This is another post on my favorite products for hall closets following. I have found some great containers from all over. Nothing matches yet, but most of these can be found in different color options. Grey is the direction I’m moving as it’s easy to find right now.
Okay, you may catch a glimpse of Kleenex boxes…it may even seem excessive. These are full of plastic bags that I use as trash bags in two cans throughout the house. I also use the smaller one in the car. There are two of the smaller ones. I keep one in the car and another in the house to fill up to swap with the one in the car. I’ll have to do products for the car another time. There aren’t many but there are some I LOVE and find essential to keeping my car tidy.
Stackable and Sealable Containers (not child locked):
Bins with Lids:
The two types of containers on the top shelf have been ones that I’ve used for a decade or more and I just keep moving them around. They have been great for any number of things but the only important thing about them is that they are the same and around a larger shoebox size. Shoeboxes make great starter containers while you’re trying to figure things out, but I love these bins here because I can pop the lid on a side and drop in prescriptions and it stays closed if it falls.
All of these containers, in this closet, get pulled down to do a task. In this case, the task is sorting pills into organizers. Cold/flu medicine is also in one, and migraine abortives are in another. I can’t sort through medicine while suffering a migraine!
I bought a set of the larger size ones that I plan to shuffle around to use only this type. Some lids are MIA, however.
Pill Organizers:
I’ve tried a few different kinds of pill organizers. If you can do PillPak or something then go for that, but if I have to do this task myself, these are the containers I want to use. They let me swap days so that I can adjust for travel and I have four of them so I can lay out the entire month. The outer container has a seal and is water-tight. The inner containers sometimes are barely closed. The quality of the inner container clasps are inconsistent, though I suspect a bit of filing might fix this issue. You can find these pill containers on Amazon.
Fish Tackle Box as a Hardware and Toolbox:
Yeah…it works great. I’ve got another post on this coming up. This is definitely a category that I don’t mind having to open something. This one came from Menards I believe but they can be found anywhere and almost all have the same concept. Big open top, and lots of custom subdivisions in each lower slide-out container.
Sewing/Repair kit:
I have this small Snapware double-layer organizer that I originally took to college as my office supply and sewing kit. It has the sewing supplies for repairs only (no machine parts), and glues and tapes and staples, etc. I’m so used to this system that it works very well for me. It’s helpful that it’s clear so I can remember all the little bits and bobs. There are tons of versions of it, though this one is no longer available. Here is a similar one on Amazon.
Open Baskets and Bins:
Woven Baskets
These are newcomers to my arsenal. They are Brightroom from Target and are long and narrow. This is essentially a square closet with a narrow door. The fact that these can be squeezed makes them perfect for containing repairs and donations. I’m really liking this brand with Target. I used another type of bin for a client project and they were great.
Cleaning bin – fabric carrying bin
This bin is designed to hold some weight. It is a Meori bin. They added padding to the handles so you can fill these. I have two. The one in this closet currently holds some paper bags that I have to use for recycling shredded paper. These should probably be moved to my paper station but I haven’t found a good way to contain them in there yet.
The bin holds some basic cleaners, the Swiffer duster, and a bunch of microfiber cloths and washcloths. It also holds some electronic wipes and a deodorizing candle. I’m still working my way through these.
My other bin, is my current “Sunday Basket” that I grab and go to do my paperwork anywhere.
Fabric cubes
I love these. I think I got this particular set from Target and I believe they are 12″x12″ cubes. They have fit perfectly in every closet and shelf I have put them on and they have always contained the same things. One is winter gloves, scarves, and hats and the other is housewares like lightbulbs, electrical tape, packing tape, etc. LOVE these. The only downside is that they can’t be washed. These have drywall dust on them. If you’ve ever had that happen before you know how truly sticky drywall dust is. It’s a disaster for fabric. This is also an issue for mold. We can’t wash them!
Recycling Bins:
I have always rolled and stuffed plastic bags into Kleenex boxes for use later. The smaller one is great to keep in the car to empty that trash into. The larger ones I can take to anywhere I expect to have trash or just use in the two trashcans around the house small enough to utilize them.
I bought a set of three recycling containers because they matched what my city’s recycling program required when I bought them, roughly eight to ten years ago. We no longer have to sort recycling so it doesn’t matter what it says on it. This is a plastic-lined nylon bag with velcro on the sides. This was great in the other location, but velcro really isn’t a good idea as it grabs fabric as I carry these out.
I like that the recycling bin flexes so it can hold weird sizes of boxes folded up and grocery sales flyers, etc. I’m a big fan of these overall. I have one in my paper station, this one, and one in the basement.
Specialty bins:
Sharps Containers:
I use autoinjectors and I let the prescription companies provide me free containers. The bad part is that they are then sometimes different sizes. I’d rather not pay $35 for something I have to throw away, so I sometimes have to give it another home. I keep it up high so my visiting nephew won’t get into it.
First Aid Containers:
I purchased the bag shown above from Amazon. I restock the Band-Aids and components individually now and keep those in my overstock pantry in the basement. The trick of hanging it by Command Hooks was from my sister and/or her mother-in-law. It’s very convenient. I typically need it at the same time as the sharps container as I need to sanitize and have gauze.
I’m going to go ahead and throw in this “rice” sock, which it’s not rice, but it works so well for migraines. I can loop it around itself and it sets on top of my head. I can also wrap it around a wrist, etc. I have two of them and this one I removed from the freezer to make space for actual food.
If you have similar favorites let me know.