a peak into my storage rooms…

as you can see, clear storage bins are a favorite organizing tool in my home.

i like them because you can get a glimpse of what you are looking for without taking off the lid or digging through mysterious boxes to find things. everything in the bins stay clean, things remain smelling good. smell is huge for me, i dislike anything with an odd odor, and mice can’t get into bins! dusty & i once stored all of our early-marriage stuff in boxes at his families ranch, we went overseas traveling for two years and returned to all of our boxes full of mice. yes, mice were living in the boxes, in all of our stuff. it was not good. For a while I used companies like canningvalestorageunits.com.au to store my belongings, but now I’ve finally found a safe what in which I can do it myself.

i also really like that i can print signs that can be seen as labels from the inside. i love how this looks with all the bins lined up on the shelves. makes my little o.c.d. soul so happy & content!

the bins are great for organizing holiday decor, keepsakes, children’s clothing, re-usable party decor, and/or items rarely used, it’s great for holiday storage. i’ve packed up some of the kids’ toys that are typically ‘messy’ to play with. legos. polly pockets. littlest pet shop. you name it, we have probably owned it by now. these toys are now special occasion toys and are brought out to play with only once in a while. the bins also make for easy clean-up!

a bonus to the storage bins, if you do move often, it makes moving easy! You don’t have to pack anything up or look through boxes to decide what to take/what to get ride of… you are ready to go, it’s already organized and boxed. and, if you need to store it, they’re mouse-proof!


christmas is my favorite holiday. therefore, it warrants its very own storage room. i also use this room for storing party decor, and the halloween tree.

however, you will notice – i don’t disassemble my christmas trees. i simply undecorate them and carry them to the storage room. {a little lazy!} these are decoration trees that go on our porch or around the house. we do get a ‘real’ tree for the big daddy. 😉

when i went storage-bin crazy about ten years ago, in order to cut costs, i did wait to find sales at Kmart, Target, and Wal*Mart. Typically a few times a year each of these stores will discount the bins 50%. Usually it’s a buy one, get one free, or just 50% off. so, if you are looking to make the switch from boxes to clear storage bins – look for sales!

happy organizing!!!

10 responses to “a peak into my storage rooms…

  1. wow! that looks great!

    i love the clear bins too!
    sadly, i figured this out after buying a ton of the other kind.
    and, yes mice-proof is always important!

  2. Ah! A girl after my own heart! These look ODDLY familiar… OH! Cuz they look just like MINE! Ha!

    However I am jealous because I am a bit behind on my own Spring Cleaning this year (hmmm… wonder why?) but my Storage Rooms are next on my List! Can't wait!

    We also store our trees assembled and undecorated! Hee hee! Great minds think alike!

    And I totally remember your mice incident, BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT OUT THE BEST PART! It wasn't just ANY mice that you found… it was a whole stinkin' mice FAMILY! Big disgusting fat Mama Mouse and all her teeny tiny nursing baby mice! That image still haunts me! EwwwWWWwww-WWW!

  3. Oh how I miss having storage!!!!!! I am a total bin organizer too. I love your clear bins with labels. It feels SO good to have everything organized, donated or sold. I just got my spring cleaning done a couple weeks ago. Good to know I have friends as ocd as I am!

  4. I"m all about the storage bins. I even ship them over here so I can organize things. Unfortunately I have no where here to put the storage bins once full!! If you could only solve that problem for me…. Japanese are not big on big spaces..

  5. I"m all about the storage bins. I even ship them over here so I can organize things. Unfortunately I have no where here to put the storage bins once full!! If you could only solve that problem for me…. Japanese are not big on big spaces..

  6. oh i can't wait to have storage space! it drives me crazy having everything stuffed under our bed and closets filled where I can't even find anything.

  7. I like boxes. After a few moves they are more malleable with broken corners so I can fit more fo them in a tiny space. Also, there is enough space on them to change the contents in black magic marker a few hundred times crossing out the last information each time I do. Typically, I choose the meat packing boxes at the store. These are the ones with the red blood stains on the bottom. They are more durable always come with a yummy smell. 🙂

  8. oh i love your storage lessons!! I need them. I love the labels inside and the clear bins.

    Thank you!!

  9. It must be genetic. I am totally addicted to buying bins. Byron has had to put a "hold" on any bins until I know exactly what I'm going to put in them first. I don't have clear ones. Now I have a reason to buy more, I need to make the switch!

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