Easy Organization

Overview: Organization the easy way

Do certain areas around your house just refuse to stay organized? I’m thinking of under the bathroom sink, inside shop drawers and the top shelf of your refrigerator. If so, you’re going to love this batch of clever organizing tips. Here are 18 simple ideas and products that will help you organize the most troublesome areas around your house and keep them organized for good.

Binder-clip cable catcher

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Binder-clip cable catcher

Clips keep cord ends from dropping off your deck top.

If you haven’t run across this particular cable-organizing tip yet, it’s time you did, because it’s dirt simple and pure genius. Clamp a binder clip to the edge of your desk to holster USB cables. No more cables slipping behind your desk into the dusty darkness below.

Put a lazy Susan next to your stove

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Lazy Susan for cooking condiments

Store often used cooking items in a neat lazy Susan beside the stove.

Having to reach into a cabinet or drawer for frequently used oils, vinegars and sauces is a recipe for frustration. Instead, store them on an attractive lazy Susan on the counter next to your stove. Top it with a plastic mat for easy cleaning. No more frantic searches in the middle of cooking dinner (and all those condiments in full view will make you look like an expert cook!).

DIY drawer dividers

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Simple drawer dividers

Foam weather stripping and 1/4-in. plywood make simple adjustable drawer dividers.

Here’s an easy way to make your own inexpensive drawer organizers. Attach thin strips of adhesive-backed foam weather stripping to the inside of your drawers (either to the sides or to the front and back, depending on which way you want your drawers divided). Then set 1/4-in. plywood strips into the drawer with the ends pressed against the weather stripping. Add as many dividers as you need, and voilà—a perfectly organized drawer.

A better hose wrangler

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Fast tie-ups

Kwiktwist foam ties won't scratch objects and can be joined to make longer ties.

Here’s an easy way to make your own inexpensive drawer organizers. Attach thin strips of adhesive-backed foam weather stripping to the inside of your drawers (either to the sides or to the front and back, depending on which way you want your drawers divided). Then set 1/4-in. plywood strips into the drawer with the ends pressed against the weather stripping. Add as many dividers as you need, and voilà—a perfectly organized drawer.

Top organizing tip from a pro

“When it comes to organizing, a few minutes of clutter-clearing each week takes far less time than attacking an area once a year or even once a month.”

Elizabeth Larkin, home organizing expert

Skinny laundry room cart

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Plywood laundry cart

Build a simple roll-out cart to fit almost any narrow space.

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, build a simple plywood cart on fixed casters to hold detergents and other laundry supplies.

Storage above windows and doors

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High shelves

High shelves take advantage of unused space above doors and windows.

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.

Open you mail over your recycling bin

That way, you’ll be less tempted to save unimportant things for later “when you have time.” You’ll keep what’s really important and immediately recycle the rest.

Turn-of-the-century office supply holder

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Clear collectors

It's easy to find stuff stored in jars.

Screw hose clamps to a board and mount it on the wall in your home office. Secure mason jars in the hose clamps to create clever storage for office supplies such as stamps, paper clips and string. The clear jars let you immediately see where everything is. This is also a great idea for bathrooms and workshops.

Build shallow drawers

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Shallow drawers

Shallow drawers make everything easy to find.

I have a pretty organized shop with lots of drawers, and here’s my tip. If you’re going to build drawers, build lots of shallow ones and very few deep ones. Here’s why. Just about everything you store for a shop is fairly thin— hand tools, blades, fasteners, sandpaper, etc. If you have a ton of shallow drawers, you can dedicate each one by category. Plus, it’s easier to find what you need when it’s not buried under 8 inches of other junk in the same drawer.

Travis Larson, Senior Editor

Keep a virtual shopping list

I often found myself at a home center wandering around thinking, “I know I need something else...” but I could never remember what it was. Now I keep an open “notes” tab on my iPhone with a rolling shopping list. I add items to my notes whenever I think of it, and then when I’m at the store, I have my latest and complete list.

Paul Kupprat, Field Editor

Keep you spray bottles in line

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Hang spray bottles

Hang spray bottles from a rod to keep them upright.

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 (about $12 at discount stores) in your cabinet.

Put a lazy Susan in your fridge

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Lazy Susan at work

A lazy Susan in your fridge keeps small items close at hand.

If your refrigerator is like mine, the door shelves are filled with salad dressing and mustard and the rest of the condiments get lost behind leftovers on the top shelf. 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.

Elisa Bernick, Associate Editor

Tape measures always within reach

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Tape measure box

Plastic electrical boxes make convenient houses for tape measure storage.

I have a dozen tape measures, but there was never one around when I needed it. So I bought a bunch of electrical junction boxes (about 50¢ apiece) and nailed them up in strategic locations—next to the miter saw, the table saw, on my workbench, in the garden shed—and put a tape measure and pencil in each one. No more searching for a tape in the middle of a project.

Gary Wentz, Senior Editor