26 Ideas For Lego Storage Containers

Where IS your Lego? Completely out of control taking over your entire house or neatly stored and organized in your kids room?

Perhaps a better question would be, where haven’t you FOUND Lego? Under foot, in the vaccum cleaner, down the side of the couch, in the washing machine, in the car, in your purse, in your shoes, even in the oven?

Pile Of Lego

Photo credit: musicmoon@rogers.com

I know mine is in various places around the house – broken down into a big bin, in various boxes with bits of sets, as various completed displays and as various half completed ‘things’.

The trouble is my son has left me in doubt that he wants the Ninjago Fire Temple for Christmas, so our collection is about to grow by 1174 pieces. Aagh.

As such, Lego storage containers and ideas are on my mind. Having spent days trawling the internet for what other people do I give you below my findings.

If your collection is out of control, your Legos are seemingly multiplying on their own, you have a Lego fan whose collection needs to be kept safe from a younger child or you just have a Lego storage dilemma, check out the ideas below and take back control. I hope they help! Please also add your own ideas in the comments below.

Which solution will work best for you will depend on:

  • how many pieces you have,
  • what type they are (sets or random blocks),
  • what space you have,
  • what budget you have,
  • how portable the collection needs to be and
  • how your kids like to play.

After reading this hopefully you will at least have some ideas about what may work for you.

 

 

1

Large Plastic Storage Boxes

Our main random brick collection is housed in a large plastic storage box. But this is less than ideal for us.

One problem is that it is quite heavy to carry up and down the stairs as my son likes to build in the family room. Another is that it is hard to find anything in it without tipping it all out. And lastly, with the more recent additions to our collection of ‘sets’ rather than random blocks, we need some way to keep them separate.

However, for some, large boxes will be fine. Some Lego collections even come in plastic bins so you may not find the need to move them at all.

Alternatively LegoEducation.us has some nice storage bins – a shallow bin with lid for $9 or a deeper bin with lid for $18. For both of these you can purchase a sorting tray which will hold special pieces separately on top. These cost $5.95.

Lego Education Shallow BinLego Education Deep BinLego Education Sorting Tray

Or how about this set of 4, 21qt plastic boxes from Iris. For around $42 (check current price), you get four boxes in pretty colors. They measure 11″ x 14″ x 16″ and can also be bought individually.

Iris Set of 4 Plastic Boxes

For a non-Lego style option, which brings the price down a bit, this set of 6, 18qt standard boxes from Sterilite are a good buy at around $48 (check current price).

Set Of 6 Sterilite 18qt Boxes

Tip: Save Money

Check out what plastic tubs you already own to save money. See through versions are best but you could label them otherwise.

Tip: The Blanket Trick

If you do plan on keeping your ‘big box’ of Lego, Joyful Homemaking has a great tip for ‘contained’ play and easy scooping up:

“Dump them on a blanket so they can see better when they are picking pieces to build with, and yet can easily be folded up to dump the Legos back into their container.”

I’ve been using this ever since I read it as it makes the Legos portable between rooms too.

Tip: Stack Your Bricks

Whilst not exactly a storage container, stacking your Lego bricks is a good way to store them whilst keeping them organized in a large container.

It is a lot easier to keep track of smaller pieces, such as those teeny, tiny, 1×1 bricks, by stacking them into a tower.

If you do that for a few colors and sizes and then position them next to each other on a base board, they will gain strength in numbers.

Just remember to offset the bricks so that you can take them apart easily. For tons of information on stacking Legos, check out Evil Mad Scientist.

 

2

Small Plastic Storage Boxes

Smaller boxes avoid most of the problems of bigger ones as they are more portable and have less contents to wade through.

Plastic shoe boxes are ideal for housing your collection once it is sorted, by color or collection for example. Have one box for Star Wars, one for Toy Story etc etc.

Small boxes can be picked up cheaply at your local dollar store and are easy to stack under tables, on shelves or in closets.

Check out this 12 pack of 6qt boxes (shoe size) from Sterilite. The set costs around $24 (check current price) and the boxes measure 14″ x 8″ x 5″.

Sterilite 12 Pack 6 Qt Boxes

Or for a more ‘Lego’-centric storage idea, have a look at these Lego brick storage boxes. Aren’t they cute? They’re from A Place For Everything which is in the UK unfortunately. They are not cheap at about $34 each for a box measuring 19″ x 10″ x 4″.

Lego Brick Storage Box

For colorful but more affordable sets of different sized small boxes, consider these CD, Organizer and Document boxes from Whitmor. The CD boxes measure 12″ x 5″ x 6″ and the others are a similar size. All 3 sets cost around $13 (check current price).

Whitmor CD BoxesWhitmor Organizer BoxesWhitmor Document Boxes

Tip: Kids need to move bins about easily so don’t let them get too heavy.

Tip: If you want to ensure a quick and easy clear up after play time, choose open bins.

 

3

Stackable Storage Boxes

Another option from LegoEducation.us are their stackable storage bins for $3 each which do not have lids, but stack whilst allowing easy access to pieces from the stack.

Lego Education Stackable Bin

Here’s the idea in use on Pinterest.com.

Stackable Storage from Pinterest

Photo credit: Katie

How about a stackable bucket? The Bucket Boss Super Stacker was originally designed as an organizer for screws, nuts, bolts, washers etc but this 4″ deep, 10″ diameter bucket has 4 compartments ideal for sorted Legos. The design is stackable and has a handy handle for little hands to carry about. Each one costs around $9 (check current price).

Bucket Boss Super Stacker

 

4

Shallow Plastic Bins For Under The Bed Storage

Short, rectangular containers with a hinged lid (so it doesn’t get lost) are a great idea for Lego. Being shallow they are easier to ‘wade’ through, so your child can get to the bottom of the box more easily. They can be stacked and/or slid under a bed for easy storage.

If you plan on under the bed storage, why not choose boxes with castors so they slide easily and those with split lids that can be lifted half way without having to slide the whole box out.

This set of 3 from Organize.com costs $71.49. They measure 6″ x 39″ x 20″.

Underbed Storage Box By Iris

How about making your own like this one from Daniel Sicolo?

Daniel Sicolo Under Bed Lego Storage

 

5

Plastic Kiddie Pool

For the ultimate in shallow but BIG enough storage, throw all the Lego blocks in a plastic kids pool. They can ‘wade’ quite happily and easily find the bits they are looking for whilst at the same time keep all the pieces contained with the raised sides. They can even sit in the pool to play. And when it comes to putting it away, just push it under the bed (use bed risers if need be).

What a great idea from the Joyful Homemaking commenters.

 

6

Lego Bins

There are various colorful styles available of these Neat-Oh! Lego ZipBins. They are each dedicated to a specific type of Lego (Racers, Star Wars, City, Duplo etc) but can obviously be used for any type of Lego. They are affordable at about $15 (check current price) and double up as a toy box and playmat with different features depending on the style. Various sizes are available.

Neat-Oh Lego Storage

Unzip the bin to reveal the playscape for playing. Once playing has finished, collect all the bricks up and store them in the strong and portable bin. They can be stacked, wiped clean, hold thousands of bricks and have a carry handle making them easy to move about. They also fold down into a small flat pack when not in use.

Watch this 10 second clip to see how they work:

 

Alternatively for around $12 (check current price) you can get 3 bright and colorful fabric, zippable organizers made by Lego. They are quite small so only really suitable for travelling or for smaller pieces in the bedroom (say minifigures). When not in use, they nest inside each other or store flat. There is a clear window at the top to see through. They measure: small = 3.5″ cube, medium 4″ cube and large 4.5″ x 9″ x 4.5″ rectangle.

Lego 3 Piece Organizer

 

7

Lego Buckets

Here’s another official Lego product – a bucket that cinches together at the top with a drawstring – and costs around $16 (check current price). It is ideal for storing toys but also with the carry handle and secure closure it is ideal for travel. It stores flat when not in use. The only downside is that it’s not very big being only 8″ in diameter.

Lego Cinch Buckets

Or how about these toy buckets from LegoBags.com? They have a main bucket-shaped compartment with surrounding outer pockets to keep smaller items out of the main area. It comes with handles making it easy to move about and costs $24.

Lego Bags Toy Bucket

 

8

Plastic Storage Box Systems

Moving on from just a collection of random storage bins, come integrated systems that hold and organize your boxes in some semblance of order.

The Ikea Trofast system came up time and time again as being ideal for storing a large Lego collection. The wooden side panels have grooves that the plastic storage bins hang from. You can buy bins in different sizes – perhaps shallow for random bricks and deep for sets, instructions or completed works.

Check it out in use (courtesy of Not A Stepford Wife).

Legos In Trofast System  Legos In Trofast System 2

Here’s another picture from I Heart Organizing.

I Heart Organizing Lego Trofast Storage

We actually use this system for all my son’s main toys. The reason I don’t use it for Lego is that we bought two tall systems, which he can’t reach the top of and also we bought the deep boxes. So avoid those configurations if you want to use it for Lego.

 

9

Plastic Case Systems

For Lego specific cases, take a look at this workstation and storage unit from Iris. For around $54 (check current price) you can organize your Lego collection by color, size or set in the 6 project cases that can then be filed away neatly in the plastic display unit.

Iris 6 Case Workstation

Your kids can grab one or more of the cases to take with them to the living room or wherever. There are also two base plates on the top of the unit which can be used for play or display purposes.

You can buy the cases individually from Lego for $10 each so this is a great price for the stand combination. The cases are 10″ x 10″, have snap tight closures, a built in handle and a cool graphic.

For a smaller collection, you can also find a 3 case workstation for $33 and 4 cases but no station for $33.

 

10

Toy Organizers

Generic toy organizers can work well with Lego. This one from Little Colorado costs around $97 (check current price), but comes with 3 shelves and 9 plastic bins with lids (6 qt, ie, shoe box size). It is ideal for storing and organizing your collection of Legos.

Little Colorado Toy Organizer

How about a super pricey option at $715! It would hold a large collection though. This 30 tray mobile storage unit from Jonti-Craft comes with 30 cubbie trays in 5 colors and is easily moved about on the built-in casters. Each tray measures approx. 5″ x 9″ x 14″. Alternatively you could opt for their 10 tray unit which only costs $337 – ONLY!

Jonti-Craft Mobile Storage Unit

 

11

Plastic Drawers

Plastic drawer sets are easy to find online or in your local home store. They come with deep or shallow drawers, with wheels or not, and come in various sizes. Those on wheels are easy to move around to help during play time and clear up.

They make ideal Lego storage solutions. Perhaps you could choose a design with shallow drawers on top for small pieces and deeper drawers as you go down to hold bigger pieces. Being spread across 5 drawers makes the pieces easier to find if organized or labelled in a clear way.

Using shoe storage boxes within the drawers can help to sort the bricks out and makes it easier to remove one batch from the drawer set to play with. This image from Capturing The Days shows you what I mean:

Capturing The Days Lego Storage

Nice drawers aren’t cheap unfortunately. This 7 drawer mobile cart from Sterilite will set you back about $100 (check current price) but it looks very useful with it’s different size drawers. The overall size is 14″ x 12″ x 39″.

Sterilite 7 Drawer Cart

For a portable, multi colored rolling cart with 10 shallow drawers, check out this Advantus Cropper Hopper that costs around $54 (check current price). Each drawer measures 11″ x 15″ x 3″ so would be ideal for sorting and storing a medium sized collection.

Advantus Rolling Cart

There are also other configurations available: 6 drawers (2 deep, 4 narrow), 15 drawers (5 deep, 10 narrow), 20 drawers (all narrow).

Here’s a picture of one in use from Creative Homemakers.

Creative Homemakers

Smaller drawer sets, such as stacks of 3 that you might otherwise put on your desk, are an alternative to mobile drawer carts. They can be stored in a cube organizer along with Lego displays, baskets for mid-build pieces, to be sorted piles and instruction booklets.

You can see the idea below from Little Red Hen. My only concern would be that the little ones can reach the drawers and that they don’t topple over.

Little Red Hen Lego Storage

They cost around $33 for 4 sets of 3 drawers (check current price).

 

12

Compartmentalized Plastic Boxes & Cases

Plastic cases with internal dividers and handles don’t take up as much room as drawers and they can be just pulled out from the closet and dragged to wherever your kids want to play. When play time is over, just close the lid and return to the closet. The internal dividers prevent the pieces from becoming mixed together whilst being moved about.

Whether originally meant for fishing tackle, nuts and bolts, beads or any other craft type storage, boxes with individual compartments are perfect for keeping ‘special’ pieces or minifigures separate from the main collection. They are great as you can see everything at once and they can be found at big box hardware stores.

Some such boxes come with fixed compartments, others have moveable dividers. I personally prefer the latter so I can customize the box to fit my needs. They come in various sizes so check out your collection and buy accordingly.

Check out how tackle boxes have been used by RemarkablyDomestic.com.

Plastic Case By Remarkably Domestic

You can buy such cases from Plano for nearly $7 each (check current price). You get a case which you can divide with 4-24 compartments. It is ideal for smaller special pieces.

Plano Case

Alternatively this parts organizer by Stanley costs around $13 (check current price) and has configurable dividers that you can remove to customize your own design. The special lid keeps the compartments and contents in place.

Stanley Parts Organizer

You can see something similar in use here at JasonBartholme.com.

Stanley Organizer In Use

 

13

Mini Drawer Cabinets

Using a similar micro-separation and organizing idea to the compartmentalized cases, drawer cabinets with plenty of mini drawers are ideal for keeping small collections of special Legos separate.

The Akro Mills 44 Drawer cabinet costs around $33 (check current price) and gives you 12 large and 32 small drawers to efficiently categorize the special pieces in your Legos collection. Each drawer has a finger grip and rear stop tab to prevent spills so this cabinet is ideal for little fingers.

Akro Mills 44 Drawer Cabinet

For a complete wall system, take a quick look at the Akro mills tacking bins – which are a great idea for an industrial look. The mounted wall panels make adding and removing bins easy. There are different sizes of break-resistant bins available. They come in red, yellow or blue and have finger grips to make handling easy. 32 small bins and the necessary wall panels cost about $73 (check current price).

Akro Mills Wall Panels

For a much bigger option check out the Jumbo Crate by Brikcrate.com. It costs a lot at $387 but it does hold 3 cubic feet or about 18,000 components. It is made of natural pine and measures 4′ x 4′ x 10″. It also comes with a table and 480 labels so you know what is in each drawer. There are 4 different combinations of drawers available from all big to a mixture of small and big.

JumboCrate

Tip: If you end up using a drawer system where the drawer fronts are opaque so you cannot easily see what is inside, you will need labels. Check out this free download from Mrs Jones for 2 pages of specially designed Lego storage labels.

 

14

Matt’s Mushroom Bins

Why not use those square plastic tubs that packaged mushrooms are often sold in. They’re cheap, have a flat bottom, they nest and are stackable, they’re clear and they have easy to grab outer rims. You can use more as your collection grows and they’re disposable if one breaks. They’re easy to lay out, easy to fill and come in various sizes. My only concern is that without lids, they may not be ideal for younger kids. From 15 cents each though they’re very cheap. You can order large quantities from Horseshoe Bend Ranch.

Mushroom Bins

 

15

Old Luggage

Do you have any old suitcases or other luggage that you no longer use? If they have wheels so are easy to move around, consider using them for your Lego collection. Store instructions in the outer pockets, building plates in the inner pockets and fill the main body with the bricks. Stand them up to fit nicely into narrow spaces or lay them flat for under a bed.

This great idea is from a commenter at JDOrganizer.

 

16

Bongo Bags

Bongo bags are great for Duplo or Lego. They can be partially collapsed to fit into any shelving units you currently own and they are available in various colors so you can organize and store your bricks in a matching colored bag. A set of 4 in various colors and sizes costs around $16 (check current price). The largest one measures 15″ x 17″.

Bongo Buckets

 

17

Ziploc Bags

If you have a small collection, you could use Ziploc bags to keep the different colored bricks separate. You could then file all the bags in one plastic bin. The only trouble with this is that it is not very accessible to kids when they want to play.

A better use for Ziploc bags is to store ‘sets’. Get rid of those big bulky boxes that they come in – that are 5 times bigger than necessary for the number of pieces – and keep the pieces with the instructions and even a picture cut from the box, in a Ziploc bag.

See how it’s done over at ASoftPlace.net.

A Soft Place Lego Storage In Ziploc Bags

You could also use one to keep all the various instruction booklets together and safe.

 

18

A Lego Wall

For an off-the-wall (!) idea, check out these Lego walls over at ‘Dukes And Duchesses‘ and ‘Milk And Cookies‘.

Dukes And Duchesses Lego Wall
Milk And Cookies Lego Wall

 

19

Socks LOL!

Why not buy some different colored socks and use them to color co-ordinate your collection. Again this isn’t ideal for a large collection or particularly for kids but I thought it was a creatively bizarre idea from WikiHow.com.

 

20

Like A Lego Store

If you’ve got as much Lego as the Lego store, this is how they do it. I’m not sure it makes the best use of space but it looks quite good and the lower levels would give easy access to the next brick. I’m not sure about tidying away though.

Lego Store

Photo credit: sylvar

 

21

Lego Sorter Boxes

As well as just storing your Legos you may want to sort them. You can do this manually in a number of different ways (see below) but a couple of Lego storage boxes actually do it for you.

Box4Blox won the best new organizing product of the year. It not only stores your Legos but organizes them too into pieces of different sizes. You tip all the Legos into the top tray, give it a shake and the smaller pieces fall through the grids to find their correct home in one of the bottom 3 trays. It costs about $40 (check current price).

It is a 10″ cube so is only suitable for about 1600 bricks. After that you’ve outgrown it. There are also a few niggles such as the sections not snapping together and there being no handle so it’s not very portable. It is also no good for sets.

Another storage option that sorts your Legos by size (with a quick shake) while it stores is the Lego Storage Head. It is a 11.5″ cube and can hold about 1000 pieces so is again only really ideal for quite a small collection. There is a built in carry handle for portability and it also costs about $40 (check current price).

Lego Head Sort & Store

 

22

Combined Play & Storage Boxes

Why not opt for a combined Lego storage and play solution? These boxes from Etsy.com are practical and fun. They are effectively a mini Lego table with Lego storage underneath.

They are available in a 3 sizes – the travel version at 12″ x 7″ x 3″ (cost $22.50), the portable box at 12″ x 12″ x 3″ (cost $30) and the larger play box at 16″ x 16″ x 6″ (cost $60).

The lid slides off giving access to the bricks and the whole box is easily carried with the rope handle.

Etsy Combined Play Storage

 

23

Combined Play & Storage Mats

As well as boxes there are mats. I love this idea and I have seen a few similar versions when researching this Lego storage ideas article. It is so simple, yet combines room to play with clean up and storage – all in one. What more do you need? OK Legos sorted in some way … but other than that, it’s perfect!

Basically it is a round play mat with some sort of drawstring round the outer edge (they differ on different versions). The Legos are kept on the mat and at the end of play, you pull the drawstring and the Legos are collected inside the resulting ‘bag’. The bag can then be hung up or stored away. They are ideal for playing with Lego on the move, either in your home, or on play dates.

Here are a few products that you can buy along with some you can make:

Lay-n Go Play mat – has two sizes available: the large 60″ version (costs $64.95) and the small 18″ version (costs $24.95) which would be perfect for travelling. Check out the video for how easy to use these play mats are.

 

Neat ‘n’ Tidy Playmat – whilst not specifically for Lego, this play mat does a similar job to the others. It has no drawstring though, but rather uses three simple folds, velcro closures and sturdy handles to close the bag. It is 43″ in diameter, washable and will hold 5+ lbs of toys. It costs $33.

Neat N Tidy Playmat

 

Swoop Toy Bag And Playmat – is made from 100% cotton canvas with a nylon drawstring. It measures 44″ in diameter, is washable and available in 6 colors. It costs $45.

Swoop Toy Bag

 

Gogosac – another playmat made from 100% cotton canvas that is 55″ in diameter, has 2 drawstring handles (that cannot be tripped over) and comes in 3 colors. It is 100% washable and costs $40.40.

Gogosac

 

Make Your Own

If these ‘To Buy’ prices sound a bit steep to you, the idea is quite simple so you could make your own. Here are a few ‘How To’ articles I’ve found on my travels:

A water resistant version from Instructables.com – great for ‘anywhere’ play.

Instructables Play Mat

A drawstring sack playmat tutorial from BellGirl.com.au.

BellGirl Play Mat

For a more complicated version, try this one from Freshly Pieced.

Freshly Pieced Playmat

And here’s another one – with lots of helpful step by step photos – from Make It Perfect.

Toni Coward Playmat

 

24

Combined Play & Storage Tables

Tables that double up as storage are ideal for playing with Legos. They are so ideal in fact, that loads of people have already bought or made one. Most have built in baseplates making a sturdy base for those huge structures kids love to build.

Here are some ideas to buy:

This Lego table with storage from Jonti-Craft measures 25″ x 28″ x 19″. It comes with one mounted base plate (Lego or Duplo options) and the four storage tubs that fit under the top are optional. It’s not cheap though at $236 (excluding the tubs).

Jonti-Craft Table

This is another pricey option, but the Imaginarium table and chair set has the great feature of mesh drawers. These are basically drawers that can be pulled out from beneath the table with nets attached to the wooden surround. Legos can either be selected from the net or swept back in after playtime. It measures 23″ x 23″ x 19″ and the table top is actually double sided – one side has Lego baseplates, the other has a smooth surface for other play activities. It costs around $160 (check current price).

Imaginarium Table

For something a bit cheaper this 2-in-1 activity table from KidKraft costs about $134 (although is cheaper on Amazon). It measures 25″ x 23″ x 17″, has a double sided top (one featuring Lego baseplates, the other a smooth top) and comes with 200 Lego-compatible blocks and a 30 piece train set too.

KidKraft Lego Table

Here are some ideas for Lego tables with storage to make:

This table is pretty impressive and if your DIY skills are up to it you can make your own using the free Instructables ‘how to’ guide. I really like the gutter to catch bricks as they get knocked and the non-drawer storage design.

Instructables Table

 

This Lego storage table from Etsy.com has a large top (55″ x 38″) as well as 12 deep drawers built in that are perfect for storing your Lego collection. It has a nice top rail to stop bricks falling onto the floor. The PDF of the professionally measured drawings are available to buy for $20 but then you’re on your own!

Etsy Lego Table

 

Check this out for a great idea. Take an old coffee table, cut a hole nicely from the middle of it, mount a basket underneath for easy access or clean up and stick some Lego base plates down on top. Wow – I love it. And Sustainably Chic Designs got it for free – I’m so jealous!

Sustainably Chic Designs Lego Table

 

Here are a few small versions that you can keep in the corner and store your box of Legos underneath. They are from House Of Woyaks, Ordinary Mom, Seasons With The Sewells, Skip To My Lou and My Little Gems respectively.

House Of Woyaks Lego Table  Ordinary Mom Lego Table  Hope Sewell Lego Table

Skip To My Lou Lego Table  My Little Gems Lego Table

A few of these great sites point out that you should use a piece of Lego to measure the exact spacing between multiple base plates.

How about another table and storage tub combined idea? This one from IkeaHackers.net is pretty awesome. It cost about $120 I think but looks pretty big and you could amend the design to suit your needs quite easily.

Ikea Hackers Lego Table

 

This drawer-cum-table combo unit from Playing House is a great idea to create a whole Lego work area. It basically takes 2 drawer units, sticks a table top across the top and voila, Lego play/display, storage and organization is taken care of. And it only cost $40.

Playing House Lego Table

 

25

Combined Play & Store Under The Bed Board

For a practical play and store idea, check out this idea from Triplets Plus Another. It is a board on wheels that slides under the bed for storage. It has a lip around the edge so things don’t fall off and is big enough to store and play on.

Triplets Plus Another Lego Storage

 

26

Lego Instruction Booklet Storage

All Lego sets come with instruction booklets. If thrown in with the brick collection they will get dog-eared, torn or even lost. Why not keep this paper clutter out of your home after the first build, as you can download them all again anyway from Lego.com.

If you do want to store them, either keep them in a Ziploc bag with the set pieces (as shown above) or perhaps in plastic sleeves within a ring binder (maybe not ideal for little fingers), in a concertina file, piled in a storage box or drawer, or use them as room art and frame them.

 

Don’t Forget The Various Stages Of Lego Play

So that’s the end of our ideas for Lego storage bins. When choosing which one is best for you, you need to remember that playing with Legos is a bit of a journey.

You need to look for long term storage solutions for the bulk of your Lego collection, but you also need to consider the ‘in progress‘ and ‘finished‘ pieces.

Build buckets are ideal for those ‘in progress’ masterpieces that are half finished when it’s time for dinner or bed or whatever. Kids don’t want to just lose the pieces they’ve carefully found and constructed by merging them in with the main collection. So keep a Lego storage box, bucket, basket or bin designated as ‘in progress’. Check these out from I Heart Organizing.

I Heart Organizing Lego Build Buckets

Kids are often very proud of their Lego creations and want to keep them ‘built’ for a while before dismantling them and adding them back to the collection. As such, whilst organizing your Lego, you will be wise to find a dedicated space to display finished pieces which get rotated back into the brick pile when a new masterpiece has been created. Ideas include their play table, or on a shelf in their room. I know you’ll have to dust it then (which is no mean feat) but your kids will be chuffed and inspired to keep creating.

 

Organizing Your Lego Collection

We have talked about WHERE to store your Lego collection but not really about HOW.

The decision to sort your collection, whether by color, brick type, set or whatever is really a personal one. You know your kids the best and what they want and will be able to maintain. But it is definitely something to consider before you make or buy a storage solution.

There’s no point buying a large storage box if you want to sort your collection. Conversely you may be better with the kiddie’s pool idea rather than drawers if you don’t want to sort your collection, say for example, if your kids prefer to see everything at a glance.

As your collection grows, wanting to organize it in some way sort of creeps up on you. You might start with it all in one big box, but as you get more sets you’ll probably keep those together, then as you start wasting time hunting for bricks of the right size or color, you might want to separate the collection out.

Age plays a big part in when it is time to organize your Legos. Younger kids are happy with a big pile so the shallow box or playmat bag type storage solutions are very useful. Older fans, however, will be looking to keep their random bricks separate from their Bionicles say.

The size of your collection is another factor that may influence your decision to organize your Legos. As soon as you split your collection between more than one box, you need some way of sorting it between the smaller bins in a meaningful way.

As I said before, you can group your Lego collection in various ways – color, type, function, set etc. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Ask your kids how they would like their Legos sorted – some build by color, some build by type.

It is almost always best to keep your sets separate from your random brick collection. This is until you know your kids will not build that particular set again, so it is time to mix the pieces in with the rest.

Make sure you think about how easy your ‘grouping’ will be for your kids to follow when they clear up. Color is often the easiest method but you should be mindful that the more you sort your bricks, the longer it takes to clean them up and the more likely they are to become unsorted again.

You also want to ensure that the ‘clearing away’ process, doesn’t detract from the Lego fun. If it does, you may find that your kids no longer want to play with their Legos which would be a real shame.

You also don’t want to add more chores to your day if you end up being the one to keep the system going.

If you do choose to organize your Legos, make sure you have a dedicated ‘To be sorted’ bin that can be filled during the week say when homework or bedtime calls, but must be sorted over the weekend.

 

Keep Them Building

Lego multiplies. It doesn’t matter who you are or how many kids you have, what starts out as one box soon grows into two then three then twenty and before you know it, your home is being taken over by these colorful plastic bricks.

Lego is such a great investment that you should really make the effort to get organized so that it doesn’t get lost all over your house. It lasts forever so if looked after properly will keep your grandkids and even their kids happy for years to come.

As you can see there are plenty of storage options for you to consider. The best ones are attractive, versatile and practical but above all suit the individual needs of your collection, your kids and your ideas for organization.

Personally I think a combination of solutions works best – Ziploc bags for sets and instructions, drawers for colors, and separate buckets for ‘in progress’ and ‘to be sorted’.

Just remember though that no matter how well you ‘plan’ on it being organized, no amount of organizers, boxes, drawers and bins is going to make your kids co-operate and actually use them! Some kids work best and actually enjoy the ‘bin digging’. And if all else fails …. just shut the door!

For some final inspiration, check out this ultimate Lego room from Honey And Fitz.

Ultimate Lego Room from Honey And Fitz

 

Fancy A Good Book To Read After All That Lego Fun?

Take a magical journey into ‘The Mystical Wood‘ where a boy, meets a wizard, a dragon, a giant bumblebee and a T-Rex.

This terrific adventure has 5 chapters, full color illustrations, and is told in rhyme, like the Gruffalo.

It’s for kids aged 5+.

Available HERE on Kindle or in paperback.

Try the Kindle for PC App to see the color pictures.

 

 

I’m Linking Up To These Blog Parties:

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Nursery Storage Ideas: Make Your Own Crib Pocket Organizer

Crib Organizer From Kaboodle.com   Pretty In Pink From Dibor.co.uk

Aren’t these pocket organizers just the cutest thing? And handy too to get organized in your nursery! Just wrap the straps around the crib rail, tie to secure and everything you need to change your baby’s diaper or to get him dressed and ready for the day is within reach and ready to go.

Cute crib organizers are not easy to find especially if you want one to match your décor or theme or to fit your specific needs. So why not make one yourself?

Shopping list

To make one like those shown above you will need:

1.5 yards of gingham fabric – $6
Three 18 inch lengths of grosgrain ribbon = $2
12 hook and loop dot sets – $1
A roll of polyfil quilt batting – $4

Total cost = $13

Optional decorations: mini plush figures, wooden shapes, ribbons – whatever takes your fancy and fits your budget.

 

 

How to make a crib pocket organizer

Cut the fabric into 3 pieces

Divide the piece of fabric into 3 equal parts measuring half a yard each. Set one aside. The other two pieces will become the main body of the crib organizer. Measure and trim the pieces so that the final measurements are about 34 inches by 20 inches.

Cut the batting

Once you have the 2 pieces cut to size lay the batting over the fabric and cut the batting so that it will fit between the layers of fabric. The batting should measure about 33 inches by 19 inches minimum.

Prepare the fabric for the batting

To finish the edges and secure the batting in place first you will need to fold the edges over 2 inches on all four sides. Next run a hot iron over the folded edges to set the seams. Once that is done place the batting between the layers positioned so the folded edge from the front piece of fabric wraps around the edges of the batting and the back piece folded edges are facing the batting and lying flat. Pin the sides in place to prevent the fabric and batting from shifting when run through the sewing machine.

Position the ribbon

Before sewing the edge seams measure and cut 3 lengths of grosgrain ribbon to 18 inches. Fold each length of ribbon in half and then place the ribbons with about an inch of the folded edge between the batting and fabric layers. Place the ribbons so that they are evenly spaced across the top of the organizer as they will become the ties that will secure the organizer to the crib rail.

Sew the outer seam

Now you are ready to sew a 1 inch seam around all four sides, paying close attention to the top edge to ensure the ribbons are secure and that the batting is completely enclosed as this will keep the batting in place and create the quilted look that makes this organizer so appealing.

Cut the fabric to make the pockets

To make the pockets you will need to fold the remaining half yard of fabric in half, iron the fold and then cut on the folded line so that you now have two pieces of fabric. Now fold each piece in half and trim so that each piece measures about 18 inches tall by 22 inches wide. You should have two pieces that are this size that will become the front pockets for the organizer.

Cut the batting for the pockets

Now cut a length of batting that will fit sandwiched between the fabric layers and then finish the edges like you did for the main body of the organizer by folding over the edge and then ironing in place.

Sew the seam on the pocket fabric

Next sew a ½ inch seam all the way around each piece of fabric. You should now have two strips of fabric with batting secured inside.

Create the pockets

Now measure 2.5 inches from the right side and make a 1/4 inch pleat and secure with a straight pin. Measure across 2.5 inches from the pleat and mark a vertical seam. You have now outlined the outside pocket. Repeat the pocket making process by measuring 3 inches from the vertical seam, make the pleat and then mark the vertical seam 3 inches from the center pleat. To complete the pocket measurements continue across 2.5 inches, create the center pleat and secure.

Attach the first pocket strip

Pin this pocket strip to the front of the organizer so that the bottom edge of both pieces and the outside edge of the pocket piece line up with the edge of the body of the organizer. To attach the pocket piece to the main body simply sew a straight ¼ inch seam down one outside edge across the bottom and up the other outside edge. To create the individual pockets just sew a straight seam down each of the vertical seam marks.

Attach the second pocket strip

Repeat the pocket process for the second row of pockets. The only difference for this row is that the bottom edge should be placed about 4 inches above the top edge of the lower pocket row. Once the final pocket row has been completed remove all the pleat pins and your crib pocket organizer is nearly ready for use.

Attach your decorations

To make it even more special use peel and stick velcro hook and loop dots to attach decorations to the front of each pocket. Be adventurous!

Fit onto your crib & start using

Your pocket crib organizer is now ready to be put to use. Fasten it securely on the end or side of your crib and fill the pockets with whatever will be most useful to you. Diapers, cloths, clothes, toys, rattles??? What will you use it for? Please let me know.

11 Car Organization Ideas To Avoid Clutter On Wheels

Car Organizers

Check out our quick tips to learn how to organize your car to avoid clutter. Be safe & comfy. From trash bags to organizers & a few simple rules: it’s easy!

It is easy to become obsessed with organizing your home, but what about organizing your car? Have you forgotten about that? I had until I came across some tips for keeping your car organized on GraceBrooke.com.

Grace says:

“With more hours logged in our cars than ever before, our cars have taken on the role of our second home.”

This is so true so we really ought to give some thought to organizing them.

 

 

Why?

Aside from the making your car a comfortable clutter-free place to be for you and your passengers, safety is a key factor that should urge you to take a look at your car today. Just check out this quote from the National Roads and Motorists’ Association:

“If you need to brake suddenly from about 30 mph, large items in the back seat could hit the driver with similar force as falling from a two-story building. Small items can increase their force 20 times its weight in a crash. Plus, loose objects can become lodged under the gas or brake pedal and cause an accident.”

Source: Consumerreports.org

Is your car a clutter magnet?

Mine definitely is. From supermarket receipts that I have to use to get out of the car park, to my son’s socks that he wears to karate but never bothers to put on coming home. Then there are the plastic bags that I take back to the supermarket to reuse that get kicked around in the back seat along with a little trash bag that I always forget to empty. Until today that was when writing this spurred me into action …

Trash Bag

Here are Grace’s tips:

Use your glove box for more than your registration documents. Uh oh. Mine is already crammed full. Maybe I’d better declutter it first. Oh yes – there were 4 years worth of insurance documents in there.

Use storage bins in your trunk to keep a handle on the miscellaneous items that might be in there. We have a large trunk as our ‘car’ is actually a pickup so we’re actually quite organized in there. We use those stretchy bungee cords to keep maintenance equipment safe and sound and attached to the side. I would love something to keep my groceries stood up though. Note to self: order some of those foldable plastic crates with the rest of the Christmas presents!

Keep a small trash bag in the car and empty it every day. I do have one but it ends up getting kicked around the back seat foot well so I need a better solution. I quite like the look of these hooks which would raise the bag off the floor and keep it in sight (reminding me to empty it).

Car Hooks

In the short term I have put a bag in the side storage compartment as that is where I usually stuff used receipts, snack wrappers and parking tickets. I have also tied one onto the headrest in between the two front seats that it is easily accessible for all passengers.

Drivers Door Cubby

Using Headrest

Use organizers for your specific needs. Loose objects lead to clutter and could also cause injury as mentioned above. There is a huge range of ‘car organizers’ out there to keep your ‘stuff’ in check such as trunk organizers, passenger seat organizers to keep your things handy, back seat organizers to keep the kids toys tidy, pockets that hang from the vents for your cell phone or other accessories, visor organizers, trash bins, storage containers that fit in the cup holders, glove box organizers, side of the seat organizers, and much more. You can also use standard organizers such as file folders to hold maps etc. Try and avoid keeping anything on the floor and make sure that whatever organizer you use (whether purchased or homemade) it can be secured well.

Here is one of my favorites – simple yet functional and affordable – a three pocket storage net.

Trunk Organizer

Clean your car. The chances are that you will be more inclined to clean the inside of your car if you clean the outside of it.

Here are a few more tips of my own

Use those storage solutions that are already built into your car. You may find that you have plenty of little cubbies to use to store things withouth needing to buy any organizers. We have a sunglasses holder and we’ve never lost our sunglasses since using it! How about the center console? Most are pretty small but a notepad and pen and a few tissues or baby wipes will never go amiss.

Whenever you introduce a new item into your, take one out. Items where this rule would easily apply are things like CDs. Keep 5 say in the car and then swap them out with new ones, don’t just add to the pile.

Keep a spare bag in the car to collect up the items that accumulate so you can carry them into the house easily.

Get your kids into the habit of returning toys they take into the car back into the house. My son is a major contributor to the clutter in our car so I am going to implement this from now on.

Use a ‘grip it’ shelf or drawer liner on your dashboard. You can buy much more than you need for about $3 a roll. It will cling to your dashboard and you can then ‘stick’ your phone or sunglasses to it.

Dashboard Organizer

Do something with those loose coins that all cars have. I currently keep a few that fit my supermarket’s trolleys loose in the cup holder but might ‘stick’ them to the drawer liner instead or make a little pouch and velcro it under the lip of the seat for somewhere a bit more out of sight.

Identify your problem areas and find solutions

Ever car is different so when you come to organize yours, look at WHY it is cluttered and then decide HOW you can fix the problem. Think about what you have trouble finding as well as what doesn’t need to be in your car?

My main two problem areas were having nowhere easily accessible to put rubbish and not having enough hands to carry things that accumulate in the car back into the house. Both were easily sorted with a plastic carrier bag!

Organize your car today

No-one wants to drive to work or school in a car overloaded with clutter. It just adds stress to the start of your day and who needs that.

So take Grace’s advice and:

“Just remember that a clean car in the morning comes from a clean car at night!”

How To Organize Toys If Toy Clutter Is Driving You Mad?

Toy Clutter

How to organize toys is a question every parent will ask at some point. Here is an easy 3 step system to follow to get your toy clutter under control.

With Christmas just over 6 weeks away, are you stressing about having even more toys to store and organize? I am! Thankfully we had a big clear out this year when we turned the toy room into a martial arts room.

Toy Room Before

Toy Room After

I had hoped to gather all the toys into their respective sets from the toy graveyard that I was presented with, but after 5 minutes of trying where I managed to sort 1 square inch, I gave up and shovelled the thousands of pieces into the trash bag.

I picked out the toys that were still in one piece and sorted them into ‘still played with’ and ‘to donate’ piles. The trouble is the ‘keep’ boxes have just been moved to my son’s bedroom rather than actually organized in there. They have been playing on my mind every since and with Christmas fast approaching I know I need to get round to that task.

 

 

Reading about toy clutter at Get Organized Already, gave me another nudge in the right direction and reminded me to come up with a system that:

“encourages your kids to succeed at keeping their room organized so they can find what they want to play with.”

Here’s the toy organization ideas Get Organized Already suggest along with my thoughts:

Step 1: Reduce your toy stock

If your kids have too many toys, you need to thin them out. Declutter by putting some toys into a rotation system, give them away to charity or throw them away if they’re sub-par. Involving your kids in this process is a double-edged sword. It can be a good lesson in charitable giving to those less fortunate but more often than not “they are going to get re-attached to everything they see.” As such you should declutter when the kids are at school or after a birthday or holiday when they are into their new stuff.

My 2 cents: I did a mammoth declutter when we cleared out the toy room but that was a few months ago and as my son has hardly moved the stacked boxes on his bedroom floor, he’s obviously not missing anything too much so there should be more to get rid of. I don’t think I’ll be waiting until after Christmas though as I want some storage space ready and waiting for the new influx.

Another way to help avoid toy clutter comes from Carfree With Kids. Angela suggests limiting the number of toys that get bought. Consider activity gifts, like bowling, or outdoor toys instead of more indoor toys if you’re already sinking under them. Also avoid junk toys that you know will be a 5 minute wonder. A “who cares, they’re cheap” attitude is just exacerbating our disposable goods culture and does not teach kids to take care of things. Buy them good quality toys and ensure they look after them.

Step 2: Corral similar toys into various containers

Whereas in our own organizing we like to split down our groups of items into quite small categories (say, hair care, nail care, makeup etc in the bathroom), for kids rooms it is best to keep to fewer categories (say, Duplos, tea sets, dress up outfits rather than sorting everything by color or type within your broad categories).

Store toys in labelled containers that do not have lids. This makes the whole process as easy as possible for your little ones and their friends who come over for play-dates. They have: “short attention spans and reckless disregard for how much those toys cost in the first place!” So make it easy.

My 2 cents: I hate open toy boxes – the dust, the dust – aaagh. I appreciate that the toys are more accessible when stored in boxes without lids and it also makes for an easier clean up but I can’t stand the grub that collects at the bottom after a few months and the dust that covers the less frequently played with toys. My toy boxes will definitely have lids. I loved the idea of labelling the boxes in 2 languages though. This would have been great 5 years ago when we moved to Spain. Luckily now Ben is completely bi-lingual. Maybe I should label stuff in French and German though …

Step 3: Schedule toy tidying into your daily routine

Pick a time of day when toys will be cleared away – before dinner, after dinner, something like that. Make sure this happens every day just like eating or bathing. Praise them for a tidy bedroom but make sure that tidying is seen as a ‘regular’ event rather than a big deal that deserves a reward.

You should also try to make a routine out of decluttering. Whilst this won’t be a daily event, it should happen more than once a year!

My 2 cents: Fitting organizing into the hectic rollercoaster of daily life is my number 1 goal so I love this part. We actually tidy away before dinner as we have one family room where we do everything – cook, work, eat and relax – but we need to work on taking toys and books back upstairs at that time too. If you are new to this type of routine, be vigilant for the first few weeks, so your kids get into the habit of it. No excuses now!

Do you have any great toy clutter tips to share?

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I’m An Organizing Junkie

Smart Appliances: Saving You Money And Helping To Organize Your Home

Samsung Smart Refrigerator

What’s all the fuss about smart appliances & what are they anyway? They can save you time & money and help you to be more organized. Here’s how …

If you’re struggling to get organized but are somewhat tech-savvy, why not turn to your white goods to help you out.

Smart appliances are net-connected home appliances whose aim is to save you time or money and to help you be more organized. Appliances such as dishwashers, ovens, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and more are set to be your best buddy when it comes to organizing your home by helping to simplify tasks such as cooking and cleaning.

 

 

So how exactly do they help?

 

They save you money

Appliances such as dishwashers, washers and dryers receive a signal from a smart meter that is available from many utility companies. These meters tell the appliance when the electric rates are the lowest and so cycles are delayed until that time. They will start up all by themselves outside of peak hours to make energy savings automatically. Studies show that smart appliances can save you up to 20% of your energy bill.

You can of course override the programming at any time if you are in a rush. In this case smart meters ensure that appliances run on the most energy-efficient cycle.

How about an intelligent toilet that will adjust the flush depending on how long you’ve been sat there?!

Home energy management systems allow you to see your home’s energy usage at a glance. There is no longer any need to wait until the bill drops through the door to find out that you’ve used 10 times more than you thought. By seeing what you used today you can amend what you use tomorrow.

 

They save you time

Some smart appliances do the work for you. The LG HOM-BOT is a robotic vacuum cleaner. It uses a combination of cameras and sensors to map out your floor. It then remembers the floor plan, will vacuum automatically for 90 minutes and then return to its station to recharge. Take a look:

 

They help you get more organized

Interact with your appliances remotely

Be alerted via your Smartphone when your:

“oven is pre-heated, when cooking is finished or when a load of clothes in the dryer has completed its cycle.”

Via: Mashable.com

You can then control the appliance by returning a command, say for example, to turn your oven over onto warming mode if you’re not quite ready to eat.

Manage your food remotely

Interact with your fridge from the store. Check what you’ve got in there and when it’s due to expire all via your Smartphone. No longer does shopping need to be a guessing game if you haven’t had time to plan properly.

Organize family life from your refrigerator

A wi-fi enabled 8″ LCD screen loaded with apps – it doesn’t sound like a refrigerator does it? But it is. This innovative design from Samsung turns your refrigerator into a command center. There are apps for a calendar, a notepad, recipes, photo sharing, weather, news and music. So use the refrigerator to turn on the music, to find and display a yummy recipe to cook, to share a photo of the end result, to note down any used up ingredients and to diarize a dinner date with your friends when you can cook the dish for them.

Let your appliances tell you when they need repairing

By connecting all the gadgets in your home together to one central hub you make your home more efficient. The hub monitors them all for you and lets you know of any problems, such as the television breaking down to a light bulb needing changing, all via your Smartphone. It will even fix software problems for you where it can.

 

So what else will you see in your ‘house of tomorrow’?

According to The Columbus Dispatch you can look forward to:

Organizing your refrigerator

“Future fridges will go further, using sensors to weigh and monitor products as you use them.”

They will also self-scan to determine what is missing and therefore what needs ordering. They will even be able to move items that will expire the quickest to the front of the fridge. Wow!

Organizing your recipes

If your smart fridge or oven has taken over as your recipe organizer, you will probably want to avoid getting sticky fingers on the touch-screens. Mini projectors will help by creating holographic recipes. Cool!

Organizing your electric cables

Trying to keep your electric cables in check will become a thing of the past with cord-free countertops. These transfer energy to cordless appliances such as toasters, laptops and even cooking pans. Imagine no more dedicated cooking area.

 

Do you have a Smartphone already?

As you can see a Smartphone or Tablet is going to become an essential tool for smartly managing your home life. It remains to be seen how many people can afford to replace all their appliances with ‘smart’ versions however!