Guest Picks: 20 Unique Ways to Reduce Clutter
— Rita from Fighting Off Frumpy
Magnetic tins are so cool! How awesome would it be to have, say, your spices stored right on the side of your fridge? Or a stash of paperclips, hair ties, thumbtacks or any other easily lost item right in one place? My kids would also love these for stashing and sticking random things.
I spend half my time organizing the stuff my kids strew around the house, so I definitely dig these vinyl drawer labels. Anything that helps them help me is a plus in my book.
I love this! Thanks to the pilfering habits of my kids (and an unexplained love of measuring utensils), my measuring cup "set" consists of only the one-third cup and one-eighth cup measuring cups. I'm forever using Google to find measurement conversions, so this cupboard conversion chart would be fabulous. It would keep cups and spoons organized and out of reach of the kids, and all the info you ever need is right at your fingertips. It's genius.
Whether you use it to hold pens, toothbrushes, paintbrushes or something else entirely, this organizer has a sleek, industrial feel to it. Plus, it looks pretty awesome to boot.
There's something about making the most of under-utilized space that makes me feel super efficient. This wall-mounted storage system, which fits on the kitchen backsplash (or the laundry room, or wherever else your tidy little heart desires), is a great idea.
How sweet is this setup? It makes my inner organization junkie go all gaga. My two oldest boys share a small room, and something like this would make the most of the available space. Look at all that storage — and the space for the computer.
Books! What better place to store them than the place you'll be parked while reading 'em? The manufacturers call it "La Bibliochaise," but I call it amazing.
I'm all about clearing out the cluttered mess that makes up my cabinets, and these nifty wall-mounted dispensers could do just that. I envision them replacing my canisters for flour and sugar and freeing up some valuable counter space.
It looks like a simple, non-intrusive wall cabinet, but this folds down into a desk. It would make a great space-saving workspace for my laptop, or my son's homework, and then it would fold neatly away when I'm done browsing Facebook — er, working.
First of all, just the name "MagnaPods" makes me want to run right out and snatch some of these up. But besides that, these would be fantastic for the bathroom. I could keep my makeup out of the reach of prying little fingers and off of the countertop.
I get so tired of the pot-and-pan avalanche that happens every time I open my cabinets. This cookware organizer is a great way to ensure that nothing is precariously perched on top of anything else.
It's a mod and stylish ottoman, sure, but open this baby up and revel in the fact that it can hold eight pairs of shoes around its perimeter. Open storage space in the center means you can also store purses or — you guessed it — more shoes! Say goodbye to those ugly shoe racks.
Might as well use that "blank" space on the back of the cabinet doors to store those pesky, always-in-the-way boxes of foil and waxed paper. This way, more drawer space is freed up for — ah, who am I kidding — more junk.
I can think of a ton of ways to utilize this simple, clean storage bench. It could be great in an entryway as a catchall for shoes, umbrellas, hats and mittens; in the kids' room as both seating and a place to store toys; or as a pet station as a convenient place to hide bags of dog food, cat food and litter. The list goes on.
This hanging "Cocoon" fruit, veggie and herb storage is a good way to free up fridge and counter space. Plus, it looks super awesome, too. It's made of a ceramic material that absorbs water from the produce, keeping it fresh and cool. Aesthetics, meet science.
If I had nice jewelry, I would totally keep it in this little gem (pun intended). There are several selling points to this method of jewelry storage: it's wall-mounted, so it doesn't take up dresser or floor space; it's out of reach of little fingers; it's spacious enough to store a whole bunch of stuff; and it's a mirror, which goes hand in hand with choosing what jewelry to wear.
If there's one thing that makes me feel disorganized, it's the jumbled tangle of cords snaking its way across an otherwise-neat desk. Looks like that won't be a problem any more.
This column is actually hiding tons of storage cabinets. As you can see, the marble base moves out to be used as a step stool in order to reach the higher cabinets. File this one under "drool-worthy."Next: Fresh Start: 39 Ways to Organize Your Stuff
This chalkboard organizer is so customizable. The amount of pockets can be specified, so if you want a bigger writing space in the middle, you've got it. Otherwise, the individual spaces for bills, magazines and all the other cluttered papers make it easy to sort and separate.
Q