We all have our list of “must-haves” when we’re house hunting. Maybe it’s updated appliances, plenty of garage space, or enough bathrooms to eliminate early-morning fights. Beyond that, a lot of us wish for intangibles that can’t be bought — happiness, health, prosperity. While we wouldn’t trade the latter, a lot of us might trade the former for one specific opportunity: professional organization. A lot of us just aren’t good at it, are we? We try, though! We make plans (but don’t follow through). We buy containers (that we never use). We even buy that dang Marie Kondo book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and never crack it open.
Most of us can’t afford to have a professional organizer come into our homes but that doesn’t mean we can’t draw from their advice and make a solid plan that we can carry out. From organizing your cabinets and pantries to shoring up your bathrooms and garage, these are the picks a professional organizer would choose to get you organized in a flash.
Mug Shot
I have a problem with cups and mugs (and probably tumblers and water bottles, but that’s an issue for another product). This shelf organizer is designed specifically for those cups and mugs, allowing you to stack them safely one on top of another and free up your cabinet space. Just place one of these stackers on top of a mug and plop another on it upside down — instant organization.
That’s A Wrap
For me, wrapping paper is one of those things I buy as needed because, when I’m out and about, I have no idea whether I have what I need at home or not. This wrapping paper organizer holds 14 to 20 standard-sized rolls and, thanks to its easy visibility, you’ll always know what wrap you have with a simple glance. The slim design is meant to slide neatly into narrow spaces or even under the bed.
Fill Your Shoes
Speaking of under-bed storage, these large containers easily fit 12 pairs of shoes each or anything else you’d like to hide and get out of your way. These organizers have sturdy slides, a firm base, strong reinforced handles, and boast zippers and transparent windows that’ll keep things tidy and within view. These would be great for out-of-season storage when your closet needs some relief.
Battery Pack
Now that I’m an adult, I stay in awe of my parents who had an entire drawer devoted to batteries when I was growing up. How did they dedicate an entire drawer to just batteries? Amazing. Now you can store and organize your batteries with this case that not only holds 93 batteries of varying sizes but has a removable battery tester, too. It can be wall-mounted or (a ha!) placed in a drawer or closet.
Just Hanging Around
When you can hang five skirts or pairs of pants on one hanger, you’re immediately going to have room for more clothes and that’s a win-win if I’ve ever heard of one. These space-saving five-tier hangers have rubber-coated clips and a 360-degree swivel hook but the best part is how organized you’ll be (and did I mention buying more clothes?).
Strap Up
This one doesn’t fall into the typical “organization” category but if you’re looking for ways to simplify basic tasks in your house, this Bed Scrunchie is a must-buy. With a strengthened parachute cord and heavy-duty gripper clips, you can ensure you never again wake up wrapped in sheets that have popped off the corners in the middle of the night. Convert a flat sheet into a tailored fitted sheet in a snap.
Holding The Bag
In my opinion, a big part of organizing is the extra space it creates. (The other part is being able to find your stuff easily.) These vacuum storage bags are great for consolidating everything from sweaters to pillows to blankets and comforters. This purchase includes four jumbo bags that are double-zip sealed and a travel pump that’ll help you get every ounce of air out.
Talk Trash
Do you find yourself making miniature messes either in the kitchen or at your desk during the day? This mini countertop trash can is made of brushed stainless steel and has a swing-top lid that you can easily pop in tissues, tea bags, food wrappers, cotton swabs, and more. Save yourself multiple trips to a full-sized trash can throughout the day with this handy little guy.
Buy The Box
We discussed several shoe storage options already but don’t be deceived by the photo, these boxes could be used for a variety of things from clothes to books to toys and more. These boxes are clear and easy to assemble while saving a ton of space because they’re stackable. Ventilation holes in the box help keep air flowing so there won’t be any odd odors.
Don’t Flip Your Lid
This food container lid organizer is going to improve the plasticware relations in your house, namely because you’ll never have a container whose lid is missing ever again. This has five adjustable dividers so you can configure different spaces for multiple sizes of lids. A center channel in the bottom of the tray stops round lids from rolling around. Think of it like relationship rescue for your leftovers.
A Jarring Experience
Apothecary jars are some of my favorite storage solutions because of their whole throwback vibe. This four-pack of jars is perfect for your bathroom counter to consolidate everything from your cotton swabs to your floss picks. These are made of plastic and come with labels so you can organize yourself a step further. They work just as well in the kitchen or on your desk, too.
Where Have You Bin?
If you’ve read any of my prior lists, you already know I have a love-love relationship with organizer bins. There’s no hate in my heart for these gems, which can be used virtually anywhere from the refrigerator to the pantry to under your bathroom sink. This set of eight includes four large drawers and four smaller ones, great for everything from condiments to cleaning supplies.
Clean Your Drawers
I couldn’t live without a silverware organizer. This one is heavy duty with six compartments of varying sizes that’ll accommodate your spoons, forks, and knives as well as various kitchen gadgets. Each compartment is generously sized and will help you stay organized while keeping everything right in your line of sight. These can also do double duty in an office or craft room.
Bag Of Tricks
Stop sorting through 15 boxes of baggies to get the size you need because this bag storage organizer lets you see everything from snack size to gallon size with just a glance. The best part about this organizer is that it’s made from eco-friendly bamboo and can be used and re-used and re-used over and over again. You’ll get 21 label stickers, too.
Sneak Around
There’s nothing better than being able to throw a pair of shoes in the washing machine and dryer and come out with clean kicks. But, nobody wants to listen to those things tumble around. This dryer bag is perfect for drying while eliminating noises and protecting your dryer from damage. Simply fasten it to the dryer door using the elastic bands and you’re set.
Storage Wars
If you’re dealing with a small kitchen, storage solutions are a total necessity. Looking to create storage where there typically isn’t any is key. This magnetic kitchen storage rack attaches right to the refrigerator with room for kitchen tools, hand towels, paper towels, spices, cookbooks, and more. Think of all the free space you’ll have — so much room for activities.
Food Fight
When you’re storing food, an airtight solution is important. I’m fighting everything within me not to order this 24-piece set of airtight containers and completely overhaul my pantry. This set includes four size combinations to fit your needs including six tall, six large, six medium, and six small containers that can handle everything from popcorn and cookies to pasta and sugar.
Climbing The Ladder
What do you do about the large items in your home where there’s simply no second choice for storage? This ceiling rack, cleverly dubbed “StoreYourBoard,” lets you put things like ladders of all sizes, easily within reach but helpfully out of the way. This has an adjustable frame that’s also supportive of weight up to 150 pounds and maximizes the unused space against your ceiling.
Back To The Wall
If you have a load of yard tools and indoor gadgets like mops, brooms, and dusters, you need this wall mount organizer. It has 11 storage spots total and can be used indoors or out thanks to its weatherproof design. Each commercial-grade hanger has a 35-pound capacity and features spring-loaded, rubber-gripped slots without any slippage concerns. This has a near-perfect, five-star rating with nearly 9,000 reviews.
Everything But Under The Kitchen Sink
Under sink storage is usually an underutilized space and an unorganized mess. (That includes me; don’t look under my bathroom sink please.) This shelf organizer has expandable depth, height, and width for the ultimate flexibility to give you two levels of storage that also takes your plumbing into account. The top shelf in this set can hold a whopping 40 pounds whether you’re using it in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, or somewhere else.
Bargain Bin
There’s so much that can be done with a simple storage bin, especially when it’s as well-equipped as this four-compartment organizer. Use the pass-through handles to relocate it as needed and divide up the four compartments for your supplies whether you’re using this on your desk or in your bathroom. It even has a fully removable accessory drawer for additional convenience.
Do The Rounds
I swear I don’t know why it’s called a “lazy Susan” because this divided, rotating organizer puts in work. This has three removable clear bins with handles so you can find and grab what you want without a search while also giving you 360-degree access to the things usually in the back of your cabinet. Non-slip feet keep it from sliding around wherever you put it.
Hold The Line-r
It’s too late for me to implement these washable refrigerator liners but the next time you get a new fridge or you make a move, put these at the top of your “must-buy” list. You’ll get nine liners (three of each color) you can use as-is or cut into any size you need. Color code your refrigerator or simply cut down on slops and spills with this less-than-$15 purchase.
All Wrapped Up
Just like that bamboo bag storage system we talked about a few products above, this is a comparable system for your wraps and rolls — from cling wrap to wax paper to foil. Built-in cutters mean you don’t have to remove the rolls to get the pieces you need. Choose from four finishes and you’ll even get 21 label stickers to keep your cling wrap from fraternizing with your foil.
Off The Shelf
Nothing has changed my kitchen more than this pan organizer that can be used for both pots and lids. Install this vertically or horizontally for whatever space you plan to use it in; it’ll accommodate up to five pans vertically or four pans horizontally. You can even leave it freestanding so you don’t have to drill holes in your cabinetry. Neat, huh?
Rack Them Up
Remember at the top of this list when we talked about cup and mug storage and I mentioned I have a tumbler and water bottle problem? This two-pack of stackable bottle holders was my solution and it has been a winner. They’re easy to grab out of the cabinet and take up a lot less room than standing them up. Each rack holds up to three bottles and I can’t recommend them enough.
Tie One On
These are twist ties all grown up and are, in fact, magnetic so you can twist, bend, gather and tie just about anything with ends that stick to themselves. You can snag these in quantities from 16 to 32 (and let me tell you, you’re going to want more, not less) in a variety of colors. Reusable with ultra-strong magnets, you’ll find yourself coming back to these again and again.
Wrapped Too Tight
This heavy-duty wrap-it storage strap is a lot like a super-sized version of the magnetic ties above, minus the magnets but no less impressive in the convenience and organization aspects. These straps are great for keeping hoses, ropes, and cables organized and untangled and can hold up to 50 pounds, making them an ideal accessory for your garage or workshop.
Your Bathroom Buddy
When I was a kid, this bathroom organizer was what I imagined bathrooms in the year 2000 might look like. Sadly, 2000 passed without anything this cool (and no flying cars either) but two decades later, we finally have it. This has built-in slots for up to six toothbrushes, two magnetic cups, and toiletries as well as one handy drawer. It even dispenses your toothpaste.
Monitor The Situation
Someone once said that a clean desk was the sign of an empty mind and I take that quite personally. What’s wrong with preferring a tidy workspace? This organizing tool combines a dual monitor stand (for extra viewing real estate) with organizer functions like phone/tablet slots and space above and below for books and office supplies. Adjust the height and angle and get ready for your most productive work days ahead.
Desk Duty
While I’m talking about a tidy workspace, let me double down by adding this desktop storage rack with adjustable shelves where you can put everything from a touch of greenery to a cup of pencils to a stack of books or files you reach for frequently. Available in four finishes, you can rotate this to whatever shape best serves you.
Sort Something Out
Give yourself an “A” for effort with this laundry hamper and sorter that combines gathering dirty clothes with pre-sorting them. All you have to do now is throw them in the machine. This hamper has three sections for dark, light, and colored laundry and wheels so you can move it around as needed. Now if you can get your household members to actually put their socks in there, you’ll be golden.
On A Soapbox
I’m getting on my soapbox (pun intended) to talk to you about laundry detergent. Is the Incredible Hulk picking up those giant tubs of laundry detergent at the grocery store? Who’s doing it after you get home? Dump that stuff into this wall-mounted dispenser with one side for soap and one side for scent booster beads and you’ll never have to ask for help to lift that 500-pound container of detergent ever again.
The Perfect Outlet
What’s been our rule about organizing throughout this list? Finding storage where there typically isn’t it, and that certainly holds true for this outlet shelf that lets you charge a device like your phone or plant a digital assistant there without taking up any counter space. The sturdy platform supports up to 10 pounds and installation takes only a few minutes.
Room And Board
Someone talk me out of installing pegboard with hooks in my kitchen because — just look at that! — the possibilities are endless. This garage storage and organizing solution comes with a 48-in. by 36-in. pegboard as well as the steel railing, shelves, hooks, and bins so you can be instantly organized practically out of the box. Just know I’m already jealous of how good your garage will look with this.
Make It Up
We acquire a lot of cosmetics, don’t we? I don’t know how it happens. One minute I’m trying a new foundation and the next, I’m sorting through a drawer I call the foundation wasteland with too many bottles to count. This 360-degree rotating makeup organizer puts everything at your fingertips and organizes your essentials vertically to maximize this shelf’s footprint.
Make An Entrance
I’ve never been to your house but I’m guessing if there’s one place that could really use some organization, it’s in your entryway. Look quick: Do you see shoes, bookbags, laptop bags, and coats strewn about? Then, you need this five-in-one system that has space for shoes, hooks for coats, a bench for taking a breather, and plenty of shelving for umbrellas, backpacks, and more. A blend of metal and wood, it’s perfectly suitable for any existing decor.