Top Photo Box Storage Hacks

Who doesn’t love storage hacks? Nothing is more satisfying than finding new ways to use an every day item. I worked my creativity muscle and found a couple ways to put my photo boxes to the test! (I do still use them for photo organization, but why stop there?)

If you want to see my photo boxes in action, check out the video below:

The photo boxes I use are clear and made to hold 4×6 photos. They securely snap shut and are relatively small, so I thought why not use them to organize those loose items around the house? They were the perfect storage hack for all those small items in my office drawer!

The two types of boxes I use are the Iris photo box and the Reflections photo box. These two boxes are pretty similar, the biggest difference between them is the direction of the lid clasp. When the boxes are stacked together, the clasps don’t line up perfectly. I recommend that you pick one brand and stick to it. Personally, I prefer the Iris brand.  However, I do have a couple of both brands and I don’t think it’s a big enough issue to justify switching over. They work for what I want and that’s good enough for me! 

I use these little boxes for so many things around the whole house and I can’t wait to show you all the little storage hacks around my home. So, let’s get to it!

ITEM #1: SPECIAL PHOTOS

Sometimes the best way to use an item is to use it exactly as it was intended – who knew!? 

ITEM #2: KIDS' DRY ERASE MARKERS

I have a white board in my office and my kids love when they can come and draw on it. I like to keep a couple markers on hand so that when they wander in, I have one of their favorite activities ready to go. This also keeps the dry erase markers separate which eliminates the risk of mixing up a dry erase with a sharpie – talk about the worst case scenario! 

ITEM #3: EYE GLASSES CLEANER

Eye glasses cleaner can be a lifesaver when you’re staring at a computer screen, so my office drawer is a perfect place for this. Great tip here: this cleaner is actually great for screens as well, so it’s just an added bonus that the glasses cleaner is kept right next to my computer screen. These photo boxes are thin enough to help you take your cleaner anywhere – try storing some in your car – either under your seat, in the center console, or in the glove compartment!

ITEM #4: SMALL CHARGERS

Photo boxes make it easy to keep small cables untangled. I like to keep my phone charger close so I can always do an emergency charge or backup my phone to my computer with ease. These boxes really work for any type of cable or flash drive.

ITEM #5: BINDER CLIPS

An office item I use often is binder clips so I dedicated one of the photo boxes specifically to my most used size of clip. You can really personalize it here – use multiple photo boxes for different sizes or colors, or fill your photo boxes with your own most-used office supplies like paper clips, extra staples, erasers, etc. Really, the sky is the limit!

ITEM #6: RECEIPTS

I don’t keep every receipt in these boxes – that’s not very helpful and there’s not enough room! However, I like to fill my photo box with receipts of things I’d potentially want to return or for items that have a warranty. 

ITEM #7: SD CARDS AND MEMORY CARDS

Those small items that I primarily use with my computer are safe and sound in a photo box! I like keeping small items in a container so they don’t get lost or waste space. Anything from SD cards to flash drives to smaller hard drives can find a cozy home right next to my office computer.

ITEM #8: POST-IT NOTES

Post-its – or really any paper of choice – fit like a dream in these little containers! I like to fill mine with larger post-its on one side and smaller post-its on the other for easy access to whatever I may need.

ITEM #9: WASHI TAPE

Washi tape fits nicely and so many rolls can fit in one box! I love Washi tape, but your preferred tape can live inside these boxes – scotch tape, electrical tape, you name it!

ITEM #10: PENS AND MARKERS

I love putting my pen and marker collections all in one place. The boxes they come in are often flimsy or temporary, so these boxes are a lifesaver. A handful of pens are too long to fit inside the photo boxes, but the majority of pens will fit just fine. 

ITEM #11: CARDS AND ENVELOPES

This is an area where you can really go crazy! The  photo boxes hold a couple greeting cards and envelopes while my themed greeting cards and stamps are sorted in the file above my drawer. You could use these to do all that organization instead of a file – it would be a perfectly valid option!

ITEM #12: DISCBOUND DISCS

If you know me, or have one of our planners, you know I love to use the Discbound system and  I like to keep a couple extra discs handy. You can use boxes for anything like this – clips or punches are always nice to keep close.

ITEM #13: CALENDAR PIECES

I have a reusable calendar on my office wall that easily lets me switch out the month, so I keep those extra pieces tucked away where they’ll be nice and safe.

ITEM #14: SEASONINGS

I don’t use photo boxes often in the kitchen but I couldn’t leave this little tip out. Seasoning packs fit oh so nicely in these little boxes and I couldn’t be happier with the result! You can have multiple boxes for each type of seasoning or keep a variety in one, whatever fits your needs. 

ITEM #15: KIDS' TOYS AND CRAFTS

The photo boxes stack neatly inside my utility cart which I filled to the brim with crafts and games for my kids. Here are a couple photo box storage hacks just for your kiddos: 

• Zebra Mildliner Pens
• Water Wow Markers
• Flash cards
• Puzzles
• Dry Erase Markers
• Crayons
• Card Games

Psst! I have a whole post about utility cart organization coming soon! Once it’s published, I’ll link to it here! 

ITEM #16: COUPONS

If you’re looking for other storage solutions, another great place to keep these photo boxes is in the Multipurpose Bin from the Container Store. I have one in my kitchen where I like to sort my coupons and other tokens I want to hold onto. (My favorite are the scoopie tokens from Culver’s kid’s meals!

If you put your mind to it, you’ll find there’s no shortage of uses for these little photo boxes. It seems like I’m finding something new every day! What do you use your photo boxes for (other than photos)? Let me know in the comments!