Catch-all bins are a wonderful way to organize. They can be used to gather small items together. Keep odd-shaped items from falling off shelves (Affiliate Link). And, keep like items in one place. Here are how to use catch-all bins in organizing.
What types of catch-all bins are available?
Bins can be made of any material and any style you like. I have had several bins over the years and all of them fall in one of these categories.
Wicker - Great for items that are not too heavy. They are usually more decorative and can break easily.
Plastic - Great for items that are heavy. They can easily be cleaned and can handle a lot of wear and tear.
Fabric - Great for items that are light. They can be used for clothing and can hide items.
Where to use catch-all bins?
They can be used in any room in the house, office, or car. Here are examples of areas you can place them.
Entryways and Mudrooms: The bins in this area can be used for shoes (Affiliate Link), gloves, hats (Affiliate Link), etc... basically anything will be left in this area when people enter the home.
Craft / Hobby room: These bins can be used for paper, cutters, and any craft related product.
Source: HouzzHall and Bedroom Closets: Use your creativity with this one. We use a wicker bin for my husband baseball caps and I have exercise pants in another bin. We also have cloth bins in the foyer closet to hold out of season clothing, like hats (Affiliate Link), gloves, and scarves.
Stairs: This really helps when you have a multi-level house. These are my bins that fit great on the steps and hold items that need to go upstairs. At the end of the day, I walk around the living room and grab any items that were not put away and need to go upstairs. I place them in the respective bin and when the other family members need something, they know to look there. This way, I am not hunting stuff down in our home.
To add a little splash of color to the steps, change out these bins to match the holidays. I have bins for Halloween which are black and white. My Christmas bins are red and green. And my Easter bins are below.
Garage (Affiliate Link): When storing stuff in the garage (Affiliate Link), I recommend plastic because it can easily clean up. It also can hold the weight of items in the garage (Affiliate Link).
Car Trunk (Affiliate Link): In this area, you can store things like reusable grocery bags, a mini first aid kit, and water. Check out the what to keep in your car post with the complete list.
Family Room, Living Room, Playroom: Toys work great in these bins, especially toys that have lots of smaller pieces like, Lego pieces, and games, etc... Other things that you can store in catch-all bins are video games and controllers.
What tips do I need to know when using catch-all bins?
- Purge items you don't need before placing them in a catch-all bin.
- Group like items in one bin. Try to limit the size of your catch-all bin to an easy to carry size. That way if you need to move it, you won't injury yourself.
- Make a vow that if the bin gets too full, you will go through it and get rid of stuff. Remember: The "one in and one out" rule.
- Label (Affiliate Link) each bin the appropriate group name. I like to write each group name on a piece of paper before I go to the store so I know exactly which bin I need to buy.
- Measure the pile's length, height, and width to determine the size bin you need.
- Check out the discount stores and dollars stores for more affordable bins.
Well, that's it for now. I hope this helps you decide on what catch-all bins you plan on using for your home, office and car.
Let's continue the conversation. Do you use catch-all bins in your home? What type do you use? Do you have any tips on how you use them? Please comment below.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
William Rusho says
Nice post about those types of bins.
I have several for different type of hobby tools, I do have problems taking the time and putting them in the correct bin. Usually one catch all bin, ends up being ALL catch all bins.
Thanks for sharing.
Kristina Rylova says
Nice article!
Now I feel like devoting my next weeken to cleaning up and structuring all the stuff in my room 🙂
Thanks for inspiration
Rose Mary Griffith says
Great ideas for a busy family, or--ahem--a husband whose garage is impossible for finding things. You just set me up for some great spring cleaning in his space.
When he's traveling. HA!
I use bins for some of these things, too.
Erica says
I'm such a sucker for wicker bins. They are one of my favorite tools for staying organized. I love the bright colored baskets on the stairs. I don't have a staircase, but I'm gonna try to do something like that in my home. I don't think it has to be reserved just for Easter either!
Ken Dowell says
I'm partial to wicker. And I can assure you that my wife would be thrilled if all of my baseball caps were confined to one catch-all bin.
Jeri says
I use a few plastic bins here and there to help keep things in their place. Your note of clearing the bins on occasion or else disorganization will continue to reign if the bin becomes just another place to pile things up.
Janet Barclay says
I have plastic bins in my kitchen cupboard to hold spices, both jars and packets. I don't try and alphabetize them, but I do separate them A-F and G-Z so I can find what I need fairly quickly. It's funny that so many spices start with letters at the beginning of the alphabet!
Catarina says
Excellent suggestions on how to use bins to organize almost anything in our houses that tend to be left on shelfs, chairs, tables and other surfaces. Much better, and neater, to put such things in bins, preferably attracitve and personal ones.
Marquita Herald says
I love catch-all bins and have several. Living in the islands I use wicker in the house and heavy plastic in the garage for cleaning supplies, etc. I don't have children but I have one bin for the things I use when I take my dog for her walks and then there's another bin that has her toys. It never ceases to make me laugh to watch her dig through her big to pick out just the right toy to play with or curl up with when she takes a nap.
Phoenicia says
I love the idea of like for like items being stored in one place. I have a rule in our home; everything should have a home. If you use it then you return it.
We have the issue of a lack of space. Here in the UK, the average house does not have three reception rooms or a "play room". I try my very best to declutter my children's toys and arts and crafts often, otherwise they leak into other areas of our home.
Doreen Pendgracs says
We use these kind of bins in our home, too. I use them in the closet to organize hats and mitts, in the bedroom to organize my husband's CD's, etc, and anywhere I don't want disorganized clutter.