One should never underestimate the power of good home organizers! Believe me, when you start adding these to your home, your life will change dramatically for the better. You may think I’m being a tad overdramatic there, but I kid you not, once you start you will be wondering why you left it so long!
It will help of course if you declutter along the way, if that fills you with dread, then check out Clear The Clutter, it’s a busy moms dream of decluttering!
The following home organizers are not brand specific, use them as a guide to the type of organizer you need. And see these as investments, many of the ones I bought years ago are no longer made, like the cool Ikea drawer/trolley we have in our spare room but similar items are available. but are still going strong.
Also, check out your local homes centre and don’t pigeonhole what is available as it having to be used where they are selling it. For example, there are some great bathroom organizers that work perfectly well in the kitchen!
Disclaimer this post contains affiliate links which means if you choose to buy I make a commission at no cost to you.
The Trolley Home Organizer
This one is from Ikea (RÅSKOG about $40). The great thing about these types of home organizers is their versatility. You can use it for anything from art and craft supplies, to kitchen equipment to toy storage to your knitting supplies. And because it has wheels you can easily move it around, get it out when you need it, and wheel it away when it’s not in use.
This works great for kids too but to make sure it stays tidy I recommend using smaller pots/boxes inside.
Rotating Organizer
If you have one of those cupboards where it’s impossible to reach the stuff in the back, usually kitchen corner cupboards are the culprit then these Lazy Suzan rotating organizers are brilliant. BUt… there is always a but… if you overpack it, jam it too full you risk it getting stuck and much swearing will take place. To save yourself from going down the sweary path, keep the mantra, less is more!
TOP TIP!
Smaller version of the lazy Susan work great on a table when all the kids are working together, painting or crafting.
And who was Susan and why was she lazy? It seems that the internet has many theories on this, some believe it was either Edison or Jefferson who invented it for their lazy daughter. But Lazy Susan’s have also been traced back to the 18th century England where they became popular as the decline in household staff due to supply.
Glass Storage Containers
Like many people, I was concerned about the amount of plastic we, as a family consumed. And I also hated the Tupperware avalanche every time I tried to take out a box, and don’t get me started on trying to find the right lid! Investing in a selection of these glass containers was my solution.
I love that they can be used in the freezer and the oven and that the lids are made of bamboo. These are from the Ikea 365+ range and they do make glass lids too. We have a selection of sizes and they get used all the time. I was a bit worried about the storage issue but to be honest, there are always at least 2 in use so storage has never been an issue.
Dry Storage Containers
I’m fully aware that I just dissed the plastic and I’m now recommending plastic (BPA free though)! As much as I love the glass containers, we need to be practical too and most of our dry food storage is on a high shelf. Glass is heavy so if I switched the containers up to glass I would more than likely end up in the hospital everytime I wanted to bake a cake!
These are not the exact containers I have, I have had mine for years and it doesn’t look like they are made any more, but you get the gist. The ones shown are OXO POP containers. I love that they are clear, I can see exactly how much – or how little I have of something and they look lovely because they are a set rather than an hodge-podge of different styles and shapes. This makes my creative heart happy plus every time I open the cupboard I feel like a proper grown-up!
Adjustable Drawer Dividers
Drawer dividers are one of the unsung heroes of the home organizers world. You can take a drawer of chaos and turn it into a thing of organizational beauty! One thing I don’t like is the permanent style/fixed organizers because that means you have to fit your things to the organizer whereas I feel it is better to fit the organizer to your things.
It’s that simple tweak which makes all the difference when it comes to creating your organized home life!
That’s why I like these adjustable dividers, not only can you adjust the length to fit your drawer size but you can also decide how to divide up your drawer depending on your needs.
LEGO Storage
I think I’m right in saying that LEGO is both brilliant and a PITA, especially when it comes to storage. We have tried many different things and what has worked best for us are the large LEGO storage bricks. We have 5 or 6 of them that stack on top of each other and are solidly built. My son does separate different types of LEGO into different boxes, for example, the Mindstorms or technic LEGO is in one box, Ninjago LEGO in another.
The Playmat and Storage tub all in one solution look like a great idea too. I love that it has handles’s making it easy to carry around. I’m a fan of all multi-purpose tools!
The Humble Storage Box As A Home Organizer
Never underestimate the power of the humble storage box. I LOVE storage boxes.
Why?
Because it hides the mess and the chaos but also keeps things organized. Plus there are so many different styles and shapes, you can find the perfect boxes to match your personality and home. Open shelves and open baskets instantly look messy and dishevelled especially when you are living with kids, it’s nigh impossible to keep everything looking like a Home and Garden photoshoot 24/7.
But with some cleverly chosen boxes, you can take all that chaos and hide it away! No one will know!
They also work well for sentimental items, of course, you don’t want to save EVERYTHING but a few sentimental items are good to keep. (If you struggle with decluttering sentimental things, check out this post)
TOP TIP
Use labels on your boxes, it will make it easier for everyone at home to find stuff and put stuff away. As you create homes for all your things, let the rest of the family know. We dive deeper into this plus how to get your family on board with all the decluttering and keeping the home tidy in the Clear The Clutter program.