Plastic storage bins are used by many people to store items in their home or a storage unit. But, did you know, you can use them for a whole host of other projects? Anyone can place a storage bin on a shelf and call it a day, but other storage options exist.
Whether you want to take advantage of the space on your walls, in your attic, or other seldom used areas in your home, plastic storage bins give you an easy solution. You can also store more than you think in a storage bin, including Legos, art supplies, and even your kids’ shoes.
Check out this wide selection of uses for plastic storage bins, as well as a wide selection of items that you might not have thought of storing. You can also find ways to decorate plastic storage bins to make them fit in with the decor in your home.
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1) Under-the-Bed Storage
Take advantage of the extra space beneath your bed by making under-the-bed storage using nothing more than a plastic storage bin and some caster wheels. You can attach the wheels to each corner of the bin using a drill and some screws. Find the complete tutorial here.
Your hamster can live a luxurious lifestyle in a three-story plastic storage bin building. Sounds like a dream come true for any furry gerbil. They can eat, nap, play, sleep, and exercise on any floor they desire. Find the full guide to building a hamster mansion on Consumer Queen.
If you have a young daughter or niece, make her a vanity using two plastic bin drawers, some plywood, and a mirror, along with a few other items. This beautiful piece of furniture should look great in a girl’s bedroom. Check out It’s Not Always Black and White for instructions on this great project.
If you live in a small space, turn your unsightly large, plastic storage bins into additional seating. All you need are two large storage bins with lids, a long piece of plywood, some foam batting, and the material you want to cover the seating with. Look here for more info.
An easy-to-use storage solution for shoes if you have multiple kids is personalized shoe storage. Take a set of drawer bins and add the picture of the child to the drawer containing their shoes. Place the whole setup in a closet. This also works great with other items.
For all the knitters, sewers, and craft lovers, this one is for you. All it takes is poking a few small holes into the lid of your plastic bin and you have yourself a new yarn box, color-coded and organized to any style you’d like, courtesy of Infinite DIY.
If you need an area to store your gift wrapping supplies, use a set of drawer bins. Either write or attach decals to each drawer signifying what it holds. This allows you to keep your wrapping paper, gift bags, tags, and other items separate.
If you have carpentry skills, put them to use by constructing an overhead storage space in your garage using a large piece of plywood and some boards. Once in place, use large storage bins to store items in this often unused space.
Another storage idea for an overhead area in your garage or another area in your home is utilizing overhead bin brackets. Once in place, slide your storage bins into place to get them up and out of the area of foot traffic. When choosing bins to use, look for those with sturdy lips.
Now, this is quite the plastic bin transformation — plastic bin to a fancy zen-looking water feature. This is a perfect DIY backyard project for garden lovers everywhere. It’s affordable, aesthetically pleasing with clear instructions provided by The Garden Glove.
If you like to garden or fish, you can raise your own worms using two plastic storage bins, one taller than the other. The idea is to give the worms a place to grow while allowing you easy access to them. Check out EPA.gov for more information.
To make a storage bin look nicer, cover it in fabric. If you plan on using them in your home, choose a fabric with a design that goes with your decor. Then apply the fabric using Mod Podge glue. Great fabrics to use include old towels, linen, or fabric you buy from the store.
If you have some large, plastic bins, turn them into a play area for your cats. Stack them on top of each other, and secure them using a hot glue gun. To make them accessible, cut an opening in the front of each bin and fill them with fabric for your cats to lay on.
If you need a place to put up your feet after a hard day at work, then repurpose a large plastic bin as an ottoman. First, attach padding to the lid of the bin. Then, cover the bin with some fabric matching your decor. Finally, place it in front of your favorite chair.
If you or your child loves Legos, then create a wonderful storage solution using storage bins that allow you to store your Legos by color. Start by getting an Ikea Trofast storage system. This allows you to quickly slide bins of various sizes into the cabinet’s guide rails. Then, label each bin with letters spelling out the color of the bricks inside.
This is a genius DIY creation — ornament organizer (try saying that 10 times fast). This is an easy and incredibly wallet-friendly way to keep your ornaments from breaking, cracking, and scratching. It requires a plastic storage bin with two rods drilled in longitude style. From there, you’re ready to hang your ornaments for safe keeping until next year’s holiday festivities come around. The full details are on Craptastic.
If you find yourself with a seating area with room underneath, consider adding a storage bin or two to act as storage. To make the bins blend into the surrounding decor, cover them with a matching fabric, as detailed in this tutorial.
In addition to wrapping your plastic storage bins in plastic to make them more appealing, you can also place wheels on the bottom of them to make them easier to push around. This idea works great when using the bin to clean up after kids.
You can take small, plain-white plastic bins and turn them into stylish organization totes for your home. Paint the tote in the color you want, and add some leather strips to the side of the tote. You can find the project at Love, Create, Celebrate.
For jewelry lovers, sellers, and makers, this plastic bin transformation is for you. Necklaces and bracelets often get into a tangled mess on a day-to-day base. It’s almost impossible to untangle the cluster of chains when it comes to traveling from place to place. This jewelry transporter will help you stay organized and tangle-free. Drill a few holes on the side, and insert metal pegboard hooks. Decorate your jewelry transporter on the outside using colorful duct tape, cloth, or tissue paper!
You can also fill some plastic storage bins with yarn. You can place them in a storage system, such as the Ikea Trofast storage system. You can also divide your yarn according to color, just make sure to mark the outside of each container so you know which bin contains which color.
If you are a lover of board games, you might find yourself short on storage solutions. To combat this, place plastic storage bins on a shelf to store your board games in. You can even store games for your kids lower down while storing the adult board games higher up.
If you are like many crafters, you probably find yourself with leftover bits of materials and other items. To store these extra materials, take an old dresser and remove the drawers. Next, stack smaller plastic storage bins with your supplies. You can even label them to make it easier to find what you need.
To take advantage of the vertical storage space the walls in your home provide, consider installing a storage system that utilizes plastic storage bins. These systems have metal brackets sticking out from the wall that allow you to slide a storage bin into place.
If you have a set of storage drawers, you can repurpose it to hold your office supplies. Label the outside of each drawer so that you know what is inside. Best of all, you can decorate each individual drawer, giving your storage a more vibrant feel.
Top loading litter boxes cost a few pretty pennies, which doesn’t seem worth it given that your pretty penny will be dedicated to your cat’s toilet business. Plastic storage bins serve as great litter boxes for all cat lovers. Grab a box cutter, duct tape, stair-tread carpet, and you’re storage bin will be ready to be “litterfied.” The full details are on The Baroness.
If like many homeowners you have an attic in your home, utilize it for extra storage space. One idea is to build a set of shelves on which to stack plastic storage bins around the perimeter of your attic. This gives you a perfect area in which to store your holiday decorations.
If you have a lot of different medicine you need to take, keep it organized using a small plastic bin drawer. You can label each drawer as to the type of medicine it contains, including medicine for your stomach, allergies, and other medical issues.
If you keep different type of batteries on hand, store them in a small plastic bin drawer so you always know where they are. To help you quickly determine what type of battery each drawer contains, make sure to label each drawer.
Plastic bin drawers tend to be unsightly and seldom match your decor, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Snag some decorative tissue paper, napkins, glue, scissors, and an hour of your time to transform your plastic bin drawers to be IKEA worthy. Scope out Pinterest for design inspiration!
Just like with batteries and medicine, a small plastic bin drawer is a great storage solution for electronic components. Make sure to label each drawer as to what it contains. Some of the different component types include audio, video, USB, and networking.
You can also use a small bin drawer to store your art supplies. Whether you like to paint, draw, or some other medium, these small drawers allow you to divide up your supplies according to color and type. You should also label each drawer so you can quickly find what you need.
This idea can help liven up your next party. Take some medium to small plastic storage bins, and decorate them for the theme of your party. Next, fill them with snacks and set them out on the table.
Large, plastic storage bins work perfectly as planters. If you plan on using them as a permanent planter, make sure to drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage. You can also paint them to go along with the rest of the decor in your outdoor areas.
Add a fancy toy box to your living room! Plastic bins may make moving easy, but as decor around the house … not so much. Its plain looks and dull colors will seem out of place in a nicely decorated home. It doesn’t take much to dress up a plastic bin to match the style of your house. All that is required is your choice in burlap fabric and wrapping paper, which can be easily found at the dollar store or your local Target. Check out Creative Dominican for the step-by-step details for this toy chest upgrade.
Disguise your plastic bins as a real dresser or drawers with this fun project. Spray paint the bin and glue on some knobs and no one will ever be the wiser! Of course, from the side, you can tell it’s a plastic bin, but from the front–it looks gorgeous!
If you haven’t been using Washi tape for your DIY projects and crafts yet, you’re seriously missing out on a million possibilities. It comes in tons of patterns and colors and it can spruce up just about anything–including plastic bins!
Find a gorgeous stencil to spraypaint your storage bins and give them a serious upgrade. You can instantly transform a boring, bland bin into something far more luxurious with just a few simple tools. And for so cheap!
If you have these types of old, empty plastic bins, they’re great for turning into cute kitchen utensil holders to keep on your counter. Want to learn how to make these adorable pieces of decor? Head over to Tater Tots and Jello for the tutorial.
“The person who decorated this set of plastic bins used a combination of supplies, including mod podge, scrapbooking paper, ribbons, and buttons. This project not only looks great, but serves to remind us that there are always unique and surprising ways to repurpose supplies for a variety of crafts,” DIY n Crafts says.
Spraypaint your plastic bins with a dark, matte color and screw on some metal labels. You’ll never be able to tell that they were once something you could buy at the dollar store. These look great outside too.
Plastic tubs and laundry baskets can also be given a new purpose with a little bit of creativity. Check out this adorable idea. Paint them with bright colors and use stencils to paint a child’s name on them.
Metallic spraypaint is awesome. Spray it onto wood or plastic to create a metallic look without spending a ton of money on an actual metal piece of furniture or decor. The Tip Toe Fairy shared this awesome hack on how to turn a plastic tub into a metal outdoor drink cooler.
Help disguise your plastic storage bins with a little help from a slipcover or a table runner. Just drape it over the top and secure it to the sides of the containers with some craft glue. Major instant upgrade. Color Me Domestic has the tutorial.
Decorate multiple types of storage bins with the same fabric, pattern, or color for a themed look. Here, someone took boring, plain plastic bins and turned them into a fun leopard-print coordinated set.
Does it seem like there’s just something missing in a room or in an area of your house? Plastic storage bins just might be the answer. In this case, someone covered their bins in some beautiful paper and paired it with a dresser in between. So beautiful!
We’ve shared numerous ways you can liven and brighten up bland, boring plastic bins, but what if you have some bins that are far too bright and loud for your taste? Tone them down! Find some neutral-colored, matte spraypaint and you’re good to go. Little House of Four shows you how.
Once you’ve decorated your plastic storage bins however you see fit, why not add additional side store with a pegboard? Glue one on the side and use some PVC piping to create storage for hair styling tools or whatever you’d like! HomeTalk has the tutorial.
If you have plastic storage bins that you never really need to get into that often, why not turn them into something useful like patio furniture? Check out this awesome video tutorial on how to disguise the bins as beautiful wood patio furniture.
51) Get Creative with the Display
Sometimes super simple looking bins can look way better if they’re displayed a certain way. For example, check out how The Downtown Aly created this gorgeous kids room and used a neatly arranged shelf to display the plastic bins. It made a world of difference than if they were just set on the floor or a simple bookcase.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIKzHSvDo27/
52) Makeup Organizer
You might already be using a small stacked plastic storage bin for your makeup, but you can take the organization up a notch by adding cute labels. Just head to the craft store and by some self-adhesive letters and label away!
Another way to create labeled drawers is to cover the entire plastic bin in chalkboard paint. Not only can you write directly on the paint with a piece of chalk, but it can be erased if you ever want to switch it up!
Knobs, paint, duct tape, and more! There really isn’t much that you can’t add to a plain plastic bin to spruce it up a bit. Glue on whatever embellishments you’d like to give it an instant boost in appeal. In this case, some decorative flowers were used.
Plastic bins that have slots all along the sides can be given a huge instant upgrade simply by weaving some pretty fabric through them. The lovely woven pattern that you create not only looks good from the outside but from the inside of the bin as well.
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The next time you find yourself in need of a storage solution for your items, consider plastic storage bins. Coming in a variety of sizes, you can also use plastic storage bins for a variety of other uses, including raising worms, growing plants, and many other projects around the house.
55 Brilliant Ways To Use Plastic Storage Bins
Jenny Brown
02.26.19
Plastic storage bins are used by many people to store items in their home or a storage unit. But, did you know, you can use them for a whole host of other projects? Anyone can place a storage bin on a shelf and call it a day, but other storage options exist.
Whether you want to take advantage of the space on your walls, in your attic, or other seldom used areas in your home, plastic storage bins give you an easy solution. You can also store more than you think in a storage bin, including Legos, art supplies, and even your kids’ shoes.
Check out this wide selection of uses for plastic storage bins, as well as a wide selection of items that you might not have thought of storing. You can also find ways to decorate plastic storage bins to make them fit in with the decor in your home.
