Colorful Storage Hacks to Organize Absolutely Everything

Made from pure linen, these color-coded laundry bags make it easy to separate light and dark clothing, or machine-washable garments from dry clean only. With each bag attached to the back of a door or a wooden ladder that leans against the wall, this storage system won’t take up much closet space. Then, when you’re ready to pop the dirty clothing into the washing machine, use these colorful zip-top mesh wash bags designated for lingerie, camis, and sweaters. With an organized system guiding your laundry every step of the way, you’ll significantly lower your chances of accidentally dyeing a batch of white clothing pale pink with a stray red sock.

To buy: From $23; feellinen.etsy.com.

When it comes to wrangling the assortment of coats, hats, shoes, and bags in the entryway, this color-blocked storage system is up to the challenge. To make the unit, Sugar & Cloth started with a pre-assembled wooden locker system, and then used chalk paint to brush sections with a palette of pretty blues and greens. To get the look in your home, start with a storage unit and use a different color to mark out the spaces that belong to each family member. Let one child get blue, and another purple, and they’ll always know they’re grabbing the right pair of gloves as they run out the door (and they’ll be more likely to stow it back in the right spot when they get home).

To buy: $324; jet.com.

When Camille Styles redecorated her office, she used vibrant boxes to conceal unattractive belongings she didn’t want to leave on display, such as extra rolls of tape and file folders. By choosing boxes in various colors within the same palette (in this case, shades of peach and pink), each color can hold a different type of office essential, yet all of the hues will combine for a cohesive look. A pale pink box can hold file folders, while a peach box stores receipts. With color-coded storage boxes within your reach, you’ll always know where everything is stowed, even when it’s hidden out of sight.

To buy: From $8; containerstore.com.

When your to-do list is so long you don’t know where to begin, turning the list into a project board could help. To make hers, Toni Hammersley from A Bowl Full of Lemons started with a simple white dry erase board, and then used colorful Post-It notes to divide tasks into categories, such as pink for household chores and white for finances. As you complete each to-do, you can cross it off or pull down the stickie. Visualizing your tasks in this way can also help you stop avoiding your least favorite chores. If everything in the “cleaning” category is complete, but you still have a board full of cooking-related tasks, it’s a red flag that you’re avoiding the kitchen.

When everyone in the family has the same tech devices, it can be impossible to tell which charger is yours. To avoid accidentally swiping the wrong one, Casey and Bridget from The DIY Playbook got creative and used colorful washi tape to pair each charger with the correct device. Assign each family member a color, then use washi tape to wrap phone chargers, adapters, earbuds, and any other tech accessories. Choose vibrant colors so you’ll be able to quickly spot your cords in a bag or junk drawer.

When you have an extensive spice collection, it can take a few minutes to find the paprika. To make locating each spice easier, the blog Spoon Fork Bacon designed printable color-coded labels that match the color of each spice. When dried basil fills a green jar and curry powder is stored in a gold one, you can spot the spice you’re looking for at a glance. Download and print the labels (find them here) onto adhesive paper, then stick each one on a metal tin. If you store your spices in a drawer, choose the round labels for the top of each jar, and if you prefer to stack your spices on a cabinet shelf, choose the horizontal labels that wrap around the sides of the tins.

To buy: $16; amazon.com.

Kids are more likely to follow along with an organizing plan if fun colors guide them to put each item back where it belongs. Choose a color scheme for the storage in your little one’s bedroom closet, then let pink bins corral pants and blue bins store belts. In her daughter’s closet, Chris Carey from the blog Just a Girl gave her 10-year-old lots of bins for storing trinkets and small accessories. The trick to creating a system that sticks: make the decisions together. “We purged and decided where things would go together, so we would both know where they belong. As she gets older, I like her to be involved in the organization process,” Carey writes.

Chances are, the garage isn’t on the top of your organizing priorities list. But when you’re about to head out on a bike ride and you can’t find your helmet, or you want to hit the green but your clubs have gone missing, the clutter in this often-overlooked area can be frustrating. To gain control of this space, Jen Jones from iHeart Organizing bought colorful dollar-store plastic totes that are waterproof, durable, and easy to transport to the park or beach. Try assigning this space a color palette, like blue and green, so your family will know that bins and buckets in these colors belong back in the garage (not in the trunk of the car or left out on the back porch). Choose plastic bins with holes so that water can drain and sand collected at the beach can spill out, so you won’t end up with a dirty mess at the bottom of each bin.

Between the bibs, and toys, and burp cloths, a baby nursery is full of lots of little accessories that need a place to live. To store all of these essentials, Erin Kelly from the blog A New Bloom decided to give a cube organizer with six cubbies a colorful makeover. By adding colorful wooden fronts to each bin, Kelly created separate spaces that will make it easier to remember which drawer holds the diaper cream, and which stores the washcloths. This system is ideal for a nursery, but it would also work for other areas that contain small bits and bobs, such as a craft space or toy room.

To buy: $52; amazon.com.

When Mary Beth Sharkey from Cupcakes and Crinoline wanted to designate different cleaning towels for different jobs—such as one for wiping wood furniture, and another for cleaning electronics—she used scraps of colorful ribbon to label each towel. This trick also works if all of your bath towels are one color, but you’d like to give each family member their own. By attaching the ribbon to just one corner of the towel, you can avoid pulling out the sewing machine: Simply secure each ribbon with a few hand stitches.

Never again will you accidentally grab the wrong set of keys as you head out the door in the morning. A keychain that’s personalized in two ways, with both a monogram and brightly colored leather, means you won’t mistake which one is yours. In a vibrant orange or pink color, you’ll be able to spot this fringed keychain even when it falls to the bottom of your tote bag. And if you have trouble remembering which key goes to which door, paint the top of each key with a different color nail polish and let dry. The green key opens the garage, and the white key is for your work office. Problem solved.

To buy: $49; markandgraham.com.

Without a clear system in place, toys are bound to wind up on the floor, on the bed, under the bed—basically, everywhere. To make each child feel responsible for their own belongings, assign a colorful storage bin to each kid that they are tasked with filling when it’s time to clean up. These durable canvas bins from Land of Nod come in nine different colors, so you could also organize them by category and stash stuffed animals in one and blocks in another. Then, place the bins on low shelves your kids can reach or in a cubby organizer. The toy room has never been so neat (or colorful).

To buy: $10; landofnod.com.