Skip Bins: Put Egg Cartons On Your Storage Cart For Smart Organization

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You don't have to spend money on plastic storage compartments to tidy up that utility cart in your craft room. In fact, all you need is probably in your fridge at this very moment, just brimming with potential — and eggs. Enter the empty egg carton. It's set to be your newest upcycling obsession. A used egg carton can bring extreme organization to craft and sewing supplies, the desk in your home office, or your indoor plant potting station — basically anything you usually keep in a storage cart. This is thanks to their built-in crater-like compartments, which act as small, individual cups for everything from jewelry beads to screws. Once you realize how versatile empty cartons can be when paired with storage carts, you'll never bat an eye at egg prices ever again.

Before using an egg carton as a compartmented organizer, make sure that the cups are clean and free of yolk or egg white. You can try to clean a plastic egg carton with soap and water or diluted bleach, but stained cardboard cartons should probably be recycled or thrown away, or you risk unsanitary conditions. There's a plethora of creative egg carton storage hacks for a more organized home worth trying, but it really comes down to how useful the particular trick is in your storage cart. First, measure the dimensions of the cart's shelves and compare it to the size of the egg cartons. Then you can gauge how many cartons can comfortably fit on each shelf. Play around with layout options and consider how many egg cartons you'll need to achieve your storage goals or whether you need to cut some down to size.

One cool way to repurpose large egg trays for a stylish and functional storage cart is to open the lid of the carton and lay it flat on a shelf. Fill the cups with small items, like paper clips and glue sticks. Loop washi tape over the cones between the cups. The lid transforms into a tray for larger supplies, like tubs of craft paint and paintbrushes. If the shelves on your carts are too narrow to fit an opened-out egg carton, cut off the lid and use it as a stand-alone tray — separate from the egg storage part of the carton. When you don't have enough space in a crowded storage cart shelf to fit a whole egg carton, cut out rows of cups — or even individual cups — to squeeze in small spaces between items.

Stick the cartons to the base of the shelf using Scotch-Mount Double-Sided Removable Gel Tape to keep them from sliding around when you wheel the cart from one place to another. Use the tall lip most storage cart shelves have to your advantage to expand your usable surface area. Cut the lid from an egg carton and discard it. Flip the side with cups upside down and add a strip of hot glue down the center between the cups. Turn it right side up and slip it over the lip of the shelf, so that one row of cups hangs over the edge. Press down firmly until the glue has set. Allow the glue to cure for 12 hours before filling the egg carton with items. For a seamless look, paint the egg carton the same color as your utility cart before gluing it in place.