Multi-purpose Bin Review

If I were on a desert island and could only have ONE organizing item to help me make it through, it would definitely be the multi-purpose bin from the Container Store!!  It's no secret that I'm a BIG fan because these bins can be used in so many ways!  In fact, if you click here to watch the video, I show you 52 (!!!) ways you can use the multi-purpose bin to organize all sorts of things!  I could have kept going, but I felt like I ran out of time at 52, LOL!

You can literally use these in every room of your house (plus the garage!).  Here are just a few places and items you can organize, starting with my favorite place:

The Office

Offices have so many little things plus papers, etc., and the multi-purpose bins can organize them all:

• Notebooks
• Avery stickers/labels– it's almost like they were made for these!
• Poly envelopes
• Vinyl

The Craft or Sewing Room

My mom uses these EVERYWHERE in her sewing room, but I also use them in my kids' game/toy/craft closet as well as my craft closet.  The bins can hold:

• Fabric– my mom turns hers on their sides and stacks her fabric inside, so not only is the fabric visible on the shelf, but she can easily pull a whole stack out using the bin handles and take it to her cutting table.
• Patterns– they fit perfectly inside!
• Works-in-Progress– use zipper pouches/poly envelopes to store these, and then corral them in a bin!
• Thread
• Ribbon
• Fabric Scraps
• Zippers
• Chalk Couture supplies
• Party supplies– crepe paper, etc.

Toys, Games, and Kids' Crafts

The bins are so useful for kids because it simplifies cleanup.  As long as there's a bin for each type of toy, they can easily throw stuff back into the bin, and it's all cleaned up!  The less details you put in kid organization, the easier (and more likely!) it is for them to actually clean up!

Above is my kids' toy and game closet, and I did NOT clean it up for you!  Just having the bins with labels keeps my kids at least somewhat on track when cleanup time comes.

• Light-Brite and supplies
• Activity Books
• Sticker Books
• Watercolor/painting supplies
• Magnet Tiles
• Doll Clothes
• Play-Doh
• Coloring supplies– crayons and coloring books

Kitchen and Pantry

I feel like this is where the Multi-purpose Bins really shine!  You can use them in your pantry, and even if you don't spend a ton of time on fine-detail organization, your pantry will instantly look SOOO much better!  Also, if you have those wire shelves, the bins prevent anything from falling through the cracks.

I use them all throughout my pantry, and my friend, who doesn't have a pantry, uses them on utility shelves in her laundry area to make a pantry out of some extra shelving.

I use them to separate and corrall:

• Cake mixes
• Paper plates
• Rice packets
• Crackers– remove from the box, and you'll save a ton of space!
• extra Ziplock boxes
• Chips– keep them all together so they don't get lost!
• Suckers– don't ask me why, but I have a ton!
• Bottles of sauces or condiments
• Pasta

In Your Car

You can use them in the trunk to corral smaller items.  My favorite thing to do is bring an activity bin for traveling with kids!  You can also use it for a snack/food bin on road trips.

The Entryway or Mudroom

We have a bin for each person with random things– hats, gloves, sunglasses, etc.

The Laundry Room

This is another great place they shine.  You can organize:

• cleaning products
• dryer balls
• dryer sheets
• stain treaters
• dusters
• miscellaneous stuff that tends to get stored in a laundry room– it's a catch-all room, am I right?!?

Under Sinks

You can use these bins under kitchen or bathroom sinks, and they works so well because they can fit around the plumbing.  You can use the small bins to make the most of smaller spaces and organize:

• cleaning supplies
• rags/towels
• toiletries
• extra toilet paper
• hair styling tools

Linen Closets

• extra medicines
• extra toiletries

In Freezers

They are awesome in deep freezers or even in upright freezers for storing smaller cuts of meat, bags of frozen veggies or fruit, or anything smaller that isn't easy to stack.

So how does the Multi-Purpose Bin actually perform?

Clearly you can use these bins literally anywhere, but are they actually good quality?  They are sold ONLY at The Container Store, which is definitely on the more expensive side.  However, despite being super useful, these bins are one of the most inexpensive items you'll find there!

I've had mine for ten plus years.  I use them daily, almost everywhere, and I'm not careful with them. My kids use them in typical kid fashion.  I have never had one crack or break! The plastic is sturdy, but if you push on it, it's a bit flexible.  They also have handles, which is great for carrying bins around or pulling them in and out from shelves.

What are the bins actually like?

They come in four sizes.  The fist three (small, medium, and large) are all the same depth (13″) and vary only in width.  They fit pretty easily on most shelves.  However, they do not fit in most upper kitchen cabinets, so fair warning there.  The XL bin is deeper than the others, but you can turn it sideways, and I love it because I can store hanging files in there, so it definitely has good uses, too!

These bins come in a clear plastic or a smoky color that's a gray/black.  The large size will sometimes be sold in bright colors or special edition colors as well.  I buy all clear so I can mix them and move them from room to room if my needs change without having to buy new bins!

They do have a slight slope on their sides.  I feel like they have hit the happy medium here.  A slope allows the bins to be stackable and nest inside each other.  This saves space in shipping (and therefore money for you!) as well as makes it easier to stack them if you aren't using them and just need to store a few empty bins until you need them.  However, too much slope wastes storage space on your shelf– we don't want that!!  This slight slope creates just a tiny gap between bins on a shelf, so it's really the best of both worlds.

So by now you can be in no doubt of my undying love for the Multi-Purpose Bin!  Out of ALL the bins (or even organizing products in general) that I have ever used or reviewed, it's absolutely my favorite!  What do you use Multi-Purpose Bins for?

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives