At the end of 2019, I compiled a list of the year’s most impressive, effective, and impactful organizing products–the ones that rocked our worlds (and, by extension, our clients’).

But then we did a big move project, we worked with several dream clients, we sourced supplies for endless storage areas, and the page that the list was written on was flipped.

Fate and COVID-19 is granting the lucky among us with spare time on our hands, and the favorites list is making a comeback. Consider these to have been through a 15 month road test.

If you’re currently in a position to shop for things like organizing supplies, I can assure you these are worth it. If you’re not, bookmark this post. It’ll be worth coming back to.

 

 

1. The everything drawer organizers

The Container Store took one of their best selling drawer organizers (by another company) and made every conceivable improvement to the modular organizers. Their version features squared edges (for a more precise fit inside your drawers), rubber feet that truly stay in place rather than sliding all around, and easily removable label stickers to boot. In other words, TCS hit it out of the park and we couldn’t possibly be more impressed with their offering. Get involved.

 

2. Closet light

The first time we used these we were truly aghast at the difference they made, and then immediately agreed that they should just become a prerequisite for all closets and dimly lit spaces.

Let’s recap the highlights: stupidly easy to “install;” rechargeable via a USB cable; motion-sensing; super bright. What more could a person possibly want from a non-wired light??

If you’re struggling to decipher your jeans from your sweats in a dark closet, please do yourself a solid and order these.

 

 

3. Youcopia lid holder

It’s time for you to end your tupperware lid struggle once and for all, especially considering the solution is so obvious. It’s this lid holder, which features adjustable divider slots to perfectly accomodate your lid stash. You file them neatly, they stay that way. Boom!

 

4. Unplugged Untie cord wraps (long) // & Unlace cord wraps (short)

Our beef with most every cord wrangler is thus: it takes too dang long to wind the cord around the holder.

The precious extra seconds it takes to wrap, say, a set of headphones around a cord holder is too much of a deterrent for most people to persevere. So they let their cords stay loose like unbridled spaghetti.

Not so with the untie and the unlace: they wrap around the cords, rather than vice versa. That means you’re guaranteed around 3 wrist rotations, max. Three!

The ingenious Simplicity of this product’s design–basically a wire encased in an attractively colored, pleasant feeling rubber/silicone tie, makes wrangling cords too easy to not do. 

 

 

 

5. Acrylic shelf dividers

It took me years to find shelf dividers that I thought were truly great. Inevitably, the ones I found weren’t secure enough when placed on a shelf, not sturdy enough, not pretty enough.

And then I found these. They do everything I want a shelf divider to do: fit most every closet shelf without being either too snug (so as to cause potential scraping), or too loose (so as to wobble around unstably), look so clean they’re practically invisible, and, most importantly, help to keep things like folded stacks of clothing, clutch bags, even books, neat and in place.

6. Organizer bins

These emerged last year and instantly established themselves as being just the thing. Their scale makes them ideal for keeper small items neat, and they can be used in most every application, including in drawers, inside of larger bins/baskets, etc.

We used them endlessly in snack drawers (they’re perfect for containing things like bars and snack packs) in bathroom drawers (the tall version in particular is brilliant for helping to contain cosmetics, like tubes of skincare and makeup), for art supplies (again, the tall version in particular is ideal for pens and pencils), and on.

They’re clear, they have no weird patterns, designs, or handles, and they’re…well…they’re just the thing. You’ll see.

 

7. Stasher Bags

I may have mentioned these before in past favorites, but if so, the repetition is warranted. Stasher bags are 100% silicone, BPA-free, reusable food storage bags that are dishwasher, freezer, microwave, boiling water and oven (max 400 degrees) safe. They have a pinch seal, come in sizes ranging from tiny (think: perfect for a few pills or supplements while traveling/on the go), to 1/2 gallon.

They now come in many colors, and have a version with a wider bottom that stands up. All told, they’re one of the absolute easiest, most painless ways I’ve found to be a bit more environmental. Why buy a box of bags that gets depleted and has to be replaced forever when you could buy a stasher bag and be set?

 

8. Elfa drawers

Most drawer units that aren’t actual dressers or built-ins are complete storage fails. They tip over, they’re depressingly poor quality…they’re abominations. All these years later, we’re still handing it to The Container Store: their Elfa drawer units have the ability to completely revamp a drawer-less area.

They come in so many sizes, which means you’re fairly guaranteed to find one with ideal dimensions for your space. They also now come with several accessories, including drawer organizers, drawer dividers, baskets…the possibilities are seemingly endless.

If your closet has nothing but a hanging rod in it, your life would likely be changed by way of one of these. If your pantry closet is dark, cramped, you can never access what’s inside, an elfa drawer would probably improve your life.

 

 

And just in case they’re relevant or helpful for you, and mainly because I’m so impassioned about them that I feel compelled to make like a brand ambassador, my current top 5 list of the items I wish not to be asked to live without:

1. Drinking water is my religion. This water bottle (50 oz, clear) is my temple.
2. It was brought to my attention that “glide” dental floss is a complete myth (read: entirely ineffectual), as is, for that matter, most every other sort available at the drugstore which I had been diligently using all my life. (JK I didn’t floss when I was a kid. Not until I learned the phrase “floss the teeth you want to keep” in my early 20s did I add the practice into my daily non-negotiable task-list). This floss proclaims to be a loofah for your teeth and it frickin is. Since I’m obsessive about dental hygiene (big teeth; bad teeth genes), I will continue to shell out for bougie floss ordered online. #reallytrynakeepallmyteeth
3. While editing a client’s travel mugs and water bottles, I met her miir travel mug, and was instantly in love. It was everything I had been looking for in a travel mug for the longest time: leak-proof, effective at keeping hot beverages hot, small enough to make a cup of espresso not feel lonely, great looking, lightweight. Love, I tell you.
4. I washed my hands a shit ton to begin with. Now, I spend most of the day in front of the sink. In between, I liberally apply this cream, which reliably revives my crusty grabbers every time.
5. My committed relationship with my weighted blanket is going as strong as ever, and is still responsible for the best sleep of my adult life.