Clients and friends are always asking my opinion about the best tools for getting organized. In this post I’m sharing the tools that I currently use around the house every day. These tools help me stay organized and get things done.

I love everything Elfa

I used the cabinet-sized Elfa drawer system to organize a client’s candle collection. The pull out drawers maximized her space and gave her easy access to the candles. It looks awesome too.

I wrote about the Elfa Door and Wall rack system in a previous post. It is still among my favorite Elfa products. We used it here in the HGTV.com Pantry Make-over.

There are so many more wonderful Elfa products. The hanging drawers and gliding shoe racks designed for closets are wonderful.  Elfa is the perfect product for a reach in closet that needs to maximize space. It is a completely adjustable system.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post where you will find a Pinterest sized collage featuring more photos from this project.

Lazy Susan – She is a hard worker

My favorite product for organizing in kitchens is the Lazy Susan. There are single and two-tier models available. They come in a variety of sizes.

The 10.5” diameter Lazy Susan will fit in most upper kitchen cabinets. The 12” are useful in refrigerators and pantries. The larger 16-18” products will work well in deep pantries. They are a great solution in upper corner kitchen cabinets.

I love them because they bring the items to an easy reach with a simple spin. They are perfect for storing spices, vitamins, oils and vinegar.  Use one in the refrigerator to store condiments.

Binder clips are a staple in my organizing tool box

Binder clips come in all sizes from extra small to jumbo. The extra small size is a perfect replacement for a paperclip. Large stacks of paper can be bound with larger clips.

We keep small and medium clips in a kitchen drawer for securing open bags of frozen foods. They make great chip clips too.

I’ve used them to hold index cards on boxes or plastic bins and I’ve used larger ones to round up electronics cords.

Invest in premium hangers

I love Olka hangers from the Container Store because of their shape. They have a short neck which saves vertical space in the closet. Their smooth curved shape makes them perfect for hanging sweaters and other knits. The unique design prevents bumps from forming in the shoulder area. They came in a variety of colors.

I’ve never been a fan of flocked skinny hangers. I prefer the Cresnel U-Slide Clothes Hanger. I like them because they are ultra thin and have a non-slip silicone material in strategic spots. These hangers are curved too which prevents the bumps that you will get on knits using tube type hangers. The design allows for easy removal of garments with small neck openings.

I included trouser hangers in a blog post a few years ago. This year I have narrowed down my preference to the Chrome and Black Friction Slacks Hangers . Richards makes an excellent product.  There are other brands available. Be sure the product that you select has an upward slant on the pants bar. I like these hangers because they save several inches of vertical space in the closet.

MOS – Magnetic Organization System

This is a sleek and cool product that contains a magnet.

The MOS can sit on a flat surface like your desk or mount on the wall.

It catches your cables, earbuds and other metal items and holds them in place until you need them.

With the MOS there is no reaching to the floor or crawling under furniture to retrieve dropped cords.

It was the perfect tool for a client who charges all her Apple products on an end table in her den. She loves it and uses it every day. It’s amazing how something so simple can make such a difference in your daily activities.

These five tools are physical products that I love and recommend. For your pinning convenience I have included an infographic about this post! Scroll down to see it.

I’ll cover the tech tools and software that make my life easier in a future article.