Organizing Storage Bins

7 tips to Organizing Storage Bins for easy storage, access and retrieval.

We’ve downsized twice in the last 10 years which means I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff. I have to admit it’s easier to get rid of things and make space as your children are leaving and they take many of their things with them. It’s still important to take inventory of the things you have and what’s worth keeping and storing though. Most home and storage space is valuable real estate.

7 Tips for Organizing Storage Bins

Declutter – As with any organizing project it always starts with decluttering the space. If you’re starting from scratch I would suggest creating piles of items that you want to store together. Go through the piles and decide what is worth keeping and what you have space for. Have a box for donations and a garbage bag for things to toss and recycle. If you already have totes or bins use what you have. You can always upgrade your storage bins later if you want.

Storage Bin Style – Determine the color, size and style of bins that will fit your space and storage best. As you can tell I just used what I had available. There’s nothing wrong with that especially if you’re on a budget. Your storage space doesn’t have to be beautiful, just functional. I do have a plan of replacing the wider bins because the slender ones fit better. I’ll just replace them one by one. My kids will probably use the replaced ones for their things when they go off to college.

Use Dividers – If storage bins have several different items in them it would be beneficial to use dividers or other containers to keep the items separate. It makes retrieval of items much easier.

Label Bins – Obviously labeling the bins is an important part of organizing your storage. So here’s my though, cute labels or even a descriptive picture are attractive but not necessary. When we moved in I just wanted the bins organized and labeled so this is what worked for me. Feel free to make yours much cuter than mine. You could use vinyl, sticky labels, or even photos to label your bins.

Organize by Holidays or Seasons – Keep like things together such as: specific holidays, the seasons, kid’s mementos. It will make it so much easier to find what you want. And it saves you time and frustration when something’s easier to find.

Designated Place – Everyone has different storage options in their home so you have to find what works for you. Try to find a space that is big enough to store most of your things together. It’s easier to keep things organized when everything is conveniently in one place. As you can tell my storage bins are in the garage, you could also use a shed or attic for large storage.

Shelving – Take it from me, it’s much easier to get bins out when they’re not stacked on one another. We made these shelves shortly after we moved into our current house. It has been so easy and convenient to retrieve what I need from these storage bins. In the next post I’ll be sharing the step by step into making these shelves. There are also other shelf options available to purchase from home stores. Just measure your bins to make sure they will fit on the shelves easily.

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