5 Essential Organizing Tools to Help you Get and STAY Organized!

The nursery closet before Arlee was born!

So I've always had a bit of OCD tendencies, but to be honest... the idea of having a baby and trying to figure out how to NOT have her nursery (and the rest of the house) turn into a giant disaster freaked me the heck out!! I knew I needed a system that would help me be able to keep things as organized as possible, or to find and grab things quickly and easily when I only had a split second to get what I needed! Soo I created storage systems that worked for this using 5 essential organizational tools!

1. Storage Bins! This may seem obvious, but so many times these just turn into junk bins that are full of anything and everything! I personally chose these from amazon because they were fairly cheap, had good ratings, AND had the label holders! This is important since they are not see through! I personally like the fact that they are not see through because even though you may only have one certain item in each bin, it can still be a little messy and this way you don’t show off the mess!

What I did was to think of the items I thought I would be using the most (in cases of organizing your closet, office, etc. you will already know what you use the most) and of course the best part is that you can change the label at any time if you decide you’d rather store something else in there. The items I stored in these 6 bins in the nursery were: Feeding Items: bibs, burp cloths, extra formula (this ended up going in the kitchen), etc., Diapers and Wipes (this is where I put a lot of the sample wipes I got, later I ended up putting swim diapers in there and the remainder of a pack that wouldn’t fit on the changing shelf), Blankets, Hats and Jackets, Bath Items: Towels, soap, wash cloths, etc and I used one for Socks as well (this could really go in a smaller bin in the dresser/changing table, but it worked for me!).

These bins are great for so many things.. you could use them in your own closet for things like socks, underwear, bras, swimsuits, even shoes like flip flops, etc! This was SO helpful because it not only gave me quick access, which limited my excuses for not putting stuff away … LBH :-p … it was also much easier for my husband to find things when I needed him to grab something for me!

I already had the shelf that I was no longer using for decoration, so I decided to use it in her closet instead! You can also find similar/smaller ones for cheap at several different stores… like this one at Amazon!

The shower rod looks like a good idea in this photo... lol

I fully intended to put this shelf at the bottom of the closet so I could have the whole clothes rod to hang clothes... but no matter how I twisted, turned and maneuvered it IT WOULDN’T FIT! Lol…Soo.. I decided to stand it up (which made for easier access to the bins! In order to have more room to hang clothes I used a shower rod to hang between the shelf and the wall…. This is a BAD idea! Lol… I mean, it worked for several months, but every now and then it would just fall… it probably fell at least 20 times before I got smart and ordered this 2. Adjustable Closet Hanging Rod from Amazon!

This thing is FABULOUS! It is so easy to use and give so much more space without having to constantly worry about it falling!

If you look at the door on the right you will see the gray 3. Shoe Organizer I used! This is great for all kinds of little things: lotion, nail files, hair bands (which I ended up using a whole different organizer for lol), nursing pads, product info for all of your nursery furniture, pacifiers, etc. … this would also be great in a bathroom closet for toiletries, nail polish, makeup, jewelry, OR in a pantry/washer and dryer closet with cleaning products! Now I went cheap on this one and got one you couldn’t see through and decided to put cute little labels on it. Again, this helps because you can’t see the clutter in it, but it also may be easier to find things (and not worry about knocking your labels off) if it is clear! Something like this would be perfect… if its too long you can always fold the bottom part up behind it and staple it to keep from dragging the floor!

As I mentioned, I ended up getting a completely different organizer for hair bows because I have become slightly obsessed with them… I mean…

This is the one I grabbed! And Love! I’m also using it to put some of her shoes in… which I may end up getting another so I have one for each… :-p

I love the color and size of this one! I already had Command Hooks on the door from where I had originally hung the diaper bags so I just used a pants hanger to clip to the top of this and hung it on the Command Hook!

Which brings me to the next very important thing you need for organizing…. 4. Command Hooks! Like I said, I originally used them to hang diaper bags on… but obviously once she was born we were using them all the time (actually we only used one… so there was no real need to have 2 lol) so the one we used didn’t stay in the closet. These guys are so helpful because you can put them darn near anywhere and move them easily. I like these basic ones, but obviously, any of them will work! Make sure you check the weight it will hold to see if what you are displaying will hold up with the hook you pick!

Did y’all know they even make Command Shelves now!?

How cool are these?? These are something I am going to have to get a hold of for staging purposes, because they are fabulous!

And lastly, something every closet needs! 5. Plastic Drawer Storage Carts!

These are awesome for so many things! And if you don’t want to be able to see into them you can take scrapbook (or any) paper and cut out the size/shape of the front of the drawer to make it decorative! I use this in the nursery to put clothes that she has outgrown that I want to save, clothes that I will get rid of, and clothes she hasn’t yet grown into yet! In my own closet I use it for underwear, swimsuits, cold weather stuff like gloves, leg warmers, etc. These are great because there are so many sizes and shapes and they can be used for soo many different things!

Soo… to sum all this mess up! Here is a photo of the closet in the nursery right now! I literally just went and opened the closet door to take a photo to show that even though it has changed a little over time, it's STILL ORGANIZED. A lot of people said… oh just wait a few months, it won’t be that organized, but guess what… as much as I used to hate the saying "A place for everything, and everything in it’s place"... it's true! Lol! It makes for a much easier and more organized life!

I hope this blog post helped you and gave you some good ideas for organizing! Please leave comments if you have any questions or additional ideas you use to help organize your homes! I will probably be doing additional blogs on organizing different areas of your home, let me know if there is one particular spot you need help with!

Have a fabulous day!!