Dollar Tree's Fridge Storage Bin Can And Should Be Used For So Much More

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Dollar Tree's Essentials Plastic Fridge Storage Bin was designed with a specific purpose in mind: Keeping your refrigerator tidy, clean, and organized. And it does that job so well. This affordable transparent plastic storage bin is perfect for loose vegetables, soda cans, stacked yogurts, cheeses, or anything else that makes your fridge look cluttered and messy. It catches crumbs and spills, and it can easily be washed with dish soap, making it a great and simple fridge decluttering hack. But who said you have to stop there? Dollar Tree's fridge storage bin can be used for much more, and its organizational superpowers are only waiting to be unleashed in other areas of your home.

Measuring less than four inches wide and tall, but about 11.5 inches long, it fits nearly anywhere, like in a cabinet, on the counter, or in most standard-size drawers. This can help you maximize storage in deep cabinets, where you can use it for non-refrigerated items like small bags of chips, granola bars, and packets of instant oatmeal. In drawers, this is a great way to gather utensils, chopsticks, bottle openers, and peelers.

This works great outside of the kitchen, too. For example, use this bin to organize hair brushes, makeup brushes, or skincare bottles in a bathroom cabinet. In the office, it's a great size for pens, rulers, and scissors that otherwise clutter your desk. In the garage or craft room, use them for small paint bottles, paintbrushes, rolls of decorative tape, or anything that's lingering in drawers. In a kids' play room, this bin can be used to gather Legos and small toys. You could even place it in the trunk of your car to keep flashlights, extra socks, or other essentials handy. 

There are a few ways you can make this basic plastic bin more usable and aesthetically pleasing when taken out of the fridge. For example, you can zhuzh it up a bit to make it look prettier. By doing this, you'll have no problem taking the container out of the fridge and leaving it in the open, like on your desk or on the kitchen counter. To make this basic plastic container look more elevated, consider a creative way to use decoupage. Use a bit of Mod Podge, along with decorative paper, napkins, or even fabric to cover the bin's exterior and interior. While this makes the container less convenient to clean and wash, it won't be an issue if you're using it in your office or craft room for items like scissors, pens, tools, or rolls of tape.

If you'd prefer to use the bins inside a cabinet instead, you can still take a few simple steps to upgrade them from basic to elevated. Use a permanent black marker or some Artistro Glitter Paint Pens to write on the front of the bin. This is especially useful if you're using these bins to organize the upper shelves of deep kitchen cabinets. By writing on the front of each bin what it contains, you make it much easier to find what you need. Keep it general so that you can reuse the containers with various supplies, like "tea bags", "granola bars", or "plastic utensils" (as opposed to "green tea" or "forks").

In some cases, there's no need for upgrades. If you're organizing cleaning supplies in the cabinet under the sink, just plop the container in there, and you'll easily be able to see what's inside without having to write it down.