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.
Friday, 18 September 2009
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
