Using A Bin Doesn’t Make Something ORGANIZED!
Just because something is in a bin or a basket does not necessarily mean it’s organized! I have been using bins and baskets in my organizing business for 30+ years. So much so in fact, when I pull up to a client’s home with a Tahoe full of containers, I tell them, “I am rather bin laden!!” It always gets a laugh. But I digress…
I think the whole binning business has jumped the shark. A client got upset that I didn’t get a bin for the iron. THE. IRON. If there is anything I can think of that does not belong in a bin – it’s an iron! It makes no sense. Grabbing the iron is now a two-step process. You have to pull the bin down, remove the iron and replace the bin. Wouldn’t it be easier to have the iron on a shelf so you can just, I don’t know, grab it? Besides, there are hanging iron holders for the ironing board and the iron. They mount on the wall or the back of a door, and are usually designed to hold a hot iron! Better? More efficient? Organized? Yes! Yes! And Yes!
“I’m rather bin laden!”
— Tom Nevermann
Bins Take Up Space
Another issue when organizing with bins is they sometimes take up more space than the items in the bin! It becomes a problem when the goal is to max out storage space in areas like the pantry. (Think Costco shopping run!) Besides taking up space, binning can become a lot of extra work. For example, there are airtight containers for breakfast cereal that are wonderful. It’s an issue when you can’t fit the entire box of cereal in the container. Now you have some in a box and some in the container and, if you’re like most, you’ll store the box elsewhere to keep a consistent “look” in the pantry and I can almost guarantee you will end up forgetting about that box and buying more! Constantly refilling containers can become tedious and you may fall out of the routine. One needs to be discerning when it comes to storage bins that require refilling. It’s a commitment!
how I fold sheets and towels!
Here’s another one. Linens. Why on earth would you organize sheets and towels in a bin or basket? It’s a two-step process again. I can understand using a basket for different size sheets IF, and only if, your goal is to avoid folding and simply stuff clean sheets in a basket! (If that works for you – go ahead! But I can’t watch!) Keep in mind shelves must be spaced further apart to accommodate a basket. By adding adjustable shelves and properly folding the sheet sets, you can really max out your linen storage. (Look for another blog post and/or a video on adjustable shelves!)
Don’t get me wrong! I love organizing with bins when it makes sense and is efficient. Afterall, I’m OCD! I get it! Bins and baskets are eye candy! They look beautiful and have symmetry, blah, blah, blah. But to bin things simply to use a bin isn’t always the best solution.
On the right is a pantry I designed with pullouts from Shelf Genie! You add bins to pullouts and you’ve got an OPTIMIZED pantry!
I guess my one piece of advice on this subject is to:
BIN WISELY, MY FRIENDS!
Bin wisely!
Next Week’s Edition:
Organizing Books By Color
Tells People One Thing –
YOU DON’T READ!!
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