Re-think Your Organization: Repurposing Household Items
April 21, 2014
Do you want to get more organized without breaking the bank on organizing supplies? In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, here are my top ten favorite organizing solutions using common household items.
- Drawer Organizer – Muffin pans are a great way to organize small items like pins, paper clips, nails and screws, rubber bands, keys, earrings, hair accessories, etc. Ice cube trays or egg cartons can also be used for the same purpose.
- Craft Caddy – Use soup cans or plastic cups to create a craft caddy to organize your paint brushes, markers, colored pencils, scissors, etc. Use your creative energy to decorate them.
- Condiment Caddy – As BBQ season nears, use a cardboard container from soda or beer to hold silverware and condiments. It will make it easy to transport these items from the kitchen to your picnic table!
- Cord Organizer – Once you finish a roll of toilet paper, you can re-purpose it to tame your cords. Just coil the excess cord and slide the toilet paper roll over to keep it neat.
- Spices – Use small glass jars, such as baby food jars, to organize your spices. Use the same size jars and label the tops for easy organization in a shallow drawer.
- Small Toy Pieces – Reuse durable plastic containers from products, such as coffee, diaper wipes, or tennis balls to contain those pesky little toy pieces (Legos, Polly Pockets, marbles, etc.).
- Plastic Grocery Bags – Use a tissue box to contain plastic grocery bags for reuse. It is a great way to contain them and easy to grab one when the need arises.
- Charging Cords – Instead of tossing your old glasses case, use it to pack your charging cord(s) and/or headphones for travel.
- Ball Caps – Use a sturdy hanger and attach ‘s’ hooks or ‘c’ hooks along the bottom part of the hanger (that you use for pants). Now hang a hat from each hook.
- Necklaces – Remove the handle from a vintage rake (or bow rake) and attach it to the wall in your closet or bedroom. Hang your necklaces on this to keep them from getting tangled or misplaced.
Follow these tips or come up with some clever solutions of your own to save money and be eco-friendly while getting your home more organized!
Donna Lindley, Certified Professional Organizer and owner of Rochester Hills, MI-based Organize Your World, Inc.
Playmarket’s We Go Foldable Shopping Cart Wins the 2014 Red Dot Award
April 9, 2014
We take great pride in announcing that our vendor, Playmarket, has received a 2014 Red Dot Award for their We Go Foldable Shopping Cart! This cart is perfect for shopping and makes it especially easy for city living. There are four dual large casters on the bottom to provide extra stability and allow you to easily swivel the cart up to 360 degrees. The removable polyester bag is washable and a screen cover is included so you can keep the contents clean and dry. The rolling shopping bag can hold up to 50 liters, and will fold neatly for convenient storage.
We offer this award winning product on OrganizeIt.com. Don’t forget to check it out!
Hanging Belt Storage: Throwing Ya’ll For a Loop
March 12, 2014
Here on the Tie Racks Blog, we tend to stick to discussing ways to store your ties and other formal attire. While it may seem like a bit of a banal subject to base an entire blog on, that is not true. In fact, it is a very banal subject to base an entire blog on! So today instead of talking about tie storage, I am going to go off the beaten track a bit and talk about hanging belt storage.
Hopefully I do not alienate my dedicated Tie Rack fan base by going off of the beaten path a bit. If you are offended by this excursion into the world of belt storage, please bear with me. I assure you that there is much to be gleaned when it comes to hanging belt storage and the ways in which it can make your life easier.
Nothing is worse than not knowing where your belt is. Unlike a tie, which is easy to forgo, going beltless can be a huge mistake. First of all, many of us have pants that are a size too big, or maybe even more if you have recently lost weight. In these cases a belt is absolutely mandatory for everyday attire. If you cannot find your belt you could be looking at a world of hurt. In fact, I have seen people improvise with belts made from rope, internet cables and even file clips!
Of course, these jerry-rigged belts are certainly the furthest from being formal wear. In fact, this is something you would expect to see in some backwater small-town where the only issue of GQ you can find is a 6 year old quarterly fashion report in the dentist-slash-plumber’s office. You definitely do not want to come off as being of this mindset, right? In order to avoid this embarrassing look, just use hanging belt storage in your closet to keep looking sharp.
For those that need to upgrade their hanging belt storage, look no further than the Cedar Belt Keeper. This belt rack offers four hooks, which should be plenty of space to store all of your belts.