How to Organize Every Room of the House with Storage Bins

How to Organize Every Room of the House with Storage Bins

Today we are talking about one of my very favorite things– storage bins! I’m a smidge obsessed with them and use them all over my home to organize everything! Now, having pretty, matching bins does not necessarily equal organization. (Nor does not having pretty, matching bins necessarily equal disorganization.) However, I love that a lot of these options can help to decorate a space while maintaining some semblance of order at the same time when used effectively, and functional + beautiful is always a win in my book!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Since I know that many of you share my love of storage containers, I thought I would share a list of my favorite types and how I use them in case you have any upcoming organization projects in the works! In no particular order, here are the types of storage bins I use most often:

1. Baskets

I love baskets because they come in so many different shapes and sizes and can add warmth and texture to a room while keeping things neat and tidy. We use baskets in several places in our home, including in my office to store craft supplies…

{baskets (similar) holding everything from paint to adhesives to tchotchkes}

And in our kitchen cabinets to hold small utensils that we need, but aren’t used all the time.

{utensil basket in our kitchen}

2. Fabric Bins

I use fabric bins all the time, particularly in our “cubed” storage units. I love that they come in tons of different colors and are big enough to hold a lot of small items, but small enough to keep an area from getting cluttered. I often will add an adhesive bookplate to the front of my fabric bins so I can insert a label and clearly see what is in each one.

{fabric bins (similar) with bookplates keeping the Cs’ toys organized}

{bins + bookplates in my office to hold fabric}

3. Plastic Drawers

I once saw plastic drawers on a list of “items you should never use to organize,” and I totally disagree! I love them! Unlike plastic tubs that you have to unstack every time you want to use their contents, drawers are easily accessible when stacked and are perfect for organizing hand-me-downs or items under the sink. Since they often have a clear front, they are also easy to label, which is always a plus!

{plastic drawers (similar), labeled with adhesive vinyl wording that I cut with my Silhouette machine, keeping our master bathroom vanity organized}

{plastic drawers (similar) with inventory sheets for the Cs’ hand-me-downs}

4. Pantry Bins

When we were first married, Donnie and I bought a bunch of inexpensive pantry bins from Wal-Mart, and they have been used for many, many purposes in the 10 years since (and they’re still going strong after a decade)! They’re white, so they can fit in just about anywhere, and they’re also stackable, so we can easily organize vertically. We’ve used these bins to hold shoes, toys in the garage, workout equipment, supplies under the bathroom sink, and we’ve even actually used them for pantry storage!

{pantry bins (similar) currently being used to hold tissues and toilet paper under the sink in our guest bathroom}

5. Fabric Totes

I love fabric totes because they’re so pretty and come in tons of patterns and colors! They’re also open at the top, making them easily accessible without having to mess with taking lids off and putting them back on. We currently use large fabric totes to hold sweaters and purses in our master bedroom closet.

{fabric totes on the top shelf of our closet— these ones are from HomeGoods}

6. Plastic Tubs

I know I just sang the praises of plastic drawers over tubs, but we certainly use our fair share of the tubs around here too! When we need to store larger items or have long term storage needs (like holiday decor, for example), I almost always reach for plastic tubs. These containers are great because they are super sturdy and the lid helps keep out unwanted dust and bugs when storing in areas like a garage or basement. I always attach a label when possible!

7. File Boxes

We are mostly paperless in our house, so we don’t file much paperwork, but there are a few instances when file boxes really come in handy for organization. I use them to keep a small selection of the Cs’ original artwork from each year of school, and I also use one in my office to organize extra binder separators, plastic sleeves, and other binder supplies. File boxes are great because items can be separated by folder and easily tabbed and labeled so that you can see exactly what each folder holds.

{the Cs’ school mementos, organized by year}

8. Small Plastic Bins

Small plastic bins are inexpensive (find them at The Dollar Tree and Target Dollar Spot!) and are perfect for corralling all of those teeny tiny items that always seem to be floating around (especially when you have kids)! We use them for everything from toy organization to kitchen storage– they are super versatile!

{dollar store plastic bins holding toys in the Cs’ room}

9. Lidded Cardboard Bins

I have only started using these more recently, and I really like them because they are inexpensive and perfect for holding large, lighter items like textiles, paper, and craft supplies. I filled my craft closet with these boxes in all different sizes, and they were the perfect solution to keep everything organized and separated by type. These particular boxes had spots for a label, and I added my own vinyl lettering on the sides as well.

10. Shoe Boxes

Finally, I couldn’t end this list without including shoe boxes! Shoe boxes are FREE and oh-so-versatile! I like to use wrapping paper to pretty them up, and I have used them to organize under the sink and as drawer separators to keep everything neat and tidy. They could also work for storing small toys, collections, or office supplies.

{wrapped shoe boxes holding toiletries}

{wrapped shoe box holding Donnie’s socks}

Who knew I could use so many different types of bins in one small house?! A lot of times, I think the key is finding the perfect container for the job, one that helps keep things neat and tidy without taking up a lot of space and being more of a hindrance than a help. Being able to separate items by category is huge when maintaining organizational systems, and if the organizers just happen to be pretty, that’s a bonus!

Looking for more organizing ideas? See my favorite types of labels to use for organization in this post:

Happy organizing, friends!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Original article and pictures take justagirlandherblog.com site