Colorful Closet
You always covet a color-coordinated closet when you see one on TV, but what you may not realize is how easy it is to re-create this eye-pleasing organization in your own home. Spend an afternoon sorting through your clothes (and purging what you no longer need!), then rehang them in your closet, starting with the lightest shades on one end and working your way through to the darkest hues. You'll love how this simple trick makes mornings so much simpler.
Related: 10 Closet Cures That Cost Less Than $100
Pretty Play
Playroom clutter can quickly build up, leading to lost-toy temper tantrums for your kids and a headache for you. Make finding and putting away favorite playthings a cinch by providing toy bins that are organized by color. Kids will love how easy the system is, and you'll spend less time tidying up.
Related: Control Kids' Clutter with 7 Creative DIYs
Coordinated Calendar
You'll never again have to be uncertain about what your family members are up to with this DIY calendar. Assign a different color of self-stick notes to each person in the family to track activities and social engagements throughout the month. It will be immediately clear who has soccer practice or a salon appointment, making your day-to-day routine even easier to manage.
Related: 8 Clever Ways to Use Post-It Notes
Friendlier Filing
Borrow this trick that office managers have used for years: Assign a color to each subject area of your home files—finances, personal, medical, and so on—then arrange your files accordingly. While it may initially take some time to sort through your paper pileups and get organized, it will be well worth the effort when you need to go back to these important papers for tax documentation or other household records.
Related: Order in the House—10 Smart DIY Filing Solutions
Key Control
Never again will you have to referee an argument about which member of the family misplaced his key. Let each person choose a color of nail polish, then paint the top of each house key with one of the chosen colors and distribute accordingly.
Related: 10 Things a Burglar Doesn't Want You to Know
Creative Crafting
Craft supplies are notoriously small and difficult to keep tidily accessible. Instead of tossing everything into a bin or drawer, arrange tapes, ribbons, or essentials by color to make them easy to spot and even easier to grab.
Related: Instacraft - 6 Easy DIY Projects—No Tools Required
Beyond Basic Bookshelves
Many librarians may disagree with this method of organizing books, but there's no denying that the look of color-coordinated spines is both uncluttered and attractive. Turn the project into a weekend activity for the whole family, and, as with the closet makeover, use it as an opportunity to give away books you no longer need.
Related: Shelf Life—10 Bookcases You Can Make Yourself
Corral Cords
Cords for computers, chargers, and game consoles have a way of becoming a tangled mess, but one company has come up with a vivid, stylish solution. These clever Cord Identifiers use colors and pictures to mark which cord belongs to which machine, making it so much easier to manage your electronics.
Related: Plug into 10 Clever Ways of Corralling Cords
Cook in Color
Having separate cutting boards for different types of food is not only a smart organizational idea for the kitchen, but also a safe one, ensuring that your veggies won't be contaminated by uncooked meats. Paint the outside of your cutting boards to make them easily recognizable in the pantry or cabinet, or label them for an extra DIY touch.
Related: Celebrity Kitchens: Get the Look Yourself
Multicolor Mudroom
Organize your entryway or mudroom with a color-coordinated cubby unit. Start with a standard white wood design and then let each member of the family choose their own color to paint the interiors. Then sort shoes, jackets, lunch boxes, and umbrellas with ease.
Related: 17 Design Inspirations for Mudrooms and Entryways
Design: KannCept Design, Inc.; Photo: Nels Akerlund Photography LLC
Don't Miss!
If you have the money to hire a handyman for every household woe, go ahead. But if you want to hang on to your cash and exercise some self-sufficiency, check out these clever products that solve a million and one little problems around the house. Go now!
