Do you have a door? Yes? Awesome! You have space to organize your stuff.
One of the ways I always try to help clients is by looking for storage space that is underutilized. The #1 most underutilized storage space I usually find? The back of a door.
I know you used pocket shoe organizers in college and your first apartment to organize, you know, shoes. But I’m here to tell you that these vertical babies can pull some serious organizing weight for all kinds of stuff in your house. (And hint… you don’t even need to put them on a door. You can use command strips or a drill and put them anywhere you have a wall.)
For instance, here’s a pocket organizer I use on the back of the door to the coat closet.
Because it’s November, this guy is stocked with hats and gloves. The best part? Gloves don’t often lose their mates when stored this way. This is a HUGE improvement over the jumbled basket of gloves and hats I used to have. Everybody has their own row and can easily find their own hats and mittens when it’s time to head out for some chilly fun.
Sure, you say, that’s great. But what can a pocket organizer do for me when it’s not winter? Good question. This is where it really gets awesome, because I can switch out the contents of this guy based upon the season.
For instance, this past fall, when all my kids were in soccer, this organizer held shin guards and long soccer socks.
This summer, it held sunglasses, goggles, sunscreen, bug spray, and our pool passes.
In the spring, it held freshly laid eggs from the feral chickens we’ve adopted and are raising in our bathtub. (Just kidding… they sleep outside. Just kidding again… I don’t really have a special spring item that I keep in here–and I don’t own my own chickens–but I’m open to the possibility of both. Why not?)
What other stuff could you keep in a pocket organizer? How about…
- Water bottles
- Socks and undies on the back of a closet door
- Snacks (granola bars, fruit pouches, cracker packs, etc.) on the back of the pantry door
- Craft supplies! (I cannot tell you how many clients I’ve converted to keeping craft supplies in a pocket organizer. The best part? It allows you to keep the glitter up high… no mom wants her kid to have easy acces to the glitter. It’s the devil’s craft supply.)
- Legos
- Barbies
- Any other small toys that you keep stepping on
- Toiletries
- Nail polish
- Earbuds
- Phone/tablet chargers (And you can label the pockets so you know which charger goes to which device… can I get an “Amen!” from the balcony on that one?)
And the list could go on, but I’ll leave that up to your creative imaginations. So, for the price of two cups of fancy coffee, you could buy something that could transform your organizing life. I urge you, go forth, find a door, and get your organization on.
Rose Lounsbury is the Dayton, Ohio area’s up-and-coming professional organizer. She is also currently looking into the legal logistics of raising chickens in her suburban backyard. After blogging about her own journey toward a minimalist lifestyle, Rose was inspired to start Less, a minimalist-minded professional organizing company. If you’d like Rose’s help with an organizing project at your home or office, please call her at 937-626-9030, email her at [email protected], or visit her online at OrganizeWithLess.com.
