05/12/09
Creative Organising
There are hidden storage solutions already in your home that are just waiting to be utilized!
Let’s dig them out and get creative.
Let’s dig them out and get creative.
Kids Arts Supplies
Old picnic baskets can be turned into portable art & craft boxes. Old potato chip cylinders can be covered in paper or fabric and used to store paint brushes, plastic takeaway food containers can be covered in stickers and house craft materials. Plastic party snack containers with several compartments and plastic lids can be used for reusable paint palettes that can easily be covered when there is no time to wash them out, it will save on paint as well.
Mobile Phone Docking Station
Count the number of mobile phones that need to be recharged and buy a power board to accommodate it. Attach this power board to a painted or covered backing board that also has some pockets or coloured socks attached to it for the phones to sit in. Give each pocket a visual cue for the owner either labeling it with their name, their photo or a representative symbol. You could even add hooks under the mobile pockets for keys to hang on. This whole thing can then be mounted to the wall. This will reduce dust, cord tangles and confusion. For another spin on this idea, try placing the power board in a neat basket or box. This idea can also be utilized for battery rechargers.
A New Use for Old Pots & Pans
We often see cooking utensils suspended on hooks and hung from a rack on kitchen walls. If you have some old pots and pans that have holes in the handles which will also allow them to be hung, how about spray painting them brightly and suspending them from a similar rail? Use them to store fruit and vege. Or use them in the shed or workshop for storing other small items.
Detangle Wrapping Ribbons, String and Cords
A prettily covered shoebox can contain 4 or 5 spools. Simply cut, or punch some holes in the lid and feed the ribbons through. If you really want to smarten up the holes use eyelets.
New Life for Old Ice-cube Trays
The little square compartments in an ice-cube tray can be useful in a desk drawer for tiny things such as staples, paperclips, thumbtacks, sharpeners etc. Or useful for storing jewellery, a great way for keeping necklaces from tangling up together and earrings in their sets. Ice-cube trays can also be useful in the toolshed for washers, nails, nuts, bolts and screws, fuse wire and fuses. They can also be stackable, in or out of a fishing tackle box.
Lastly, a quick handy tip!
Bin Liners
Instead of lining your garbage bin with only one liner, why not line it with five or if space permits, seven? This way every time you remove a filled bag, there is already one there waiting to be used. You have now saved yourself some time.
For more tips and ideas subscribe to the Less Equals More newsletter by logging onto the website below.
Angela Miller-Davis is a Professional Organiser who helps people to find solutions for an organised lifestyle through her consultancy Less = More, Brisbane. http://www.lessequalsmore.com.au
Angela is a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers).
Old picnic baskets can be turned into portable art & craft boxes. Old potato chip cylinders can be covered in paper or fabric and used to store paint brushes, plastic takeaway food containers can be covered in stickers and house craft materials. Plastic party snack containers with several compartments and plastic lids can be used for reusable paint palettes that can easily be covered when there is no time to wash them out, it will save on paint as well.
Mobile Phone Docking Station
Count the number of mobile phones that need to be recharged and buy a power board to accommodate it. Attach this power board to a painted or covered backing board that also has some pockets or coloured socks attached to it for the phones to sit in. Give each pocket a visual cue for the owner either labeling it with their name, their photo or a representative symbol. You could even add hooks under the mobile pockets for keys to hang on. This whole thing can then be mounted to the wall. This will reduce dust, cord tangles and confusion. For another spin on this idea, try placing the power board in a neat basket or box. This idea can also be utilized for battery rechargers.
A New Use for Old Pots & Pans
We often see cooking utensils suspended on hooks and hung from a rack on kitchen walls. If you have some old pots and pans that have holes in the handles which will also allow them to be hung, how about spray painting them brightly and suspending them from a similar rail? Use them to store fruit and vege. Or use them in the shed or workshop for storing other small items.
Detangle Wrapping Ribbons, String and Cords
A prettily covered shoebox can contain 4 or 5 spools. Simply cut, or punch some holes in the lid and feed the ribbons through. If you really want to smarten up the holes use eyelets.
New Life for Old Ice-cube Trays
The little square compartments in an ice-cube tray can be useful in a desk drawer for tiny things such as staples, paperclips, thumbtacks, sharpeners etc. Or useful for storing jewellery, a great way for keeping necklaces from tangling up together and earrings in their sets. Ice-cube trays can also be useful in the toolshed for washers, nails, nuts, bolts and screws, fuse wire and fuses. They can also be stackable, in or out of a fishing tackle box.
Lastly, a quick handy tip!
Bin Liners
Instead of lining your garbage bin with only one liner, why not line it with five or if space permits, seven? This way every time you remove a filled bag, there is already one there waiting to be used. You have now saved yourself some time.
For more tips and ideas subscribe to the Less Equals More newsletter by logging onto the website below.
Angela Miller-Davis is a Professional Organiser who helps people to find solutions for an organised lifestyle through her consultancy Less = More, Brisbane. http://www.lessequalsmore.com.au
Angela is a member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers).
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