As a professional organizer I regularly help clients purge through piles of clutter. When guiding people to deciding which items to keep and which items to toss my philosophy is love it, use it or lose it.
While working with a new client the other day, we pulled out of a drawer in her kitchen a large Ziploc filled with binder clips. There wasn’t just a couple but tons of the little guys just waiting to be used. The intended use in this situation was for snack clips but the overabundance of them made me uncomfortable. We decide to keep just enough to get the job done in the kitchen, keep some for the office and the rest went into the donate pile.
On my drive home I could not stop thinking about those binder clips. My brain began popping with all of these ideas for other uses for them. After all, my philosophy is if you can use them then they get to stay. The conundrum was then, how can we use these and use them productively?
Here are some obvious and some not so obvious uses that I came up with for the binder clip.
1. Snack clips
Need a quick and easy way to keep food organized and prolong freshness in the kitchen? Keep a few binder clips handy. They are great for sealing bags of chips, nuts, rice and other kitchen items that do not have resalable packaging. I keep them attached to the shelf in my pantry where they come in most handy.
2. Money clip and key ring.
For those of us who walk our dogs daily, this is a brilliant idea. The clip can coral the cash while the handle keeps the key safe and sound. Take the clip and squeeze the arms inward in order to release and slip your key on. Do the same to secure it into place. Clamp your bills in between the binder and you now have a money clip and key ring all in one.
3. Cord & Cable Catcher
Tired of looking at a mess of cords lying under, around and on top of your desk? Here is a great use for binder clips as a cord and cable organizer. They simple attach to the edge of your desk and hold your cords in place for easy access. Squeeze the metal piece, slip the cord inside, replace the metal and attach to the side of your desk.
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4. Fridge organizer
Try using them in the fridge for stacking cans and beer bottles. The handy clip attaches under the wire creating a lip to allow you to stack and hold odd shaped items in place. I love this idea!
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5. Toothpaste Squeezer
Keep a binder clip at the end of your toothpaste tube and roll it as needed. It will help keep you drawer looking organized and allow you to easily access the contents inside the tube.
Have any ideas of your own you’d like to add?
About Lori
Lori Gersh is a hands-on professional organizer, move manager and the owner of Leave It 2 Lori. Her focus is on helping her clients in Beverly Hills, Westlake Village, Calabasas, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, and other Southern California cities to declutter, organize, and transform their space. Whether you are upsizing or downsizing, organizing your home or your office, Lori and her team will handle it all.
