Get Organized! Items I Use To Stay Super Organized

If one of your goals is to get more organized in 2019, I’ve got your back! Here are some of the items I use to stay organized all around the house. I hope it will provide some inspiration for you to get started.

These are just some of the things that I use for organization and storage. I use a lot more than this, but you will get the general idea in order to get started.

I like to chose items that are functional, cost effective, and still appealing to the eye. I have been a neat-freak, over-the-top organizer for over 20 years! So, I have built up a collection of items over time. It may not be budget-friendly for you to go out and buy a lot of storage items all at once. Start small. Choose one drawer, closet, or cabinet to start with. Over time, you will see what works for you.

Tip: Choose “like” items. If your storage and organization items are alike/similar, it is more functional and looks a lot better. For example, if you need some small bins for a closet, choose bins that are all alike/matching.

Let’s get started!

Clothes Closet

Clothes Hangers. Use hangers that are all alike. For my husband’s closet, he uses all of the same kind of wood hanger. It fits his clothes well and looks great! I built up this collection over a few years, and that was many years ago. If it is cost prohibitive to change out all of your hangers at once, do it little-by-little.

My husband’s closet. He won’t let me color-code it!!

For my closet, I like to use white hangers that are plastic. My clothes are too small for big, wooden hangers. So, the white plastic is a perfect fit, and look pleasing to the eye too.

My closet: green through black short sleeved-shirts.

Over the years, I have gotten all of my hangers at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They have a good variety in-store and online. I always use my BB&B coupons to save money.

Closet Bins. I need a few closet bins in my closet. I like bins that are all alike, but that have a print. I wanted bins that looked “pretty” in the closet, and that also had a lid.

I got these at Home Goods over 10 years ago. Home Goods can be a diamond in the rough. You never know what you are going to find there. Choose something that will fit your space, will be functional, and will be cost effective too.

Click here for my closet-organizing blog that is more in-depth:

Spring Cleaning Project-Clean and Organize Your Closet

Pantry

Pantry Bins.I like to use bins in our pantry for my son’s snack items. Think outside the box! These magazine/book holders from a teacher supply store are a perfect fit for our pantry. Everything has it’s place, so that my son knows where to find things. The organization and labels make it easy to put away items too.

I got these bins from Lakeshore Learning Store. I like the fun colors for kids, and the ability to add a big, visible label on the front. I used my coupons to help save money on the cost!

https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/teaching-resources/bins-organizers/connect-store-book-bins/p/AA758X

Click here for my pantry-organizing blog that is more in-depth:

Pantry Storage with Magazine Bins

Command Hooks and Strips

I use 3M Command Hooks, strips, and velcro all over the house! I have them in almost every room, closet and space in my house. They are cost effective, there are lots of options to choose from, and they are easy to use. Now, removal is usually pretty easy for me. However, I have had a few hooks that have failed, and taken a little paint off the wall. But, it’s still worth it to use them, and just do a little touch-up paint if necessary down the road.

Here are some places where I use Command Hooks:

My son hangs his backup up right by the door. We use a nickel-colored, bigger hook.

Display Your Hats on a Hat Wall — Hat wall in the garage. My husband and son have a lot of hats, and they like to grab them as they are heading out.

Click here for my hat wall blog post that is more in-depth:

DIY: Create a Hat Wall

Click here for my cord storage blog post that is more in-depth:

Home Organization: Hiding Cords

Laundry Room

Bins for Laundry Room.I need to use bins in my laundry room. I like to use bins that are clear, so that I can see inside of them. And, I also like the bins to have a lid because it is very dusty in the laundry room. Choose bins that are all alike, and label them if you can.

I like these Sterilite bins with colored handles. I use them all over the house, and have them in many different sizes. These boxes are available at Target.com.

Bathroom

Bins in Bathroom.I don’t own or wear any makeup, so I don’t ever have to worry about storing and organizing it. But, I’m a hair girl. I love to do hair and wear different styles all the time. So, I need storage for all of my hair accessories.

If you have makeup, the same principles apply. Simply choose storage that will fit for your makeup collection. Purge first! Before you organize your makeup, throw away makeup that is old, or that you don’t use anymore.

I like to use these clear, acrylic boxes. That way I can arrange them in different configurations to fit my drawer.

My son uses different bins in his bathroom. Acrylic bins can break or crack, so they aren’t ideal for a kid’s bathroom. We like to use plastic bins instead. They are inexpensive, and durable for kids.

Tip: Measure before you go! Or take a photo!! Make sure your bins will actually fit in your space before you buy them. My son’s bathroom has narrow drawers, so we are limited with what we can fit in there.

Office

Office Files.In the file cabinet, I like to organize papers using hanging files and file folders. The hanging folders are a larger category, and then I break down that category into smaller categories, using a folder for each category.

“Rhett’s Activities” section of the file cabinet.

You can find file cabinet supplies at any office store. I usually get mine at Office Depot/Office Max. I like the 1/5 cut green hanging file folders. And I like either manila, or colored 1/3 cut file folders. I use colors sometimes to group like things together.

Office Bins.I use bins in the office for various items. For items that I access frequently, like pencils, pens, Sharpies, scissors, I like to store them in bins that are all alike.

Photos

Photo Bins. Aaaaah! The dreaded photo storage!! I am one of those people who print all of my photos because I like to actually look at an actual photo and not always just have a digital copy. I print photos about every 3 to 4 months, usually waiting for a coupon for extra savings. I do make photo books sometimes. However, this may not be the most cost effective way to keep all of your photos. I just like to print and store my photos in an organized way.

Photos that I have from before my son was born are organized in photo albums. We like to sit and look through the old albums sometimes. It is fun! After my son was born, the amount of photos I was taking and printing increased dramatically. I had to come up with another solution.

I decided to use clear plastic storage boxes. They are a media-type storage box. I like clear plastic because you can see through it, and it protects from potential water damage. I store my photos in chronological order, and that’s it. I do not divide them up any other way. I make tabs for each year, so I always know where every photo is at all times.

My bins are stackable, so that I can more easily store them over the years. Maybe one day, my son won’t want all of these photos of himself, but for now, this is a simple, and easy way to store the photos.