25 Clever Ways to Repurpose Household Items for Organization

On this media cabinet, a repurposed toilet roll holder serves as a handy hanger for headphones. Canvas pockets originally designated for school supplies now hold tissues and wipes to mitigate germs. Consider adding a hook to hang video game controllers when they're not in use.

Related: 15 Genius Ways to Store Electronics, Games, and Other Media Items

Preserve jewelry and prevent tangles and scratches repurposing picture frames to hold necklaces and earrings.  Simple cup hooks attached to the top of the frame provide a spot for necklaces. String wire or twine across a wide frame and staple or glue into place before hanging dangly earrings.

Once your candle has burned down, remove the wax from the jar to repurpose the container. Candles with lids make good vessels for office supplies like pushpins and paperclips. Or use glass jars in the bathroom for cotton swabs, cosmetics, or hair ties.

Cabinet knobs can double as storage hooks with some clever rethinking. Attach them to push plates and use hanger bolts to attach them to the wall just below your cabinets. Hang frequently used kitchen tools, like utensils, cutting boards, or even dried herbs, for handy storage.

Mason jars are a storage workhorse that can be repurposed for any room in your home. Here, a galvanized planter becomes a laundry caddy thanks to a set of jars filled with clothespins, buttons, and sewing thread. Add storage labels to your Mason jars to easily identify contents.

Take something as basic as antique suitcases and use them as a stylish storage option. They're especially helpful for storing small objects in a convenient, yet hidden location, or linens you only use occasionally. Stack them in order from largest to smallest under a hall table.

When space is at a premium, call a floating shelf into office duty. Here, butcher block serves as the surface for a DIY desk made out of a storage cabinet from IKEA and a metal sawhorse-style leg. Two floating shelves made from the scrap wood hang above, providing storage for office supplies and display space for family photos.

Don't recycle those cardboard boxes just yet! This budget-friendly storage hack will help save your sock drawer. Treat shallow cardboard lids like a tray for small accessories, then put the box to use to organize socks, undergarments, hats, or other small clothing items. Up the style by spray-painting the boxes or attaching peel-and-stick wallpaper cut to size.

Sometimes simply turning items on their side can create custom storage solutions. That's the case for magazine file holders, which make the perfect containers for unruly water bottles. Stack the bottles horizontally so you can easily visualize and access them.

Vintage produce boxes and milk crates are ideal for grouping like items. Hang them on your wall to collect books, barware, or board games. Or group multiple crates to create a DIY shelving unit.

Attach a plastic shower caddy with suction cups to the underside of your kitchen sink to make use of the wasted space above bottles and cleaners. Fill it with frequently used items, such as sponges, pet supplies, or dish towels.

A fabric organizer with drawers originally intended for jewelry finds a second life as storage for art supplies and kids' coloring books. To enhance storage, designate a drawer for each type of crafts supply and add smaller containers inside the drawers to hold easy-to-lose items.

Paint can do wonders for dated or worn furniture pieces. Removing the cabinet door and installing a few storage-add-ons made this old hutch into a convenient entryway organizer. Fresh paint, new drawer hardware, and a few hooks complete the transformation.

Related: 24 DIY Furniture Projects with One-of-a-Kind Style

A mesh file sorter makes a convenient home for rolled washcloths and bathroom hand towels. Place one in your linen closet to easily grab shower essentials. Label each section with a paper tag tied on with string.

Snatch a few clips from your home office and use the handy helpers to hold matching napkins together. When it's time to dress the table, you can grab the color and number of napkins you need without a frantic search.

Nix the water puddles that are inevitable with snowy and rainy weather. Dry shoes in your mudroom or entryway by resting them on metal cooling racks inside a large plastic tray.

Hang a wire mesh utensil organizer near your door as a hub for keys, sunglasses, and other essentials. Use nails with small heads (that fit through the mesh of the organizer) to hang it. Let the nails stick out far enough from the wall so that you can also use them as key hooks.

Use a trouser hanger to suspend a cosmetics bag in an easy-to-reach place. Position the hanger on a hook on the back of a vanity door and clip the bag to the hanger. Hangers can also be repurposed to display art prints or even stand in as a DIY wreath form.

Secure cord bundles with stretchable bands designed to slip around baby bottles and sippy cups. Bands can be customized with any text, including information about cord length and usage.

A portable tool cart works just as hard in the kitchen as it does in the garage. Add a slab of butcher block to the top of the cart for a kitchen-friendly surface. Use the cabinets, drawers, and other built-in storage for utensils, pots, pans, oven mitts, and all of your culinary tools.

Minimize the chaos and clutter of power cords by clinching them together with a small hair clip. If needed, use more than one clip to keep cords under control behind a console, entertainment center, or computer.

When a lack of bathroom counter space has you backed into a disorganized corner, call on your walls for storage relief. Hang a bucket from a hook mounted next to the sink to corral supplies in a bathroom lacking storage space.

Fashion your own budget-friendly drawer dividers with simple items found around the kitchen. Silicone muffin cups and a repurposed egg crate organize small items such as pencils, rubber bands, tacks, paper clips, and keys.

For a low-cost alternative for shoe storage, reuse original shoe boxes and cover them with decorative paper to create streamlined shoe storage. Attach a picture of the shoes to the front of the box to help you find your favorite pair.

Use cabinet hardware to turn tight spaces inside a closet into storage for hanging ties and scarves. Gently knot scarves after hanging to keep them from slipping to the ground.