Cardboard box bag dispenser

Cardboard box bag dispenser
The Family Handyman

Need a way to store all of those plastic bags you get from most stores? Here’s an idea: Straighten them out and stack them into an organised pile. Then place the pile in a small cardboard box. Cut a hole in the box so you can pull out one bag at a time as you need it. This works great at our garage sales when we need to bag items for our customers! — John Mylander

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Use magnets

Use magnets
The Family Handyman

A handy way to store small metal items such as nail clippers, tweezers, etc, in a bathroom cabinet is to simply stick a few magnets to the back of the cabinet or inside the cabinet door for holding the items. Then they’ll be organised and in plain sight when you need them.

If your cabinet is not metal, you may need to use a bit of double-sided tape or hot glue to mount the magnets where you want them. Be sure to use the inexpensive grey disc magnets, as the expensive neodymium magnets do not want to let go of your items! — David Farrand

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Computer shelf

Computer shelf
The Family Handyman

Make this simple-yet-useful computer shelf for your desk with a few pieces of scrap wood and a nail gun. We built the one shown with a 30cm x 60cm piece of plywood and two pieces of a 30cm x 90cm cut to 30cm lengths. Then we used a brad nailer to attach the plywood to the boards.

You could paint or stain the assembled piece to match your room décor or leave it as is for a purposefully unfinished look. The shelf will raise your computer screen to an ergonomic height, making it easier to see and more comfortable to work at your desk!

Store bits where they belong

Store bits where they belong
The Family Handyman

In my shop, I use many different sizes and types of screws, and each different screw head requires a different bit. So in order to not waste time searching for the correct bit before each project, I came up with this solution:

Using a bead of hot glue, I simply attach a magnet to the underside of the lid on each fastener container for holding the bit that belongs with the screws inside. That way I always have the right bit at the right time, without the frustrating search. — Jerry Weldon

Organise cleaning supplies

Organise cleaning supplies
The Family Handyman

It can be difficult to keep spray bottles and other cleaning supplies from falling over and making a mess under your kitchen sink.

To keep your cleaning supplies upright, hang them from a short tension rod inside your cabinet. Another clever idea is to slide a paper towel roll through the tension rod for easy access. This is also a great place to hang dish-drying towels and rubber cleaning gloves.

Adding a key-holed ruler to your bench

Adding a key-holed ruler to your bench
The Family Handyman

You can mount a removable key-holed metal ruler on the front edge of your workbench, for both easy measuring on the workbench and for easy access for measuring and marking projects elsewhere. Simply drill keyholes (a larger hole with an overlapping smaller hole above it) in two locations along the ruler. After drilling the key holes we sanded them smooth to get rid of the potentially dangerous sharp edges. Next, drill appropriately sized screws (ones that will fit into the smaller sized keyhole) to the front of the workbench and use the keyholes to mount the ruler to the bench with screws.

Also, it is important to note that we placed our screws in a location in which the ruler would lay flush with the edge of the workbench. This makes it extremely easy to use the ruler for quick project measurements because of its convenient location.

Sheet metal magnet board

Sheet metal magnet board
The Family Handyman

Sheet metal or strips of galvanised flashing make great magnet boards in the workshop. Be sure to level the material on the wall and use self-tapping sheet metal screws to fasten it to studs.

Then put several magnets on the message board for hanging project plans, supply lists and even small metal tools such as a paint can opener or scissors. Above the workbench is a perfect place for mounting a magnet board. — Bill Jones

File folders for kitchen organisation

File folders for kitchen organisation
The Family Handyman

File folders can be used for more than just organising papers and magazines in your office. They can also be used for organisation in your kitchen.

We filled file folders up with the clutter that normally barricades the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Place all of your kitchen cleaning supplies into file folders, putting the most frequently used items towards the front.

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No-slip kitchen towels

No-slip kitchen towels
The Family Handyman

Hanging a dish towel from an oven or dishwasher door makes sense. The towel is in a convenient location, and the oven’s warmth quickly gets rid of dampness. However, the one drawback with hanging your towels here is that they are constantly falling off!

Here’s a way to keep the towel from slipping off:

Fold your towel into its desired form and attach velcro strips in two spots, one on the front and one on the back, as shown in the photo.

Stitch in place, or use fabric iron-on velcro strips and follow the directions on the packaging.

Finally, hang your towel from the oven or dishwasher door and match velcro ends together. No more towels on the floor!

Save that six-pack!

Save that six-pack!
The Family Handyman

Do all of your small bottles in the refrigerator door like to tip over after opening or closing the door? Fortunately, the answer to tidying those wayward bottles is just a recycling bin away.

To keep all of your condiments under control use an empty six-pack holder to hold and organise the condiments in your refrigerator door. This organisation solution is also great for transporting your condiments for a backyard BBQ or picnic!

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