Assess and Purge
Before you even think about storage solutions, take stock of what you have. Be ruthless! Are there tools you haven't used in years? Materials that are past their use-by date, like solid paints, tangled threads, broken or damaged tools? If it’s crafty supplies you’re sorting, purge the stuff you don’t like. You don’t have to hang onto it just because at some point you spent good money on it.
Choose Your Storage Solutions
What’s best as a storage solution depends on your space, budget, and the type of equipment you have. There are loads of options:
· Wall-mounted organisers. Perfect for frequently used tools, these keep everything visible and within easy reach. Pegboards, magnetic strips, and hanging racks are all great choices.
· Drawer Units. Ideal for smaller items like screws, nails, and beads. Clear plastic drawers allow you to see the contents at a glance. Use smaller tubs inside them, or organise brushes or pencils etc. with cutlery organisers.
· Shelving units. They provide versatile storage for larger items, containers, and project boxes. Adjustable shelves allow you to customise the space to fit your needs.
· Storage containers. Use clear, labelled containers to keep similar items together. This makes it easy to find what you need and keeps everything organised. Ones that seal securely are also ideal if you’re worried about moths getting into expensive natural fibres like wool.
· Tool chests and cabinets. For serious DIY enthusiasts, a dedicated tool chest or cabinet provides secure and organised storage for power tools and hand tools.
· External Storage. For extensive sets of items or when space at home is tight, consider self storage for your collections. All of the solutions above can be incorporated into a storage unit as long as your boxes and drawers are freestanding. You’re not usually allowed to drill into the walls.
Organise by Category
When you group similar items together, it’s easier to find what you’re looking for. For example, keep all your DIY tools in one area, your crafting supplies in another, and your artist materials in a third. Go a step further, even, and categorise your different types of items, for instance storing natural fibres away from manmade. You could take this to extreme levels, so how far you go will depend as much on your personality type as your space and collection size. Do what feels best.
Label Everything
Clear labelling is essential for any well-organised storage system. Use labels to identify the contents of each container, drawer, and shelf. You may think you’ll remember what’s in each box, but you really won’t and it’s frustrating to have to search through several containers before you find the right one.
Maximise Vertical Space
Make the most of your storage space by using vertical shelving units and wall-mounted organisers. Go as high as you safely can to help get things up off the floor. It makes cleaning and staying tidy easier if you don’t have to move things around in order to clean.
Regularly Review and Reorganise
It would be great if things stayed organised, but they just don’t. Hobbies evolve and expand, your interests and needs change, and what works today might not work in the future. You may need more or less space, and this is easily achieved if you’re taking advantage of self storage. You can get a bigger or smaller room or shrink down to a locker.
What really matters is you spend some time getting organised. Whether you’re sewing a new outfit or redecorating a room, having all your tools and materials organised and to hand makes crafting and DIY projects much more enjoyable. You can see what you have and what you still need to buy to complete the project, you won’t waste money buying duplicate items, and you can act on creative impulses the moment they strike!
*Collaborative post
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