Best products from r/declutter

Strap in, this got kind of long! I hope it's useful to someone.

I too have the "need a lot of bins and boxes and whatnot" situation because of my and my partner's hobbies. I sew and crochet and embroider and work with leather, and he works with electronics and 3d printers and so on. We share a small (10' x 10') room for our workspace and all of our most commonly accessed supplies.

Being someone who gets fixated on ideas frequently, I suggest that you open up your search to other options other than interlocking boxes. The reason I say this is that I am surrounded by bins and have been working with various sized bins to access things for a long time and I am tired of them. The problem is similar to what many other posters have mentioned: Getting items out of the boxes (even if they are small) is an Ordeal, especially if you have multiple boxes out, or if the box is very full and hard to put back together.


In general, a rule of thumb is to think about how you'll put your item away rather than how you'll access it. When we want access to something, it doesn't seem like a big deal to undo bins, bags, boxes, slide heavy things around, etc. because we get a reward at the end (yay, it's the thing! shiny!). After that, the idea of undoing all that stuff seems like a pain in the arse, and we just don't want to do it? (and what if we might need another thing from that bin? So, consider how you'll put it away, rather than how you'll get it out when designing a storage solution.


So, I am now moving away from the lidded box approach and encouraging my partner to do the same. Having watched Adam Savage's video describing first order retrievability, I am moving in that direction (although not yet to his ninjery level). Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWQAYfGxsPE.


I suggest the following types of storage for smaller objects. Bins still work OK for larger objects but someday I'd like to move away from that too.

• Akro-Mills Parts organization drawers. They come in many different sizes and types. They are durable, versatile, come with their own drawer dividers, they are wall mountable or usable on a desktop surface. We use these for all of the objects we reach for frequently for different applications (memory cards, bulldog clips, popsicle sticks, magnets, command hooks). https://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-10144-20-Inch-16-Inch-Hardware/dp/B003P2UOCO
  
  
• Stanley Organizer boxes. These boxes are extremely useful when you have a lot of tiny objects of different sizes to sort (like nuts, bolts and hardware or amigurumi eyes). There are bins in each storage thing that are fully re-arrangeable and removable - you can get several of these and customize each one to your needs and then pull out just the little bins you're interested in to work on. These have their place, but are best used as 'project' or 'many of one type' oriented storage https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-25-Removable-Compartment-Professional-Organizer/dp/B00005QWYF
  
  
• This video on using plastic bins as drawers. I did this for my two 4' workbenches and I love it. This allows me to quickly swap out project specific bins if I need to, and I now have the ease of access of drawers with the containerized pleasure of bins. I use these drawers every day for things like webbing and elastic storage, crochet hook storage, sewing machine accessories, sewing patterns, etc. I have currently taken to reserving one bin per workbench as a trash can and omg is that useful to have an in-table trash can - I'm thinking of drilling a hole in my benchtop so I can just swipe bits and pieces directly into the trash. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjyg6RWDlZw
  
  
• Pegboard / slat wall. I personally like the metal Wall Control brand because I have a love affair with magnets. I use this for thread storage (I can thread my machine directly from the wall, without moving spools around!), bobbin storage, clips, pins, tape that gets used daily (painters, duct, electrical, etc), instant access tools are mounted on magnetic bars attached to the board. I also stuck magnets on the back of a bunch of stuff (empty soup cans, plastic bins from the stanley boxes, thread locker, sewing machine oil, etc) and now I can just kind of throw those items at the board and they stick. Extremely efficient and functional. The various hooks and things are also highly useful. Comes in many different sizes and shapes (and colors!) with accessory kits optimized for different situations. https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Control-30-WGL-200GVB-Galvanized-Organizer/dp/B002LZSWFW
  
  
• A tool chest (even if you don't have "normal tools"). We use this for hand tools - it is really nice to have screw drivers, wrenches, utility knives and tape measures at our finger tips. Ours holds a ton of stuff, fits on our metro wire shelving perfectly, and has held up like a champ in the 3 years we have it. Also it's metal, so I can stick things to it with magnets. We have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Excel-TB2105X-Blue-26-Inch-Steel-Chest/dp/B002BETIQA

I keep my gowns in these - I went with clear plastic over the cloth or opague version because if I don't see what is inside, I forget it exists. I also specifically wanted it to be durable/wipeable/waterproof/car dirt proof so that i wouldn't have to be too precious when transporting them but you might like another version of the bags or getting thinner ones to store one dress in each. Once you figure out how many you need and what kind you like, you should be able to get them at a lower unit cost by buying the multipacks they have on amazon. Some things to consider:

- Regular suit bags aren't long enough so getting the 65 inch length bags is necessary (I'm 5"5 exactly so I have a few dresses that end up slightly too long for the bag).

- Depending on the bulkiness of the garment I can keep at least two in one bag. If there is beading, I use clear shoulder cover dust protectors to separate them so they don't snag one another. I eventually reduced my collection down to a small enough amount where I don't need to double up anymore. It looks nicer this way too.

- Having them all the same length looks much more cohesive than having the 54 inch bags mixed in with the 65 inch bags. It looks significantly better than keeping them in dry cleaner plastic or different colors from different stores.

- It can look a little busy in my closet but pairing down my collection to only the ones I love helped.

- Because the ones I got are vinyl on both sides - they can stick to one another or make a lot of noise than if I got the ones that have a fabric backing.

Now I love looking at them in my closet like it is a collection!

I've noticed that most tension rods in my closet aren't hung high enough for gowns anyway and have hung heavy duty hooks or rod brackets that extend outward high up and on the side walls of my closet in order to maximize closet space and keep them from touching the floor. I've also hung the over door version like these. It is amazing how much you can fit on just one!

You are not looking! A large portion of storage solutions are small to medium.

The closetmaid cubeicals are fairly cheap..there are multiple lines out, but you can get say a 3 cube shelf and and stand it on its end. Edit* The 3 shelf one on it's end looks to be 12 inches, so you could even do a 2x3 at a foot, or you could stack a couple of 2 cube units on top of each other, most of the lines are designed to create a desk space or closet storage and thus stackable.

• [Target search for "cube"] (http://www.target.com/c/home/-/N-5xtvd/Ntk-All/Ntt-cube/Ntx-matchallpartial+rel+E#?lnk=lnav_narrow%20by%20category_1)
  
• [Amazon 3 cube] (http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMaid-3-Shelf-Laminate-Organizer-898700/dp/B002IT6E5Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367817032&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=closetmaid+cubeicals+3)
  
• [Amazon 6 cube] (http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMaid-899600-Stackable-Laminate-Organizer/dp/B002IT6E9C/ref=sr_1_13?s=storageorganization&ie=UTF8&qid=1367817156&sr=1-13&keywords=closetmaid+cube+6)
  
• [Walmart ] (http://www.walmart.com/ip/ClosetMaid-3-Shelf-Vertical-Stacker-White/16821258)
  
  Go to goodwill or the thrift shop.
  
  Craigslist. Not sure where you are, but if it's fairly near a larger town in the U.S. then your for sale/free should be pretty littered with storage solutions.
  
  [A plastic drawer cart with the deep drawers.] (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-3-Drawer-Wide-Cart-Black/16415880)
  
  Get a couple of 2 x 6s and some nails from home depot and build a book shelf. They'll cut the wood for you.
  
  Go to a grocery store in the a.m. and ask for some banana boxes...they are pretty sturdy and stack fairly well, this would be better for more long term storage, since it's cardboard I wouldn't recommend using them for something where they will be worn down fairly fast....or I guess you could, and just replace them.
  
  Look around your place, your boyfriends place, parents, side of the road...I'm sure there are things you could repurpose for the fact. Think outside the box. Can things be re-arranged to provide different storage? Are areas like on top of cupboards, under beds, under furniture, being utilized well?
  
  And the best answer for how to prevent clutter is to eliminate it at the source. Be sure that what fills that area is actually necessary to the home, and if it is, why doesn't it have a permanent home in the house? If it does, why isn't it there? The 2nd best way to prevent clutter is to make sure that everything gets put in its place, every time.

Depends on how much space you need and how your kitchen is set up, but we have been using one of these and it takes up much less space than the previous dish drying rack we had and is easy to roll out of the way. If we need to hand-wash more dishes than fit on it then some will need to be hand-dried and put away.

In regards to your concern about open storage, I think there's a difference between decluttering and striving for visual minimalism and what you decided will come down to what you personally value. I recently bought a black wire storage shelving unit on wheels for a nook near our kitchen and while it is a little more visually "messy" it allowed me to organize things that were previously in the way, always being bounced-around because no spot was "right" for them because they had no "designated storage spot" yet were all things that we really, truly needed and couldn't otherwise declutter.

So when it came to visual elegance vs practicality I decided on practicality this time. I think it helps open storage if you can arrange things neatly and have peace in knowing these are all things you truly need and value having easy access to. If you would rather store them out of sight you might have options for that, too. I am adding a shelving unit into an oddly-designed cabinet to better utilize the available space inside of it. It's all about working with what you have to accomplish what you need within your budget and skillset.

I just read this book and spent all day yesterday taking the advice into practice (with my own modifications). I'm still processing through some areas, but my house has never been less cluttered. I never thought I would be able to accomplish so much so quickly, and really feel like managing the clutter in my house is a manageable task. In just a day, I was able to get through almost every space. I still have about half the kitchen and a few "miscellany" cupboards to sort through, and a dozen bags to take to Goodwill.

The basic advice I had heard before: only keep things that "spark joy," but it took actually reading the book and the repetitions of advice and explanations for the hows & whys to sink in. But the basic concept is to take everything you own out of where it lives, assess each item individually to decide what to keep (on the basis of whether or not it "sparks joy," i.e. does it make you happy to own), and then put it back neatly (look online for the KonMari method to folding). Take everything out by category, such as clothes (literally take all the clothes you own and put them on the floor), then books, then bathroom items, etc., rather than going by room. Think about how you actually want to use items and arrange them accordingly.

The most useful take home for me was to make sure every item in your home has a "place." Don't have junk drawers or room for miscellany where things can just pile up and get lost. Actually know where everything is in your house and know where everything goes, and appreciate every item in your house. It's amazing how powerful that has been for me.

Not to be a jerk, but honestly, in going through the photos, I feel like you could probably fill a couple garbage bags just in trash. I suggest going through and quickly gathering garbage, sweeping the floor and then assessing.

Go through your make-up and toss anything old. It's not hygienic to keep old mascara/eye products, etc and I really doubt you need that entire white drawer thing for make-up unless you're a make-up artist or something. Go through the kitchen and toss anything expired. Buy a small collapsible step stool so you can access the cabinets. Really think through how you use your kitchen and buy items that are multipurpose. Can you pare down your pots and pans? You could use the wall the garbage is against to hang pots if needed. How often to you use your microwave? Can you justify having one? The pantry sucks, no getting around it. I suggest buying square containers for dry goods, like your rice, beans, etc so they are upright instead of flopping over on everything else. The pantry looks deep, but stuff will get buried in the back if you can't see it, so maybe use some shoeboxes or something in the back to elevate things that go in the back. Or get those wire shelfthings. You could also store your plates vertically in there and free up cupboard space for pantry items.


Your closets are totally being underutilized....where are the clothes? Wash all the laundry, sort through it, and start hanging stuff up. You may be able to free up a drawer in your dresser that could be used for something else. Looks like there's room for a shelf above the current closet shelf - again, get a trusty collapsible step stool. The wall in the closet would be a prime place to hang a vertical shoe rack. This over the door style could easily just be hung on a wall instead of over a door. Shelf dividers can help get the closet shelves under control.

I'd work on those things, and then do a major purge, and then look into other storage - you may find out you don't need as much extra storage as you think.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/garden/home-organization-advice-from-marie-kondo.html?_r=0

An article that summarizes the book pretty well. You can read the novel if you want some motivation to start cleaning.

Tips: Start with the clothes, and in an order from clothes->novels->paperwork->accessories.

The order of the clothes:

Tops (Shirts, sweaters)/
Bottom (Pants, Skirts)/
Hangable stuff(Jacket, suit, coat)/
Socks/
Underwear/
Bags/
Accessories(Scarf, Belt, Hat)/
Shoes

US Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418119527&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Life-Changing+Magic+of+Tidying

UK Amazon:http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-effective/dp/0091955106

I wish I could store all of my clothes out of sight. But I prefer hangers to drawers. I have a lot of hard-to-fold clothes which would be unwearably wrinkled. I don't have a lot of closet space, so I have a stainless steel garment rack like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Honey-Can-Do-GAR-01120-Heavy-Rolling-Garment/dp/B002ACO6L0?ref_=Oct_MGiftedC_16353491_5&pf_rd_r=SEKV49078JV83ANBA6W3&pf_rd_p=18e4766d-73e5-5372-b20a-e74507c13007&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-10&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=16353491&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I'm not thrilled with having my clothes out. I get tense in cluttered environments. But I have to work with what I have, so I keep it neat. My clothes are pretty, so it actually looks nice. It's just that I prefer less visual stimuli.

Retainer cases would make great bobby pin cases. I use them for sewing pins, rivets (and buttons) for when I make jeans and denim jackets, and wooden toothpicks. They're great for anything small that needs to be corraled, like paper clips, safety pins, whatever. Plus they're plastic (no breakage) so they work great in the bathroom hiding small items out of site in the medicine cabinet. I only buy the white ones, but they come in all kinds of colors and designs to match your decor. And they're inexpensive.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RPV5ZVQ/ref=twister_B07RQSVWL8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Use a drawerorganizer, like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/Made-Smart-Madesmart-Interlocking-Organizer/dp/B004GSQLQE/ref=sr_1_4?crid=134BT29UL8QXJ&keywords=drawer+organizer&qid=1569204010&sprefix=drawer+org%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-4

Just search "drawer organizers" on Amazon, there's tons of options,and even ones meant for silverware can be useful for other things.

You could add your own shelf perhaps:

https://smile.amazon.com/ClosetMaid-3456-Large-Shelf-White/dp/B00AES2XB2/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=cabinet+shelf&qid=1556837726&s=gateway&sr=8-4

then use these caddy things to store your supplies:

https://smile.amazon.com/mDesign-Plastic-Portable-Organizer-Bathroom/dp/B0765CQ9Q4/ref=sr_1_41?keywords=clear%2Bbin&qid=1556837938&s=gateway&sr=8-41&th=1

I don't know exactly how much space you have but these things are bomb too:

https://smile.amazon.com/Simple-Houseware-Stackable-Sliding-Organizer/dp/B078YZ2Q85/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=under+cabinet+drawer&qid=1556837681&s=gateway&sr=8-3

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Good luck!!!

There are some organizational things you can get for kitchen cabinets.

I have one of these for my spices so that I can see what's in the back.

Something like this can help, too. I have a full size lazy susan in my pantry, because I have a habit of pushing stuff to the back and letting it sit there for a decade or two.

You can add extra shelves with something like this.

Good luck!

Yep! We have this and rotate the ones that we keep out. Has made a huge difference in clutter.

https://www.amazon.com/Soothing-Company-Stuffed-Animal-Chair/dp/B074BH6RWR/ref=sr_1_29?crid=2NCYSE5IQSR5W&keywords=bean+bag+stuffed+animal+storage&qid=1549648120&s=Home+%26+Kitchen&sprefix=bean+bag+st%2Cgarden%2C163&sr=1-29

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A 5-year-old might manage to knock it over, but it's this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUVTP9S/ . I only use it for my own toothbrush, though; it might be on the small side for sharing.

Check out this book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Easy read. Its really helped me in my decluttering process !!

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-effective-clutter-ebook/dp/B00KK0PICK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422221071&sr=8-1&keywords=konmari

She tells many stories of clients and how she works in her book. Also, you might learn some useful things! ;D

Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is well worth reading. I thought reading your post that you would be helped by it.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is most people's first choice when someone needs to get started. It's a recipe to change your philosophy on clutter. Some people swear by it, some don't like it at all. Just a good jumping off point.

www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/

Your library will have a copy.

Do people really identify with it though? I watched an episode where a lady had a cabbage where the outside was rotten but the inside was still "just fine". They were way beyond normal decluttering and into mental illness.

I think the japanese book on tidying is a lot more motivating.

This book. Seriously.