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10 Great Uses For Household Items You Probably Never Thought Of #Organize

After 10 ways to organize with shoeboxes, there’s no place to go but to the rest of the house, finding ways to reuse other items to organize your home. Whether you keep them for sentimental reasons or because they are so pretty, you just can’t let them go of those decorative china trays and crystal bowls you received for your shower party, now languishing in their boxes or collecting dust on your shelves. Time to put them to use!

5 Great Ways To Organize Home With Decorative Bowls, Plates, and Trays

valet valet for men

1. Use as a man’s valet- hubby can empty his loose change and other pocket items on a decorative plate at the end of the day, or lay out his watch, cufflinks, etc on an elegant china tray to prepare for the next day.

2. Place an attractive bowl near your front door to be the place to toss your keys into when you get home, so you can always find them.

3. Store sewing or craft supplies together in a large china bowl. When you sit with your children to do arts and crafts, your supplies will be ready and waiting.

4. In the kitchen, hold your fruits in a pretty china or crystal bowl. It will make the kitchen prettier and make eating healthy more appealing.

5. Use as an inbox for mail, along with pens and stamps, to make writing out bills and RSVP’ing quick and easy.

There are many other uses for trays and bowls, and I’m sure you can think of many yourself, such as using a decorative bowl as a remote control caddy or a crystal decanter to collect spare change.

5 Great Ways To Organize With Paper Towel Rolls Tubes

paper towel tube crafts

1. Store plastic bags inside paper towel tubes (and pull out a bag when needed, like a dispenser).

2. Hold loose light bulbs that you no longer have the original box for safely inside a cardboard paper towel roll.

3. Wrap Christmas lights around a cardboard paper towel tube until next year with getting tangled up.

4. Keep electrical cords neatly inside long paper towel roll tubes, without kinking or tangles.

 paper towel roll crafts

5. Store long, tapered candles (the type you take out for romantic dinners) on the inside of paper towel tubes to make storing them in a drawer super easy and neat.

You won’t want to display the paper towel tube rolls, but they sure neaten things up in your drawers, and paper towel tubes are awesome for crafts and art projects, from making a paper tower roll rocket to making little cardboard people.

Stay tuned for Part Three of the Uses For Household Items Your Probably Never Thought Of!




  • Heather

    I love using bowls for the little things that don’t have a place.

  • Susie B. Homemaker

    Love the paper towel roll ideas… very clever. I’m a new follower 🙂

  • Kelly

    Great tips! I have bowls, baskets, and various other containers all over my house. I like everything in its place.

  • Shop with Me Mama (Kim)

    Very good ideas! I like the empty roll of paper towels for the bags!!

  • Anne - Mommy Has to Work

    Love the paper towel ideas! I use my grandma’s carnival glass bowls for odds and ends in the kitchen. Better than tucked away.

  • Anne - Mommy Has to Work

    Love the paper towel ideas! I use my grandma’s carnival glass bowls for odds and ends in the kitchen. Better than having them tucked away.

  • monique

    You’re way more organize than I’ll ever be. I’m trying though.

  • Kimberly

    Great tips. I love the one about storing the candles in the rolls. I’m going to have to try that with my candles. Thanks for the tips.

  • Alison

    Oooh I love wrapping the Christmas lights around one!! I’m gonna have to do that this Christmas. Thanks for all of the great tips.

  • Beeb Ashcroft

    I agree, those little bowls can be so useful!

  • Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy

    Very creative! I hadn’t thought of some of these.

  • April Decheine

    Great idea with the tapered candles!

  • You have some great ideas. Thank you for helping me get a little bit more organized.