Does it ever seem like you're running out of room for everything in your house? Short of throwing out all of your possessions, is there any other option? Of course! Just head out to Walmart and buy a few plastic bins.
With these bins, you can save space in any room of your house. Just decide the best location for each bin, fill it with anything that fits (and belongs together) and place it somewhere out of the way. No matter what you need to store, you can likely find a bin in a corresponding size. If you're still not sure that plastic bins are the best storage option for you, check out a few things you can do with them.
1. Kitchen pulloutsKeeping your kitchen organized is no small task. But with a few of these bins, you can quickly group certain items and utensils together and store them in easy-to-reach places. Put all of your Tupperware into one, lids in another and baking necessities in another. The possibilities are endless and you'll never again have to search every cabinet for that one lid you need.
2. Extra nursery itemsIf you have a baby, you probably have diapers, bottles, wipes and pacifiers stashed throughout your house. But what do you do with all of the extra stuff that you won't need to use for a while? Instead of piling any extra items in a corner and ignoring them, store them in a clear bin. You can tuck the bin away under a crib or in a closet to keep it out of the way and you can easily see inside to determine when you need to buy more of something.
3. Food storageInstead of haphazardly shelving food in your pantry, try grouping similar items together and storing them in plastic bins. This will save space and make it easy to see what is in each bin. You can even have a separate "Eat Me First" bin (in your pantry or refrigerator) for food that's close to its expiration date.
4. Bathroom binsBathrooms are short on extra room to begin with and the space only grows more cramped if you share a bathroom with family members or roommates. Instead of fighting for space, give each person his or her very own plastic bin. Now everyone's stuff has a designated space, and you can stack the bins under the sink to free up some counter space.
5. Out-of-season decorationsWhat's better than a house covered in Halloween or Christmas decorations? Nothing beats that, right? Unless, of course, it's the middle of April. Then those decorations might be just a bit out of place. But where to put them? The garage is already full and there's no way everything will fit in the basement. Instead of just leaving decorations up all year to avoid making space for them, store them in labelled plastic bins. Now everything will be right where you need it when the next holiday rolls around.
6. Rolling drawersIf you're short on space in your bedroom or living room, try utilizing the space underneath your bed or couch. Attach 1-inch casters to the bottom of your bins so you can easily roll them out from underneath whenever you need something out of one of them.
7. Lego tableDo you have kids or are you a kid at heart? Then you probably need somewhere to store and play with all of those Legos you've spent years accumulating. By stacking a few plastic bins on top of each other you can create the legs of a table perfect for your Lego creations. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even sort the Legos by color.
8. Classroom suppliesIf you're a teacher, you know the frustration of never knowing where your markers, sticky notes, glue or scissors have disappeared to. Instead of constantly trying to track down your missing supplies, use several smaller-sized bins to organize your classroom supplies. With everything labelled, your students will know where to find what they need and will also know exactly where to return things when they're finished using them.
9. Toy storageKids tend to make messes. They can't help it; it's just what they do.
But that doesn't mean you should let their toys take over the entire room. Plastic bins are the perfect storage containers for kids' toys. They can hold a lot, you can use just about anything to label them and your kids can easily see what toys are in each bin.
10. Jewelry boxWhether you make jewelry to sell or just like to have plenty of options for a night out, storing jewelry is always a hassle. Your necklace chains get tangled together, your bracelets lose their beads in the fray and your rings disappear into the great unknown. Instead of digging through a crowded jewelry box every time you need something to wear, try drilling some holes into the sides of your plastic bin and inserting metal pegboard hooks. You can now safely hang your jewelry on the hooks without everything becoming a huge tangled mess.
