‘Stores an ungodly amount of stuff’: 11 products our writers rely on to organize and declutter

Anyday

Anydeli

$54

$54 at Anyday

“What sets Anyday apart from similar products: a clever, heat-safe lid with a silicone tab that can be vented for shockingly good microwaved food.” says Filter writer Emily Farris. “Perhaps most appealing was the fact that I could store and cook in the same vessel, then put all the parts into the dishwasher when I was done. When my kids wanted to be able to microwave their school lunches, I even sent the containers to school with them, though I knew sending glass to school was risky business.”

Ikea

Kallax Shelf Unit

$24.99

$24.99 at Ikea

I wanted a coffee station where your espresso maker, different coffees and cups are neatly arranged and easy to reach. Though I searched far and wide for a vintage hoosier-type cabinet, I couldn’t find the right fit for my kitchen. Instead, I decided to mix up some Ikea Kallax shelves and cubes: a four-cube on legs, then two singles, stacked. Best of all, I know I can use this affordable system just about anywhere in my house, and because it’s so modular, I can piece it together in tons of different ways. Maria Ricapito

CrapKeeper

Organizer Bag

$39.99

$39.99 at CrapKeeper

The CrapKeeper is an appropriately named bag. It serves as a nice portable organizer for the various things you need to keep and take with you. My daughter stole this on a recent road trip to hold her phone, her Stanley mug, battery pack, a couple of cables and the other accoutrements I won’t pretend to understand. It comes with multiple straps that allow you to attach it to the car seat in front of you, or a folding chair at a soccer game, or anything in between. Adam Doud

Cherry Tree Gallery

Jumbo Clothespin Towel Holder

$16

$16 at Etsy

Years ago, I was mid-bathroom renovation and found that the biggest, unexpected stumbling block was where to hang my hand towels. Many metal towel hooks on the market didn’t work, and in my previous bathroom this meant my towels would end up on the floor.

After about a month of digging online, I came across these giant novelty clothespins and fell in love. They speak to my quirky aesthetic but they’re functional, too. Julia Skinner

Amazon

Adhesive Spice Labels

$5.97

$5.97 at Amazon

Padma Lakshmi uses spice labels to help keep her pantry organized. “I keep my spices in a drawer by the stove, and built little platforms that keep them laid flat at an angle so I can easily see them. Don’t keep spices in a rack near where you cook; light and heat will affect the spices, and they’ll fade in color and flavor,” she says. “If you have a drawer, you can also label them up top to help you quickly pick them out. You just don’t want something to burn while looking for one.”

Stori

Clear Stackable Drawers

$27.99

$27.99 at Amazon

I’m a skincare obsessive, so I’ve amassed a healthy number of products that I’ll rotate through depending on my needs. The problem is if I can’t see them, I forget about them, so I wanted a storage solution that keeps things organized and visible.

These stackable drawers came in clutch for organizing my spacious under-sink cabinet – the deep bottom drawer is tall enough to hold standing bottles of face wash, sunscreen, and backup bottles of micellar water, while the shallower top drawer is just right for shorter jars and tubes that can lie flat. Now I can take a visual inventory every time I look under the sink, and nothing gets forgotten. I’ve had them for over two years and still find them indispensable. Bernadette Machard de Gramont

Gregory

Alpaca Gear Box 45

$139.90

$139.90 at Gregory

As an outdoor adventurer, the majority of my basement floor space is taken up by gear. I’m a huge fan of the Gregory Alpaca Gear Boxes for containing the chaos of hiking, biking, trail running, snowboarding and camping equipment. These sturdy, stackable bins seal tightly so everything stays dry and clean – and I love their clear lids that allow me to quickly peek at what’s inside without having to open them.

While the Alpaca Gear Box 45 is my go-to storage solution at home, the deeper Alpaca Camp Box 50 comes with me on road trips for optimal car organization, holding everything from my snack stash to bulky snowboard boots. Paige Triola

Mr Pen

Baby Diaper Caddy Organizer

$10.79

$10.79 at Amazon

This diaper caddy sits atop my daughter’s changing station. It has several interior and exterior compartments for her diapers, training pants, wipes, creams and various essentials, and works double-duty as a catch-all caddy for cleaning products and clutter that otherwise can’t seem to find a home.

Its soft felt fabric is forgiving too, allowing it to store an ungodly amount of stuff for its small footprint of 12.5x10in. It’s collapsible, making it easy to store or transport, and it doesn’t boast any baby-adjacent motifs on it, meaning I can use around my home even after she’s potty-trained. Marissa Miller

Yamazaki Home

Odds and Ends Organizer

$68

$68 at Yamazaki Home

My cat loves to shred toilet paper. After trying multiple solutions, I finally gave up and got a steel box that he absolutely cannot penetrate. It’s big enough to fit two rolls, though it’s a little tight for the mega-sized ones. If you don’t have a ton of counter space, it can fit on the back of the toilet.

It’s easy to clean, and there’s also a little tray that fits inside for storing toiletries, pills packets and other small items. I imagine it would work well for a toilet-paper-loving dog too. Jenny McGrath

Velcro

One-Wrap Cable Ties

$14.49

$14.49 at Amazon

If a jungle of tangled wires has taken over your home, simple cable management can do wonders for maintaining cleanliness and sanity. You don’t need solutions like pricey boxes or cumbersome plastic tubing specially designed for cable management. I have been using these Velcro ties for more than five years as a cheap, easy way to secure and organize all my wires in my office and living room, and they haven’t lost their fastening strength despite untying and retying numerous times. Les Shu

Joseph Joseph

Level Plus Adjustable Shoe Rack

$100

$100 at Joseph Joseph

I’m a bit of a shoe addict, and for years, finding a good closet storage system was my elusive “great white whale” of organizing. That’s because every shoe storage option I’d come across took a “one size fits all” approach to their designs. The uniform compartments ended up being too short for some of my boots, and wasted valuable space with my nearly flat slides.

So when I came across Joseph Joseph’s Level Adjustable Shoe Rack, I knew I’d finally found a solution to my storage woes. To assemble it, you just click the shelves in place on the steel frame. The range of heights lets you customize each shelf to fit different types of footwear and maximize your storage space. Elizabeth Brownfield