20 Dollar Store Organizing Ideas to Inexpensively Order Your Home

If you swing by the office supplies section of your local dollar store, you’ll probably see quite a few metal file baskets. Even if you don’t have a home office, you’ll definitely have a use for these handy organizers. Many brands are the perfect size to fit boxes of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, so you can easily order and sort your kitchen cupboards. You can even hang them on the inside of a door if need be.

While you were looking for some handy file baskets, you probably also came across a variety of other file organizers. These nifty products are super helpful for ordering your home. One popular use is in the linen closet. Each slot can fit a rolled-up towel or sheet. Some people choose to sort them by who uses each towel, while others simply organize their linens by size.

What’s this? Even more uses for file sorters? That’s right! Even if you’re not the kind of person who accumulates tons of purses and bags, you probably still have a small collection that you’re not entirely sure how to store. File sorters are the perfect size for smaller bags, billfolds, and wallets, and give you a great place to gather and order them. Plus, now they won’t get torn up sitting in a drawer or the bottom of a closet. This option is great for ballet flats, too!

Honestly, at this point, it’s probably easier to list what file organizers aren’t great at sorting. If you find some larger file baskets, you finally have a solution for hair appliances like curling irons and hair dryers. These devices often have awkward shapes and bulky cords that make storing them a pain. File baskets are ideal holsters for almost any hair appliance.

Walk into any dollar store and you’re sure to find some low-cost wicker or metal baskets. Rather than using these as most people would, consider using them as floating shelves. This can add a unique look to any room while also freeing up actual closet space. Depending on your choice of basket, you can use double-sided hanging strips or screw-in hooks to keep them in place.

If hanging baskets on your wall doesn’t sound appealing, they still have their uses. Grab a few baskets in different colors, as well as some paper labels. Now, you have the perfect storage option for organizing different sizes of sheets, towels, and any other fabric you may need to throw in a closet. Sort them by color and use the labels so you never forget your new system.

Unless you happen to have custom-designed your bathroom space, most showers simply do not have the shelving and hooks you need to store everything. This is especially true for larger families. If you need some more space in your shower, buy an affordable shower rod, some skinny plastic baskets, and some shower curtain hooks.

Affix the rod along the back wall of your shower, and hang the baskets to create some floating shelves. You can now easily store loofahs, soaps, sponges, or even children’s bath toys.

Once you’re no longer using communal showers, shower caddies tend to fall off in terms of usefulness. However, if you’re innovative, you can find a new use for almost anything. Shower caddies often have several slots that are the ideal size for storing feminine hygiene products. This frees up space by eliminating bulky boxes but also makes it simple for guests to find them when in need.

First off, everyone should have a spice rack because they make cooking so much easier. But what else is the perfect size to fit into any spice rack? Nail polish. The next time you’re at the dollar store, grab an extra rack. They’re perfect for organizing small bottles like nail polish or other cosmetics and can save you tons of valuable cabinet space.

While you may not have enough pairs of shoes to fully make use of a shoe organizer, these hanging tools have more to offer. Hang an inexpensive, over-the-door shoe hanger on the inside of your closet and use it to store cleaning supplies. Finding the right product you need will be so easy, but it’ll also save you tons of space.

Few things are as bothersome as going to grab a specific pair of earrings, only to have to scrabble through dozens of loose pieces of jewelry. Thankfully, the solution is a trip to the dollar store and some inexpensive ice cube trays. These little containers are the perfect way to sort your smaller jewelry. Plus, you can even take the time to line a tray with fabric if you wish to make it a bit more chic.

Buying a pack of hair ties is basically a guarantee that you’ll be finding lost ties in the most random of places for years to come, though never when you actually need one. Even if you do your best to keep them in one place, they’ll quickly become a singular mass of fabric and rubber. Those inexpensive carabiners that many people use as keychains are a neat way to keep your hair ties in one place.

When you look at your closet, doesn’t it seem like there’s a lot of potentially wasted space? Smaller, lighter clothes don’t necessarily need a whole hanger and some accessories are pretty hard to place on hangers. Place shower rings around the bottom bar of the hanger, and loop scarves and other light items through them.

Everyone has “The Drawer.” You know, the drawer where you throw all your random supplies and hope that you never really need to dig into it. But, when the time comes to find that USB stick you bought last year, you have to rifle through everything. Cupcake tins, with their many shallow holes, fit easily into a drawer and make organizing your small supplies a breeze.

Makeup brushes are pretty difficult to manage. Throwing them in a bag or drawer leads to makeup residue spreading everywhere, but leaving them out isn’t an option for most people. Every dollar store has a variety of small vases and plastic or glass stones for floral arrangements or fish tanks. Fill the vase with stones, then stick in your brushes, handle down, for a stylish and practical solution.

Most fridges don’t really have much in the way of organization options. You may have a few drawers, but that just means that all your fruits tend to get thrown together. Plastic bins from the dollar store are small enough to fit in most refrigerators and are a far more effective storage solution for your produce.

No bathroom is complete without a towel bar, but why should you stick to the specified use? At the end of the day, a towel bar is simply a stable, easy-to-install place to hang objects. With a little DIY work, you can turn a boring towel bar into a great place to hang pots and pans or other cookware. Make sure to grab some hanging hooks if your cooking supplies don’t have them already.

Most dollar stores aren’t exactly bursting with options for appealing interior design. However, DIYers know that anything is possible with a bit of effort and imagination. A wired trash can or basket may not fit into your room’s aesthetic. However, you can easily wrap and hot glue some attractive rope to the outside, making a stylish and useful rope basket.

If you’re the type of person who likes to wear boots, you know the pain of the ankle flopping over. Not only does this take up more space, but it can often lead to wrinkles and folds that damage your foodwear. Grab a few pool noodles and cut them to about the height of your boots. After sliding them into your shoes, you’ll never have to worry about finding floppy boots again.

Furniture is often prohibitively expensive, but with some imagination, you can get a great substitute. Some dollar stores have craft areas with a variety of undecorated boxes and crates. Buy a few crates and stack them horizontally. Join them together with nails, screws, wood glue, or whatever else interests you. With some paint or wood stain, you can have a beautiful bookcase at a fraction of the cost.