This spring has been more than a little chaotic, and when I’m feeling overwhelmed I find great comfort in tidying up. I want to be clear: I’m not talking about any kind of serious organizing. I’m talking about cleaning up the mess I allowed to accumulate when I was feeling too busy to put anything away! Reshelving things where they actually belong in the pantry, clearing the books off the kitchen counters, reestablishing order in my makeup drawer: this is what I’m talking about.
Organization doesn’t come easy to me, so once I find a tool, trick, or system I love, I tend to stick with it for a long time. One of the reasons that it’s straightforward to restore order* when things get out of hand is that at this point in my life I DO have systems in place, so it’s not a question of figuring out what to do—it’s a question of doing it. On that note, and particularly with spring cleaning in mind, today I’m sharing some of my favorite tried-and-true (and blessedly inexpensive) home organization tools that help keep things feeling peaceful and calm around here. They’re small, low-tech, and completely invaluable.
Turntables
I use turntables in multiple rooms of the house: bathroom, pantry, office (for pens and such), and laundry room. They are gold and I love them and I wish I started using them thirty years ago.
In 2020 I organized our cabinets that hold spices, sweeteners, oils and vinegars, and baking supplies using inexpensive 10″ Lazy Susans, which were handy but left prime pantry space unused. After taking stock of our needs I switched out those 10″ Lazy Susans for the biggest ones the cabinets could hold: these 11″ shallow Everything Organizer turntables from The Container Store. One inch may not sound like a big difference, but this swap scored me a bonus 16 square inches in storage space! (Basically: it’s pizza math.) Having this extra space to organize the kitchen items we reach for the most is MAGIC.
I repurposed those 10″ Lazy Susans for other spaces. I’m especially loving the one in the laundry room, which perfectly fills its shelf there and now holds specialty detergents and stain removal solvents and tools like laundry brushes. It makes this laundry nerd so happy!
Modular Organizers and Boxes
When I was looking for a certain cleaner under the sink last fall, I realized that we had all kinds of good stuff lurking in the depths of the cabinets. For me, out of sight is out of mind, and I really wanted to reposition those household goods in such a way that I could SEE them. Luckily, I had just stocked up on these nifty little Target organizing bins. I had had an entirely different purpose in mind when I bought them, but they are PERFECT under the sink: bright white (so the contents are easily visible), inexpensive, modular, and easy to clean. I’m employing a variety of sizes under the sink for our household needs, sorted into categories like housecleaning, dish cleaning, miscellaneous solvents and stain removers, and houseplant needs. (Yes, really!)
I use the little modular organizational things EVERYWHERE. I have both nice lucite versions from Target and The Container Store, plus inexpensive white plastic ones (from the same two places). Makeup boxes and electronics boxes make good temporary dividers when I’m trying to figure out what size I want to get for a more permanent option. (Does anyone else remember how in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo wrote about her affinity for Apple boxes as drawer organizer? This blew my mind when I first read it!)
I attach little handwritten labels to many of these boxes and organizers to make it even easier to put things away. (See below!)
Zippy velcro ties
Velcro ties help keep everything tidy in my drawers. They mostly wrangle cords which is not a big lift but in doing so, they transform a jumbled drawer into an orderly storage space, and make my suitcase organization much tidier.
Bag clips
Our chip clips tend to disappear (sometimes because my youngest seizes them as a fort-making tool) so I got online and searched for good options. I’m really happy with these versatile Swedish bag clips, even though they’re different from the clothespin-style we used for years. And since they’re NOT good for fort-building, I can always find one in the drawer when I need one.
Index Cards
Index cards are an all-around hero in my house. I use them for my writing projects, note-taking, and determining Summer Reading Guide categories. I also cut them into small pieces (because I always have one handy) to label things.
What are your favorite home organization tools? Please share in the comments.
*One major exception: THE BOOKS. The books are all chaos and confusion right now. I think another ten shelves will solve the problem; if you have more reasonable ideas please tell me in comments!
P.S. One helpful piece of organizing (and life) advice and One reader’s quest for the perfect bookshelf.
11 comments
Would love to see pics of the turntables and under cabinet bins in place. (A picture is worth a thousand words.😉) Trying to imagine fitting the turntable in my cabinet.
I was thinking the same thing.
Ditto
Links to Target organizing bins are not working.
Maybe try clicking on it again? The link works for me, though it looks like they might only be available in store now.
The bins are all out of stock, in all colors, fwiw.
Velcro zip ties are the best. I discovered those ten years ago and can imagine life without them. On the other hand, I would love to help with your book situation but I am having the same problem. I’ve made some free library deliveries to drop the amount down and I think I need the same amount of shelves as you need. I love my books but I think they multiply when I’m not looking. 🙂
That would be can’t imagine life without. Oh I hate typos.
My biggest brainstorm has been to always have cleaning supplies and utensils VERY close at hand! I have two whisk brooms in my car, on either side, because while they aren’t as good as a vacuum, 2 minutes whisking can make a huge difference. When I’m expecting someone to ride in my car, quick, grab the whisk! Likewise I have one near the wood stove, near the cat litter, and in the bathroom along with a dust pan. It’s just so much easier (and less off-putting) than hauling the vacuum out for a quick job. I also have an upstairs vac and a downstairs one, otherwise I would hardly ever drag the one upstairs. And, this sounds ridiculous, but having my Windex OUT on a shelf in my kitchen makes it astoundingly easier for me to grab it and use it, than if it were in a cabinet. You gotta do what you gotta do.
We got new kitchen cabinets and counters a few years ago. In the bottom corner cabinet, we had a large two-layer wooden lazy Susan installed and it has been a life saver. I keep my Moka pot, blender, Dutch oven, and all my cake and bread pans in it
Those little Target bins are the key to almost my entire household organization. I always have at least 3 of every size in a box in my closet and whenever I use them I buy more to replace them. They are cheap and versatile and I use them everywhere. If they ever discontinue them I will cry but luckily they just seem to change the colors every year or so and they have always come back in stock.