Season 10 Countdown: 11 Brilliant Double-Duty Tips That Will Change Your Life

by Lisa Lozano

Our 10th season is launching Monday, September 14, and to celebrate, we’re counting down some of our favorite double-duty tips that can help you get organized in a big way! Read on for the clever and uber-useful ideas.

Tip 1: Use a Kleenex Box to Store Plastic Grocery Bags
You can cram a lot of plastic bags inside a Kleenex box, and then just use a little double-sided tape to attach it to the inside of a kitchen cabinet! Genius!

Tip 2: Use Your Beach Bag as a Cooler!
Rachael came up with this ingenious tip. The next time you’re having a party, take your beach bag, line it with a trash bag, fill it with ice and turn it into a collapsible beer or soda bucket! Brilliant, festive and a great way to repurpose something you already have! And even if you’re not at home, you’ll have a cooler with you! Thanks, Rach!

Tip 3: Use a Tension Rod to Make More Space for Cleaning Supplies
Install an ordinary tension rod in your under-sink cabinet to hang bottles of cleaning supplies, creating more space!

Bonus Tips: You can also use tension rods in your car and in your bath tub to create more organizing space! 

Tip 4: Use CDs to Organize Your Wardrobe
Organizing pro Peter Walsh uses a handy trick – he takes old cds, cuts one side, and labels them by the days of the week. Then, you can plan out your family’s wardrobes for the week, using the CDs to divide them on the clothes rail.

Tip 5: Use Dryer Sheets as Air Fresheners
This tip works particularly good in the car – if your vehicle is getting a bit stale or stinky, just put a dryer sheet under each seat!

Tip 6: Use a Sweater Organizer to Organize Papers
Peter suggests using a hanging closet sweater organizer to keep your family’s papers organized. Divide up as you wish – each person in the family can get a shelf.

Tip 7: Use Soda Tabs for Hang Double the Clothes on Your Hangers
Just thread a soda can tab over a hanger, and hang an additional hanger from it, storing two articles of clothing instead of one!

Tip 8: Use Bread Tabs to Label Cords
How many times have you crawled around under your desk trying to figure out which cord goes to which device? Just use bread tags to label each cord so that you know which cord is which. Brilliant!

Tip 9: Tie Vases Together to Create Storage
Everyone has vases under their sink from previous flower gifts. If you empty them, arrange them artfully in a group, then tie them together with ribbon, you’ve got a brand-new organization station! Pens and pencils can go in one, mail in another, and you can always use one for its original use – to hold flowers!

Tip 10: Use a Cereal Saver as a Car Trash Can
If you have once of those large plastic cereal containers lying around and you’re not using it, why not line it with a plastic bag and use it as a trash container in the car?

Tip 11: Use Plastic Chain Link to Store Stuff Animals
Clip stuffed animals to a length of plastic chain link and hang in a corner. You can store a lot of stuffed animals vertically, and your child can just grab what they want to play with off the lower links at any time.

Click here to find out where to watch The Rachael Ray Show in your area. Watch the videos above to see the tips in action. What trick do you think you’ll try first?