As you are putting your house back together for the New Year, baskets are your best friend. As a Salt Lake City organizer, I've learned the 6 ways you can improve the beauty and function of your entire house by adding basket organization. In so many cases, you probably already have something in your home that can be repurposed for one of these designer organizing hacks. All my top picks are linked in the headings😉.
We might already have a basket containing piano books and maybe a blanket basket... but what about a pillow basket? Does your family throw all the couch pillows on the floor every time they go to watch tv? If that is the case, try putting a giant basket in your family room that creates a landing spot for all those pillows that would otherwise get stepped on and thrown on the floor.
We all have one. Whether it is in our office, command center or nightstand.... the dreaded pile. No matter how good we are at staying on top of things or filing important papers away... there are always going to be a few items that need to remain in a visible place (coupons, field trip permission slips, anything I don't want filed away but also don't want to be carrying with me everywhere I go). Grab a cute basket that can live in the place where the pile usually forms and call it the action basket. Now the pile doesn't feel so ominous.
QUICK TIP: This action basket can also double as a charging basket. If you don't have a docking station set up for devices, consider keeping all thing together in this one space.
3. Entry way
This time of year especially, wearing shoes in the house is problematic. While we try to be healthy and safe and keep our floors from getting hammered by winter, keep a basket by the front door to remind guests and kids that homes are shoe-free zones.
Other entry way basket ideas include:
Mask baskets, one designated for clean masks and one for dirty.
Library book basket to keep them separate so you are never tearing apart your house again to find that one missing book your 3 year old pleaded with you to check out and then never read 😂.
4. Stair basket
Another dreaded pile... do any of you let things pile up at the top or bottom of your stairs? Are you frustrated when your family members constantly step over your piles and "forget" that the system is to take the items to their homes? And by the time you grab the pile...it is so big that you can't take it in one load? I instituted a stair basket and it has changed everything. It is cute enough that it can sit right out in the open. It collects items to be transported to a different level, and if it fills up, it still looks nice and is manageable to take in one load.
My husband comes home from work and changes into casual clothes for 2-3 hours before changing into his pjs. He loves dressing down from the work day, but often his clothes are not dirty enough to justify washing them. Sometimes I'll throw on a sweatshirt for a few hours as well or I wear the same jeans a few days in a row. I like to know which clothes have been worn before, but don't feel like clothes need to be washed every single time they are worn. A basket designated for these clothes is a nice way to separate them. I like to use lined baskets when storing clothes so they don't snag.
WHERE TO PURCHASE
Home goods is my go to for big baskets. There are great baskets at different stores, but Home Goods will give you the biggest bang for your buck. The baskets I have shared are great to buy at Home Goods because most of them belong on the floor and don't need to fit an exact space to look right.
Just beware of using Home Goods baskets when you are doing a space that requires consistency (like a pantry or a closet). It is really hard to find all the containers you need or go back and purchase more. I love Target, Container Store, and Amazon for great products that have consistent products. West elm and crate and barrel have really beautiful baskets as well. A money saving tip is check Amazon first! A lot of the exact same products are sold on Amazon and at the Container Store but there is a big price difference.
HOW TO LABEL
Sometimes labels are not necessary. We all know where the blanket basket is. However, when baskets are being used by the whole family (ie. clean and dirty masks), up high so you can't see the contents (hats and gloves in a coat closet), or next to other similar baskets... it is helpful to have a labeling system. The labeler we use the most (for those of you who want to make labels galore) can be found on Amazon (labeler).
I love to label baskets with bin clips, but sometimes bin clips don't look the best or won't fit on big bulky baskets. In these cases, I have come up with some creative ways to label that don't distract from the design.
LID OR NO LID
I personally like the easy access to items a basket provides, but if you really don't want to see the contents, there are plenty of lidded options out there. Lids are also really helpful if you are trying to maximize vertical space and want to stack your bins. Most of my clients think it is nice to be able to toss or grab things easily which means I often use baskets and containers without lids. Shop at Target for some of my favorite lidded baskets.
I hope these ideas help you as you try to reset your nest in 2021!
Jen is the founder of Reset Your Nest, a Professional Home Organizing Business in Utah (servicing Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Alpine, Highland, Mapleton, and St. George). She loves creating order and systems out of chaos and is known for bringing a beautiful aesthetic as well as easy to maintain function to any space. She shares her tips and tricks on Instagram @reset_your_nest.
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