Household Hints By Rosemary ~ Trays of Storage

Even though there is only my husband and I now living in our house storage still seems to be at a premium. We keep one bedroom set aside for guests so all the linens and toiletries are stored in that room. The other spare bedroom is used for our computer, the grandchildren's beds, toys and books.
I have learned over the years some small tricks that help stretch out the space we have to its best advantage. We use our suitcases to store items that we only need when we travel. We use under the bed containers to store extra blankets and throws. We try to recycle clothing, books and household appliances that we no longer use. We take old towels, bed sheets and blankets to the veterinarian to be used for puppy and kitten cages. We use boxes on the shelves in the desks to store office supplies.
We've become plastic bin aficionado's - red and green for Christmas items, orange for Halloween and clear for Easter, all handily stacked on shelves in the basement.
Keeping everything neat and easy to clean is more important now that we're older and don't have as much energy to “get at it”, as we used to. When I came across an article in a women's magazine that suggested using trays to keep dressers, shelves and closets more organized I thought I'd give it a try.
The trays work best on the dresser, all my perfume bottles are now set out on two small photo frame ones that I had made a couple of years ago. I can carry the whole works into the kitchen, rinse the bottles, clean the tray and carry it all back to the bedroom. Dusting the dresser is easier when I can lift the trays and polish without having to move all the small items. A little crystal candy dish tray is really pretty used in the guest room to hold small bottles of shampoos and soaps.
A tray on the bathroom counter to keep the jars of cotton balls, soaps and some small candles makes a very nice arrangement, again, easy to clean up and under.
I also like using the large trays that were so hard to store, in the pantry to hold baking bits and pieces. It came in very handy when I wanted to make cookies and had all the ingredients prepared on the tray, carried it to the kitchen counter and then all back to the pantry shelf again. It certainly saved me steps that time, but it was a pain when I needed the small tray to serve tea and had to move stuff off.
I like the idea that you can kill two birds with one stone; easy storage in plain sight for the tray and putting it to good use. Sometimes small and simple ideas work best. This one has it's pros and cons but it's worth trying in a couple of different ways and deciding what is handiest for you.