Monday 30 March, 2015

Will Plastic Bins Solve Your Clutter Woes?


When you walk into container stores or shop online, you will notice that plastic bins are a very popular item. Often you’ll see them posted with slogans that they can end all your clutter woes and result in an organized, clean home. Tempted by these slogans, you may feel an impulse to add three or […]


When you walk into container stores or shop online, you will notice that plastic bins are a very popular item. Often you’ll see them posted with slogans that they can end all your clutter woes and result in an organized, clean home. Tempted by these slogans, you may feel an impulse to add three or four bins to your shopping cart before you check out. Of course, the reality is that there is no such thing as an instant clutter solution, and plastic organizer boxes cannot solve your problem all by themselves. In fact, if you buy too many bins or the wrong sizes or types of bins, you may even end up with more clutter than you had originally!

Does that mean you shouldn’t purchase plastic storage bins? No way. They are some of the best, most versatile supplies you will find for organizing your home or even organizing around the office. But there are a few preliminary steps you should take before you place your order. This can prevent you from purchasing supplies you do not need, or missing supplies that you do need.

1. De-clutter first.

Start out by actually getting rid of things you no longer want or need. Get a bag ready for the thrift store, and look for items that friends or family members might want. Once you get the clutter out of the way, you can take stock of what is left over.

2. Take inventory.

Don’t just take a guess at what you need. Take an inventory of what you actually need to organize and store. You may even want to write down a list, going from one room to the next. The inventory can also help you to find things again later. Once you have your list, you can figure out what types of bins you actually need. You may not need as much as you think; often while de-cluttering, you free up space in existing storage containers.

3. Make a shopping list.

Write down how many bins you need, and what sizes and colors of bins you are interested in. Do you need to color code your organizational system? Would clear plastic work better for some forms of storage? Only when you have an exact shopping list should you go to the store. Plastic bins for storage which you cannot use will only take up more space. In that way, organizational supplies can themselves become clutter, contributing to your problem. Worse, you may feel a need to make them become useful, and may actually go out and buy clutter to fill them with!

It is nice to think that you can simply log into a website, load up on plastic bins, and wait for instant organization to arrive on your doorstep. In reality, you need to take the time to de-clutter, take stock of your needs, and come up with a working organizational plan. Only then will you know what you really need to buy, and what to do with your plastic bins once you have them.

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