5 Genius Ways To Use A Label Maker Around Your House
Some people love the process of organizing something. Their homes and workspaces are often orderly and void of clutter in what seems like an almost effortless manner. But for others, organizing anything is a detestable chore, and staying organized can be an even greater challenge. Luckily, there's a nifty tool that everyone can use to make organization –- both the doing and the staying part of it –- easier (and possibly even fun). A label maker can be a game changer for any space.
According to Organized Artistry, there are as many practical reasons as creative ones for using a label maker. For one, it can make your life easier and your home more organized. Labels can be used to make fun tags for self-expression as well as straightforward labeling of items. They're a great way to have a legible description on anything, which is often not the case with a Sharpie-scribbled tag. And Choose 2 Rent points out that a space organized with labels will save you time in the future because everything will be easy to find when you need it.
1. Organize your kitchen with labels
The labeling possibilities are endless in a kitchen. Use labels as gentle (or snarky, if that's your style) reminders to empty the trash or clean up after cooking a large meal. Stick labels on cupboard doors so everyone can easily locate dishes, utensils, and food items. Label shelves for specific purposes, such as "bowls" or "green beans." Make your own spice labels, named place settings, or fresh-grown herb indicators. Absolutely endless!
Kitchn suggests using labels as a unique and interesting way to help identify foods and drinks at banquets and parties. You can also put names on cups to help differentiate people's drinks. Another place they recommend using labels is the refrigerator by naming shelves and bins to keep chaos at bay. Labels are also good to use on leftovers or opened perishables as a way to quickly find outdated items for tossing in the trash.
2. Keep your bathroom tidy with labels
Whether your home has one bathroom or many, keeping clutter under control can be a struggle. Between medicines, cosmetics, linens, cleaning supplies, and other items, things tend to get messy fast unless there's a place for each item, and everyone knows where that place is. Fortunately, labels can make bathroom organization simple.
Linen closets are the number one thing to tame in a bathroom, according to Sabrina's Organizing. Begin by grouping things together (washcloths, hand towels, bath towels, etc.) and then go further, if needed, by separating by family member. Apply labels to the areas for each group and make sure all family members know and understand the system. Another tip from Sabrina's Organizing is to label toothbrushes or the holders, especially in households with larger families and younger children. And, if you use homemade cleaners, be sure to label each bottle to keep things safe.
3. Make cleanup easy with playroom labels
Among the many strategies for organizing a playroom, labels rank high on the list. Once you've decided on bins, shelves, and other furniture items, you'll benefit from putting your label maker to good use. From toys to games and art supplies to blankets, labels will help to keep your playroom safer and ready for playtime action.
New Folks says that labels in a playroom serve identification and organization functions and, in the process, can introduce literacy to children, especially if you include an image or a visual with the label. The Elementary Helper recommends this as a natural way to introduce a second language in childhood, using different colors to indicate each one. Using labels as a learning tool means you can go crazy and put one on everything! But be sure to keep it simple with only one or two words per label.
4. Designate simple storage with labels in closets
Out of sight, out of mind ... Sound familiar? The problem arises when it's time to find something in a closet full of totes and boxes. Labeling the bins using a label maker is one way to improve storage organization. The labels are removable, unlike permanent markers, which means you can use the totes for other things later without cluttered scribbling all over them. But take it a step further ... stick labels next to hooks to signify the item that hangs there; apply labels to hangers, shelves, and dividers. Putting things away will be quick, and finding them again will be easy.
Just Organized suggests labeling laundry hampers differentiate lights, darks, whites, delicates, and such. If you have a dresser or drawers in your closet, making labels to identify what goes in each drawer (or, more specifically, the exact spaces in the drawers) can eliminate excess clutter.
5. Tame cord clutter in any room by using labels
Is there anything more irritating than reaching into the depths behind the entertainment console into a mess of electric cords plugged into a power strip and trying to figure out which one goes to the Roku? Do you know what would make this task a lot easier? Labels on the cords. According to Simply Spaced, this clever trick can be tackled in a few simple ways.
Using the label maker, print a long label that can be wrapped around the cord, and press the adhesive together until it sticks and is held in place. Repeat for each cord. For smaller electronics, you can attach binder clips to the edge of a table or desk and label the clips accordingly. The thin cables from chargers can be threaded through the metal prongs of the binder clips and held in place, ready for the next use.