storage space, but making the most of it is one of our favorite tips for organizing your space. To optimize this area, screw wire shelving to the underside of the joists. Don’t forget that wire shelving also shines on walls; so if you’re really short on space, you can go all out with these shelves.
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PVC Curling Iron Holsters
Hate the messy look of curling irons lying on the vanity or the toilet tank? Use hook-and-loop tape to attach five-inch lengths of 2-in. PVC pipe to the vanity door to hold the curling irons. Do the same thing with three-inch pieces of 1-1/2-in. diameter pipe to hold the cords. Just measure your curling irons to see how long your “holsters” need to be. Let your curling irons cool before you stow them away.
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Storage Above Windows and Doors
The empty wall space above doors and windows is organizational gold! Hang a shelf there and use it for bathroom towels, toiletries, books, files, tablecloths—the list is endless.
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Bulky Items
Extra-large Ziploc bags are great for storing camping gear, patio cushions and out-of-season clothes. Here’s a slick trick for getting all the air out of the bag before you seal it. Put your items inside and push out all the air you can by hand. Then seal the bag but leave an opening large enough to fit a drinking straw. Use the straw to suck out the remaining air and then finish sealing the bag.
