Containers, Containers, Containers

If you're starting a huge organization overhaul of your house for this years' spring cleaning mission and notice that you need more storage containers, read on! There are countless different forms of containers that you can use for home, car or office storage. I'm certain that I don't even know of all of the storage containers sold in stores these days. I have a select group of favorite types of containers that I use frequently throughout my home and home office. I took a lot of pictures of containers that I use throughout my house to hopefully give you an idea of how to be more creative.


My utmost favorite container is a clear plastic storage box, shown below. Sorry to choose brands, but I really, really like Sterilite storage containers. I use the 4 quart storage box for storing random things (crafty stuff, markers, thank you cards, office supplies) under my bed. It's great (check out the picture) - it is ultra convenient and all of that stuff is contained and hidden nicely under my bed. I label each box and know exactly what I'm going to find when I open it. Other than the 4 quart storage box, I use the drawer system and many other sizes of storage boxes. They really can store anything.





Some containers that I have become a big fan of recently are bowls or coffee mugs (countless storage capabilities - paperclips, buttons, rubber bands, lip balms, sewing tools, loose screws...), gift boxes (use the largest one to store all of the smaller gift boxes that you accumulate), any type of basket or tote or bucket ( I use a cute nickel bucket to store Post-it notes and another one for greeting cards), shoe boxes (endless possibilities here - I store some small tools in one in our linen closet), old jam jars or other glass jars, cardboard boxes and deli counter containers/other reusable storage containers. Just be creative! Look around your house - I'm sure you can come up with some type of container that can benefit you and your family. Get your kids involved too. I'm sure they'd love to paint a shoe box or create a label for a storage container or proudly display their new marble and rock collection in a parent approved jar.



Specifically for your office, depending on the type of office you have, I think that drawer organizers are exceptionally fantastic, as well as small cups or bowls on your desk to store odds and ends or loose change in, not to mention filing cabinets and file trays to keep your papers organized and off of your desk, as well as a dedicated container for your emergency kit or personal materials - assign a drawer and place your items in a basket or a toiletry tote.









Above are some photos from around my home. We'll start with my Sterilite drawer set in my den- the top drawer is the "junk drawer" where the tape, batteries, envelopes, super glue, etc. belongs. Middle drawer houses the cords and wires - each cord is wound up and secured with a zip tie. This sounds a bit anal, but trust me, if all of those cords were in there without being individualized I would never get to the one I want. The bottom drawer (not pictured) is just extra paper, notebooks and folders. Next stop is the linen closet where we store some basics plus the extra household items. In the linen closet I use a 4 quart container to store medicines and first aid supplies, a perfume box to store my nail polish, a bucket to hold cleaning supplies, and a wire basket to keep my sunscreen in. Lastly is a view of my bathroom cabinet under my sink. My favorite part of that space is the platform that is on the right side. I have a bucket where I store hair products and a sectioned container that stores hair accessories, then back in the left corner is a small basket with perfumes in it. I can't imagine what the space would look like without containers!