Wednesday 18 November 2009

Storage Solutions for Christmas Decorations

People tend to use the same storage solutions for Christmas decorations year after year. The sight of the same boxes (in our family it was a large coat box from the Hudson Bay Company along with a few easily identifiable blue sweater sized boxes from Eatons)being pulled out of the attic was the first sign that the Christmas season was upon us. In fond retrospect, it is amazing how long those boxes lasted. Our family must have used the same boxes for 10 years, perhaps longer. These days a department store gift box would never maintain it's form for that long. A part of good small closet organization is having durable storage containers.

These days, I mainly use hinged top rubber storage bins for our families Christmas decorations. They are durable, protective and easy to use. Most have pre-formed handles that make them easy to carry. The bins are light weight and therefore easy to stack. The storage of Christmas tree ornaments is a delicate business as families often have an assortment of family heirlooms mixed in with an assortment of school made construction paper ornaments. Both varieties are treasured and priceless.

A number of years ago I stumbled upon a really clever way to store Christmas tree decorations. At that point in my life I was just starting to collect my own Christmas decorations and it was also before I began to store most items in plastic storage bins. Just by luck I came across a Christmas store that was going out of business during the Boxing Days sales. This Christmas store had a huge number of delicate and expensive Christmas decorations that were now being offered at a huge discount. Most of the items in the store were being offered at 80-90% off the original manufacturers suggested retail price. Needless to say, this sale lasted about 36 hours and I was lucky enough to stock up. I immediately owned lovely and expensive Christmas tree ornaments around the same time that Christmas ornaments are to go into storage.

I pondered my various storage options on my walk home. I resigned myself to vast amounts of newspaper wrapping or purchasing some bubble wrap. However, as soon as I walked in my front door I was presented with a wonderful storage solution. I had purchased a case of wine in early December to enjoy during the holiday and to use as gifts. The empty case with it's sturdy bottle dividers was sitting at my front door waiting for recycling day.

An empty liquor box or wine box makes a perfect Christmas decoration storage solution. In fact, the sturdiness of these boxes makes them perfect for a number of different uses. With just a little bit of newspaper between ornaments the box provides secure and organized storage for up to 48 Christmas tree ornaments. It really is a perfect storage solution for Christmas tree ornaments and for Christmas decorations in general.

I use essentially the same system even now that I have moved most of the storage into plastic storage bins. I have simply transferred the sturdy cardboard dividers into the plastic bins. I expect that the "free" dividers will last as long as I need them. I have accumulated a number of different sizes in order to customize my store. Wine bottle dividers are generally 3 inches square while dividers used for bottles of Baily's Irish Cream are 4 inches square.

With the use of plastic storage bins and the inclusion of wine case bottle dividers I think I have an excellent storage solution for Christmas decorations.

Friday 18 September 2009

Closet Organizer to Hold Storage Bins

I need a closet organizer to help my organize my storage bins. Everyone knows that I have found religion with respect to storage bins. I firmly believe that the readily available and often discounted ubiquitous storage bin can play a role in all good storage solutions.
They can really be used in any room of the house (perhaps not the more formal rooms)and are very effective is organizing and storing groups of like items. The key to the success for use of bins is to avoid cross contamination. For example, don't store summer clothing with the odd Christmas decoration. Keep each bin true to the original storage idea and you can't lose.

I have tens of storage bins in use. I have storage bins for camping equipment. I have storage bins for sports equipment. Bins for summer clothes and bins for ski gear. I have plastic storage bins in every closet of my house. All I need now is a good closet organizer that can hold and help organize my assorted bins.

I am going to start with the basement as that is the easiest. In this case I don't really need a closet organizer or a closet organization system. I really just need some good sturdy shelves to hold my storage bins. I can stand the shelving unit at the far end of my basement, against the back wall. My ceilings are eight feet high so I think I want a 3 shelf unit with the final and highest shelf being approximately 5 feet off the ground. I want shelves that are at least 2.5 feet deep and 5 feet wide. In addition each shelf must be able to hold 50 pounds. My first inclination is to check the Ikea catalog. I will be back to finish this blog post once I have done so.

Ok, the Ikea website is useless. If you search for shelving you get 641 matches that include everything that has a shelf ie. cabinets, CD racks, headboards....If you search for a set of shelves you get everything that has a shelf plus every single thing that comes in a set like knifes and door handles and bowls. I know Ikea has some shelves that might be suitable so I will just arrange to get to the store myself this weekend.

As I said, I like organizing my storage bins is the easy part. I think the second easiest area to organize will be the children's play room. Organizing a playroom is always a challenge. I have 6-9 brightly coloured storage bins in there that need a more permanent home. I think open shelves might work there as well. However, before settling on open shelves for the storage bins in the playroom, I want to explore the option of cabinets. Although the open shelves will work, I think having the bins in cabinets might look neater.

I will post again after I do a little more research on storage cabinets for a play room.

Monday 14 September 2009

Purchasing Storage Bin Tips

As you are aware from my previous posts, I am a big believer in storage bins. I have plenty and I use everyone. I keep everything from winter boots and camping gear to my grandmother's fine china in some sort of storage bin. I find the bins to be light weight, sturdy and for the most part economical. In my opinion they make for great storage solutions.

At least I found them to economical until recently. Approximately two months ago I was approached by a friend you called me to task on my pronouncement of readily available cheap storage bins. She said she had been looking for the last few months and was unable to find any storage bin at the prices I had suggested and really couldn't even find anything that had been discounted by 30%. "Nonsense", I said. "I have purchased all of my storage bins at at least 40% off." I promised her that I would alert her the next time I stumbled across a sale on plastic storage bins.

Well, here I am 2 months later with nothing to show for it. It is true that I have purchased all of my storage bins at a large discount. However, I guess what is also true is that I buy these bins sporadically over the years when they are on sale. I wondered how I was so lucky. the answer soon became clear to me!

Every Friday, I get the Canadian Tire e-flyer in my in box. I have received this e-flyer since I bought my first house. As a result, I know exactly what is on sale at Canadian Tire every week. When I see something I need at a deep discount I go to the store. As a result I have purchased an enormous amount of items at Canadian Tire which have been heavily discounted.

I highly recommend getting this flyer. It's free and I estimate that it saves me hundreds of dollars each year. Go to the website and sign up. The website is Canadian Tire. You will be very happy that you did.

And to my friend: I am still looking for half price storage bins and I will let you know as soon as I find them.

Monday 10 August 2009

Storage Cabinets

Every room could use a good storage cabinet. Of course the same type of storage cabinet would not be suitable for every room. For example, an appropriate storage cabinet for a bedroom would not be appropriate for the laundry room while a perfect laundry room cabinet would not be suitable for a play room.

Many older homes have very limited closet space and are in great need of storage solutions. Most closets in turn of the century homes are limited to a small hinged door off of a bedroom. Front hall closets did not seem to exist and walk in closets are quite definitely a modern day phenomenon. For those of us that live in older homes proper storage cabinets are an absolute necessity. I like to keep the Victorian touches in my home and therefore I find myself browsing through rummage sales and salvage yards and antique shows for antique storage cabinets that match the decor of my home.

The disadvantage of buying antique storage cabinets is that they are often in a state of disrepair. Buying a cabinet that is in rough shape may not be worth the money. Only buy an older storage cabinet if you are prepared to do all of the repair and refinishing work yourself (and within 2 months maximum) or if you are prepared to immediately drop it off at the carpenter's and pay to have the work done professionally.

In my experience antique cabinets come in three broad varieties. There are antique storage cabinets with doors, cabinets with doors and drawers and those cabinets with only drawers. Don't confuse the latter with dressers. When I refer to antique storage cabinets with drawers, I am referring to antique filing cabinets. The two former types of cabinets are the most common found. Those cabinets with drawers and doors are often best used in the kitchen or dining room while those cabinets with just doors (often referred to as armoires) are best suited in other rooms of the house.

There are a number of effective ways to use an armoire. In the living room or den, an antique armoire can be used to hid your electronic equipment such as your TV, DVD player, game player or stereo equipment. There are those people you like to show off there electronic equipment but I am not one of them. I think a stack of black boxes and a jumble of wires detracts from the appearance of any room. An armoire can be cleverly modified to hide of of your equipment and allow the unsightly but necessary wires to run out the back, hidden from sight.

Of course, an armoire can be a great way to increase the available closet space in your bedroom. If space permits a particularly attractive armoire can be left in the hallway or even in another room and used for storing off-season clothing.

Storage cabinets for rooms such as a play room or laundry can be made of resin or even plastic. It is easy to find a set of plastic drawers to store items in the laundry room. A set of inexpensive plastic storage bins might do the trick in a playroom as well as any formal cabinet.

The addition of a storage cabinet to your home will be a welcome addition. You will be suprised at how quickly it becomes essential. You will wonder where you stored your belongings before such an addition. Storage cabinets come in a number of shapes, sizes, models, and ages. Do some thinking and a little bit of research and pick the storage cabinet that is right for you and your family.

Friday 10 July 2009

Storage Ideas For Play Rooms

Incorporating storage solutions into your children's play room is vital. Play rooms can go from neat and tidy to the ultimate disaster in the time it takes to wash your hands or answer the phone. The descent into play room bedlam is so rapid and so complete that it is almost otherworldly. Every time this transformation happens in the presence of my spouse I can hear the faint humming the the Twilight Zone theme song.

The fact is that play rooms need to be tidied 2 or 3 times more often than other rooms of the house because they become disaster zones 2 or 3 times more often. Some creative storage solutions for your play room can make this task easier. With a little thought you can make tidying the play room into a sort of game and the kids will even help put things back into their proper place.

As you may have noticed from some of my other posts and articles, I am a big fan of the plastic bin. Plastic bins help with closet organization and all sorts of other storage problems. Plastic bins are cheap and durable. The use of brightly coloured plastic bins in the play room is a fantastic idea.

The following are two ideas that I have seen used effectively:

1. Each child has their own plastic bin. It is helpful if the bins are different colours. Each child is taught that all their toys must be returned to their special plastic bin before a new toy is played with. This gives each child a sense of responsibility from a very young age. The plan does not always work but with some gentle encouragement it soon can become habit forming.

This idea also allows the child to take their toys and special bin to their bedroom or another quiet place in the house if they want some quiet time.

2. Make some built-in shelves that fit a series of plastic bins. On the ends of the plastic bins glue on pictures of specific toys or perhaps find some appropriate stickers. You can have a truck bin, a barbie bin, a stuffed animal bin, a train and train track bin, a princess bin, a Dora bin, etc. Clean uptime is fun and easy because the kids simply return their toys to the bin that has the correct picture on the end. Give your kids a reward like a kiss or a green grape for every truck that goes into the truck bin or every princess that goes into the princess bin. By giving the child a small reward you are re-enforcing good behaviour. Small rewards can make the clean up process quick, easy and infinitely more pleasant for the parent.

Play room storage ideas can be fun and easy. Check back to this blog for some other play room storage solutions

Saturday 4 July 2009

Cost Comparison for Storage Bins Between Home Depot and Canadian Tire

In my last post I advised everyone to buy cheap storage bins when you see them on sale. As everyone knows I think plastic storage bins make for great storage solutions. This is because plastic storage bins regularly go on sale. Today I decided to do a bit of price research so you will have some context for appropriate pricing.

These are some of the models I found in a very quick search.

At Canadian Tire

1.Rubbermaid Clever Latch Tote. This is a 27 litre clear bin and is listed for $14.99

2. Tote. This is a 72 litre plastic bin. It is blue with a white top and is listed for $7.49

3. Suncast Staking bin. This type of bin is also referred to as a hopper bin. These bins have a cut away front hinged lid which allows you to access the contents when other bins are staked on top. Very handy. This bin has a 69 litre capacity and is white with a black top. This bin is listed for $16.99 which seems a bit pricey to me.

4. Omni Box. This is a small (15 litre) clear plastic bin with a blue top. It is listed for $10.99 and seems a bit expensive for such a small bin.

5. Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote (37.9 litre). This bin id all blue and is listed for $6.79.

6. Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote (53 litre). This bin is also blue and is listed for $7.59.

7. Rubbermaid Roughneck Tote (68.1 litre). This bin is also blue and is listed for $8.49. I have at least 8 or 9 of these bins. They are at least 5 years old and are in perfect condition.

8. Rubbermaid Rough Tote (189 litres). This is a giant plastic bin. In my opinion the bin is a bit too large as when full it would be impossible to move. Perhaps it would work well and a child's toy box. This bin is grey with a dark grey top and is listed for $22.99.

9. Rubbermaid Hinged Top Tote. This plastic storage bin has a capacity of 114 litres. It is dark grey and has a black top. It isd listed for $12.99. I personally have a few of these plastic storage bins and have no complaints.

10. Nesting Tote. This plastic bin has a capacity of 115 litres. It is blue with a white top and it is listed for $10.99.

The plastic storage bins I found on the Home Depot web site seemed to be a little bit more expensive. Below is what I could find on a very quick search.

1. A 3 pack of stackable recycling hopper bins. Each bin has an approximate capacity of 68 litres. The list price for a set of 3 is $29.98. This works out to approximately $9.99 per individual bin. These bins were a bit garish as they were bright green, yellow, and blue.

2. A 4 pack of stackable hopper bins. These bins were grey and also had a capacity of 68 litres. A set of 4 was listed for $39.87. This works out to be approximately $9.97 per bin.

The list of bins at Home Depot is not exhaustive but I had to cut my search short in order to get in a walk on the beach before the rains came. The bins I listed for Home Depot are very similar to the Suncast Staking Bins found at Canadian Tire. I will do another search at Home Depot and Lowes and maybe Home Hardware over the next few days in order to give a clearer price comparison for commonly available plastic storage bins. And remember only buy storage bins when you find them on sale.

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Storage Solutions

I have begun to get very interested in exploring different storage solutions and closet organization systems. In fact, I know think differently about how I store things and the effect that proper storage and organization has on my life. My awakening to this new way of thinking had two catalysts. Well actually, just one catalyst which changed my way of thinking and created a new interest which was confirmed event.

The real catalyst was a birthday gift from my husband. I had been complaining about our front hall cupboard for at least two years. It was awful! The doors were constantly jamming or coming off their tracks and the interior was a disaster. I hated it and I tended to gripe about it every time I had to use it. I started to throw my coat on a living room chair in protest of such a medieval front closet. Sadly, my husband did not even notice my non-violent passive resistance form of protest against our front hall closet. I wasn't even sure he would notice a hunger strike. I had to end my protest when the kids unwittingly joined me in protest and the living room became a sea of coats and jackets.

When I complained to my husband about his oblivion to my distress and protest and explained to him the other ways I could protest, I seemed to capture his attention. Within days I got an early birthday present. He promised to install new closet doors of my choosing, new closet organizers, and he bought me a gift certificate for a half day session with a professional closet organizer consultant, and another gift certificate at Home Depot in order that I might buy what ever the consultant suggested.

My day with the professional closet organizing consultant was simply blissful. Under her direction I threw away my ugly rain coat and boots, 4 years of Field and Stream, and my husband's decades old tennis racket. She made my feel silly (in a nice way) for holding on to unmatched mittens and gloves in hopes that the missing ones might show up. She gave me freedom to purge and it was liberating to say the least.

I learned that the key to closet organization is to fundamentally limit the stuff you need to store. After only an hour with this closet genius I awakened to the fact that our family only uses about 25% of the items that we have in our closets. It really was a surprising realization.

My closet consultant brought all sort of pictures and pamphlets to show me a number of different ways to organize my closets. She also gave me all sorts of helpful hints that I'm sure to use. For example, I love the idea of giving each of my children a clear Rubbermaid bin for their items. Aside from hanging their coats, all of their belongings must be put in their own bin with no exceptions. As an added bonus, my kids also seem to like this idea.

I am well on my way to a perfectly organized front hall cupboard. I still have not finalized my organizational scheme but I'm close. Once I have the plan all mapped out I will happily use my Home Depot gift certificate.

Once I caught the closet organization bug I started to read everything I could find on storage solutions. I quickly came across a book written by Peter Walsh called "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" Click here: - The discovery of this book is what confirmed to me that I would never go back to my old disorganized and cluttered ways. Mr. Walsh tries to outline the relationship between clutter and being overweight. What an interesting concept. I have just started the book but so far I love it.

So there we have it. I am a reformed pack rat. From now on I will think carefully about my cupboards and closets. Each of my closets will have a specific closet organization system.

Wednesday 3 June 2009

Storage Bins

Storage bins are the best and most misunderstood and under utilized aspect of closet organization or really any type of organization. At last count I think I own 47 storage bins. Storage bins rock. Everything and I mean everything in your house can benefit from the effective use of storage bins.

Let me tell you about how I use these bins in my own house. I started with just a few and slowly built my storage bin empire. I actually bought my first storage bins about 10 years with no purpose in mind. They were 60% or 75% off at Canadian Tire and I thought they might come in handy. As an aside, I have made a number of impulse purchases at Canadian Tire because of their great sales and I have never been disappointed.

In any event, I picked up a set of 3 bins and promptly put the still packaged bins in my basement. It was a few months later when I was washing all of my kids summer clothes in preparation for summer that I first used the bins. It occurred to me that as I washed the kids winter clothes I would slowly start to store the clean winter clothes in a bin and replace the winter clothes with the summer clothes. The transition from winter clothes to summer clothes would be seamless and at my own pace. The winter clothes would be washed once and then stored in a plastic bin until mid September. The storage bins gave me power! These are perfect storage solutions .

I quickly scanned my basement for other storage bin options. My eyes fell upon our heap of camping equipment. A light went off in my head that camping equipment was perfectly suited for storage bins. I made a mental note to buy some more storage bins on the weekend. I was right. Preparing for a camping trip is much easy when everything is prepacked in storage bins. After each trip I simply wash the camping dinner ware and cooking utensils and store it in a bin. Before I pack away the bin I try to think of things that we ran out of or forgot, like tin foil. I add these items to the bin. I treat the rest of the equipment in a similar manner. My family can now go camping on the spur of the moment by transferring the 4 camping bins to the car and packing some clothes. It is as simple as that. The storage bins give me flexibility.

I now have storage bins all over my house. Christmas decorations are in a few bins, Halloween decorations and/or Thanksgiving decorations are in another bin. The kids softball equipment fills another bin and so on. The best thing about storage bins is that I know where everything is. Gone are the half day searches for a baseball glove. In addition, I prefer to use homogeneous storage bins so they stack neatly together. If I need to segregate certain items within the larger storage bins I simply employ some smaller storage bins within the larger ones.

You know what else storage bins are good for ... towels, sheets, blankets, pillow cases, etc., especially when you have seasonal sets like flannel sheet sets and summer beach towels. For more ideas about what you could store in your linen bins, take a look at Towels - Table Linens - Bed Linens - Pillows: Towels, Table & Bed Linens, Pillows, Shower Curtains and much more at Rotary Supply!

Trust me. Start with some cheap storage bins. As another aside I never pay full price for my storage bins. These bins are always on sale somewhere. Check the sales sheets. At least once per month you can find storage bins on sale at Canadian Tire. It won't be a big investment. Buy some cheap storage bins when you see them on sale and be creative.