Tackle it Tuesday - The Hall Closet
December 4, 2007 by Karen Weideman
Filed under organization
Recently, I have been trying to tackle some of the out of control areas in my home. I am pleased to say that I finished another project today.
We had a shelf in our hall closet where we kept medicine, lotion, and stuff like that. Everything was on the same level, and it was hard to find anything. We would move stuff around and try to locate something we were looking for.
I found these great stackable mini-bins at Wal-Mart. I got a 3-pack for $3.14, so I had to buy 2 packs. Now I can see what’s in my cabinet. It’s great!
LRN
Looks great! I love being able to organize all the cabinet stuff so I can actually find something.
Those containers are a great idea. I need to see if my WalMart has those!
Thanks for sharing.
Great job! Can you come over and organize my closet. LOL!
I had a hard time finding these bins at my Wal-Mart. I looked and looked up and down the organization aisles and was about to give up hope when I found them on the bottom shelf near the ironing stuff (I think).
Don’t worry Tiffany, I have an entire basement like this closet to keep me busy. Ugh! I hate to even think about it.
Nice job!
Thanks. I’m envious of people that get to live in their homes for years and years. They can get their houses looking they way they want. I have a feeling we won’t be in this house another year, so it makes it hard sometimes to invest time in organizing things. I am pleased with the outcome of this closet though. I’ve also been going through our linens. My goodness, I’m not sure how they multiply!
I love it! Way to take advantage of the vertical space!! Great job
Laura
I don’t like the after picture. It looks just as cluttered to me and those bins don’t look sturday.
I gotta agree with BJ, it looks just as cluttered before. Why not just go to home depot (or similar) and buy a couple planks of wood and nail them to the cabinet? Or add a pegboard strip and some dowels to make it adjustable? Sure, it’ll cost more, but it’ll also look better.
I used a very similar (almost identical) system for my cabinet. The only thing I really did different was take it one step further and label each bin. I have one set of bins for childrens medicine and first aid. One set for adult medicine and first aid, and one set is for seasonal items like bug spray and sunscreen.
It looks GREAT!!!!
This post inspired me to organize my hall closet too! I love the bins - I used some similar, but in more of a “drawer” system. Like Char, I labeled mine too. My husband is giving me grief 6 ways to Sunday for my labeling, but you know what? He hasn’t asked where anything is for nearly a week now! LOL
It’s working quite well, but don’t tell him that!
I like the freedom of movable bins…you never know when you just might need to grab the whole bin for a big first aid job!
As far as “a couple planks” or “a pegboard strip and some dowels”…this is for a hall closet not a barn! LOL! I think the shelving looks “sturday” enough for the intended purpose.
The after picture definitely looks a lot more organized. I can tell that similar items are grouped together, and I love that you can take the whole bin out - that should make finding individual items a breeze. Why waste time and money on lumber, dowels, etc. when it really isn’t necessary?
EXCELLENT JOB! Great Tackle! I have a medicine cabinet right now that’s calling for some help! Thank you for the tip! I need to get on it this week.
p.s. I like the feature of movable bins.
Labeling is a good suggestion. I have been wanting a label maker . . . hmmmm. My husband may make fun of me if I start labeling bins. lol
While planks, peg boards and dowels would make sturdy storage systems they would also limit the options of the closet’s future usage. The bins used in the photo solve the clutter problem and allow for versatility - good thinking.
I have used wire shelving (like you find for kitchen cupboards for your dishes and coffee cups) to add additional heighth and space for storage baskets under my bathroom sinks. These could be another method of organizing. The baskets I use are like the ones you use for organizing drawers.
Another idea for grouping items and also having the ability to move entire groupings around is to use plastic shoe box bins. We have an entire first aid kit in one of these. They can be labeled and stacked in the closet and have the added advantage of being closed so little ones are less likely to get ahold of any one item.