clyon Some great suggestions - we're happily using our share of binder clips, smaller filing cabs, and a donation bin. Makes me feel like I may actually be a tiny bit more organized than I thought. I have to say, though, my sister and I have been giving my mom a (semi-jokingly) hard time for years about the frightening knife magnet that hangs on the side of her fridge, just above the toaster... seems like an accident waiting to happen, at least in her house...

onthefence I'm a strong believer in tip #1. Husband travels a lot and has a large working territory when he's at home. I'm never sure from one day to the next where he'll be. I also have a sked that changes a lot. Google calendar allows us to have a basic idea of where we might find one another! It's also great since we can both access it from anywhere.

Rough Linen I love my Sugatsune boat hooks and cup hooks - I can hang anything and feel smart about it! http://www.greenboatstuff.com/ststststbapo.html

onthefence Thank you Tricia Rose. I had forgotten how simple and elegant the Sugatsune items are. I've loved their cabinet hardware for a long time and didn't realize they did items as small as hooks.

dbremer A magnet strong enough to securely hold your knives is strong enough to warp your knives. Opt for a block holder or in the drawer divider sleeves instead.

steinertbarbara A magnetic strip for your knives is the best investment you could ever make!

tcufrog We use Google Calendar. It's color coded with a different color for each family member.

My two favorite organizing tools aren't mentioned. The first one is a bag of zip ties which can be used to attach labels or tie cables. My other on is a good label maker. I've been using my Brother label maker for years and it's still going strong. I love mine so much I like to give them as wedding gifts.

olldbobbi I love to organize things but it's really important to assess your needs before you go out and start buying some of these things. They're not cheap! Just like closet organizers, one size does not fit all and you could end up spending a fortune on something that doesn't really work for you.

hburchfield #1 is a must for our family! Like onthefence, I have a husband that travels and it is a lifesaver to have a mobile calendar that keeps us organized. My favorite right now is Cozi, which can be found online and as an app. It's a calendar, grocery list and journal, all in one!

megangbush One of my Christmas gifts was a magnetic knife strip and I LOVE it! We moved to a smaller place so we've been having to think out of the box with our kitchen in particular and some of these tips are great! Thanks!

Peggi Worth A block holder for your knives will dull your knives & a drawer is not very convenient. I've used a magnet for 20 years & have never had a warped knife nor have I ever had a knife fall off or cause an accident.

azstrawn I love the idea of a mag knife strip for other purposes than knives. Most strips are too strong on knives & will put small nicks in them. I must disagree with Peggie, if knives are sharpened properly & frequently, wood is the best solution for storage & the safest.

tcufrog Magnet strips are great if you don't have young kids. I ended up moving my knife block into an upper cabinet to keep it out of my toddler's hands. I call that free baby proofing. When he's two and has started using a knife in Montessori school I'll pull out the training knife I used with his big brother. It's cute , actually cuts food but not kids and is in the shape of a dog.

catbirdfarm Wooden knife blocks won't dull your knives if you slide them in with the cutting edge up. Then it's not touching anything but air.

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Many nice ideas. Thanks!

astraea Bobbi is right; one of the basics a decluttering expert I know says is, "Don't waste time, money or space organizing things that should be thrown out or given away!!

lakeq I continue to think ziploc baggies are overused. They never decompose!

Jackie I use zip bags to store nylons in the drawer it keeps them from getting snagged and if they are in pairs like knee high stockings -it keeps them together for fast retrievel.

canajuneh Most instruction manuals can be found online today. In fact, many manufacturers are no longer including them with a product, for that reason. We still have a huge binder full of these, but it is getting smaller!
I also find the magnetic strips very useful for organizing, and they were less than $10. each at IKEA.

Francesca I love this ideabook and want to keep all these ideas.

lakeq - There are biodegradable ones out there. That's what I have in my home....

Susan Andres My mother had a magnetic knife block way back in the day. Recently I began wishing I had one too, but since I didn't, I simply put magnets on my refrigerator, and I stick the knives to the magnets. This works perfectly for me.

Marc Stevens Every knife I have seen in a Williams & Sonoma that is on a magnetic strip is chipped because it is tough to control the speed in which the blade approaches the strip.

Blocks can dull knives as well, but if you insert the knives upside down into the slot, they will never dull.

Doreen Schweitzer Interiors, Ltd. Bags are great. I use the colorful bags I get in the designer showrooms to hold each clients samples and when their job progresses to multiple files I also use them to hold multiple files. Current jobs live under my desk. Older jobs hang on a hanger in my office closet. This is also great because everything is in one bag when I go to the clients home.

triplecitizen Rosle has a system of individual magnets on clips that slip onto a bar that accommodates utensils too. I have been using it for years, with no damage to my knives.

j0dy I love the mini camera idea! I want one :)

A. Peltier Interiors A donations/sell bin is huge in our house. I dont feel so bad about purging when I know I might make a few buck off of it. I also love the tots system and cubby photo. Really creative!

Tammy Michaelis I'm with Peggy Worth. I've been using a magnetic knife strip for 15 years with no problem at all with dulling, falling or chipping and they're still the same knives. I have no room in that kitchen for a block. In my beach house, however, I use a knife block with the knives always placed upside down. The knives are the same type at each house and I have not found any difference in there blades dulling. Using them dulls them. Sharpen them regularly and use whatever is convenient to you. :)

halleycomet THANK YOU for the totes in cubbies idea! I have been toying with the idea of the cubbies ---which are NOT cheap even at Target!--but the liners! OMG they add up FAST. But the totes are easy to find; colorful; cheap or even free--and I have found way more than I can justify buying at thrift stores--now I have NO EXCUSES NOT TO BUY THEM!!!!!! And if I need them to be more rigid--recycled cardboard to the rescue!

And you wouldn't feel "bad" if they got ripped or stained or if you decided to write on them or--heavens!!!!--use one to ya know--TOTE something!!!!! And great for the KIDS!!!!! I have also seen people use them hung from Shaker Pegs for storage and labeled---

I have a very small awkward kitchen with NO DRAWERS. Once upon a long time before we owned the place the drawer BACKS--the actual "box" parts---were somehow--destroyed? Who knows but the fronts are there held on by blocks of wood. I don't plan on doing much with this place so until I sell--this is likely to remain this way unless I get ambitous. So--we use all sorts of other storage. Like--IKEA silver ware caddies. And small hanging hook racks for colanders etc. And a long IKEA magnet rack--purchased for knives but used for some other things too as most of the knives live in a knife block. Smaller cheap paring and general purpose knives live on the magnet as do: Swiss Army Knife with no scales; the bread knife (as the magnet is over the large cutting board-duh!) metal tongs for the toaster and other stuff; veg peeler; wine cork puller; a large antique enamel ware spoon --I dunno WHY it just lives there!-- the beaters to my hand mixer; and more things that come and go as needed. This is THE handiest thing in the kitchen and I need MORE.

I have also seen people--you know who you ARE!!!!--use soup cans in a very stylin' Warhol-esque way for tool room storage on THEIR magnet holder; other small tools and wrenches etc on there--in fact now that I think about it I may need many more! My garage and workshop could def use some! Wah--I don't live anywheres NEAR an IKEA!!!! ROAD TRIP!!!!!


I don't "get" tho the theory of "Knives placed blade UP to save them from dulling in a wood block"? Are we talkin' about a wooden butcher block rectangle that sits on the counter and is the size of a shoe box on end and where the knives slide down into their special slots--now I have one of these and it is 35 YEARS OLD---and some of the carbon steel knives in there are the same age--and the slot edges ARE worn so yes the knives ARE connecting with the wood in some small way every time. But that said--the knives are not chipped etc and are sharpened often--a lick or two almost every time they are used--with the Sabatier sharpener that also lives in the block--and they are sharp! Now--are we talkin' about a DRAWER LINER BLOCK? Where the wood fits into the drawer and the knives are set down into the slots? Cause if you have those nice SHARP blades facing UP---I would think this was an accident waiting to happen! The knives are much cheaper and easier to fix or replace than human body parts like--fingers.