How to Organize Your Life With Baskets

Never underestimate the humble wicker basket. These ubiquitous baskets are available at any local import, big-box store or flea market. When organizing on a budget, baskets are your best friends.

You can find wicker baskets in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are lined, others unlined. Baskets come in natural, dark, light finishes or a rainbow of hues. Use them for storage in any room of your home. You are limited only by your imagination.

Start in the home office. Small baskets work perfectly as storage for small office supplies, such as extra staples, paper clips, pencils, pens and tape. Place them on low shelves for easy access. Mid-size baskets with taller sides serve as vertical file folder or magazine storage on a bookcase. Turn large baskets with lids into archived file storage and place them on the floor or in a closet. Imagine an extra large basket inverted and used as a printer stand (the hidden space under the basket is a great spot for seldom used office items.)

Consider using baskets for organization in the bathroom. Look for small, cloth-lined wicker baskets for this project. Select a basket finish that matches or compliments the cabinetry in your bath. Gather up the plethora of cosmetics, soaps and sprays from each vanity and place in his and hers baskets. Locate each basket within easy reach next to the sink. The benefit is two-fold—you eliminate unsightly countertop clutter and create a stylish arrangement of grooming products.

Give the area around the bathtub a designer touch by nestling your bath salts, potions and goodies in small, rectangular or round baskets. Next, arrange matching large, cloth-lined baskets on shelving or in open cabinets. Fill the baskets with fluffy, rolled towels and you have instantly transformed a utilitarian bath into a spa.

In the living room, low, round baskets are ideal for magazine storage beside a sofa or under the coffee table. On entertainment center shelves, wicker baskets of any size can hide a multitude of sins--children’s toys, tapes, DVDs, remotes, board games, etc. Baskets are a marvelous solution to a quick clean up when unexpected guests drop by.

Organize closets with various sizes of cloth-lined baskets on shelves. Wicker baskets are ideal to store jewelry, scarves, sweaters, hats and gloves. A tall, cylindrical wicker basket can serve as a laundry hamper. Large, lidded baskets are nifty for off-season clothing storage–don’t forget to throw in a few blocks of cedar to keep moths at bay.

Wicker baskets can even bring order to your kitchen. Nothing looks more gourmet than a basket filled with oils and vinegars placed next to your range or cooktop. This provides the perfect excuse to clean out your cabinets. Organize boxed cereals, crackers, cookies and prepared foods. Place your pantry products in baskets by category. This makes it easy for everyone to see, grab and munch.

And finally, if you spot a few old wicker baskets hiding in the attic or basement and looking a little worse for the wear, don’t throw them away. Grab a can of spray paint and bring them back to life. What a colorful way to repurpose and reorganize.