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Organize Your Odds and Ends with These Easy DIY Magnetic Bins

Jul 3, 2012 06:41 PM
Colorful stationery holders made from recycled containers.

Everyone has a junk drawer in their kitchen. It's like an unspoken rule. The junk drawer is full of all the strange bits of what not that accumulates in your home over time. Everything in there is useful, and you never want to throw any of it away for fear that you might need something in there one rainy day.

However, there are some items that are used more frequently than others. For instance, I keep small nails and thumbtacks in my junk drawer and I use them almost every day. But it can be a bit annoying getting in and out of the drawer multiple times a day.

I've come up with a way to make small magnetic bins to attach to your fridge, so that you can house those things from your junk drawer that you use on a daily basis.

Materials

  • Small plastic bottles
  • Scissors
  • 4 sticky-backed circular magnets

Empty and Clean Out Bottles

For this project, you can use whatever two small bottles you have lying around. I chose water bottles, but soda bottles would work nice, as well.

Two plastic water bottles on a black speckled countertop.

Peel the labels off and rinse them out.

Two empty plastic water bottles on a black speckled surface.

Cut Bottom from Bottles

Using your scissors, poke a hole about two inches from the bottom.

Empty plastic water bottle on a dark speckled surface.

Using the hole as a start, cut around the bottle.

Transparent plastic water bottle on a dark surface.

Repeat with the other bottle.

Two transparent plastic cups made from recycled bottles.

Set Out Magnets

Set out your magnets. Make sure they are strong enough to support your bins.

Four circular metallic discs arranged on a flat surface.

Affix Magnets

Peel the paper back off the magnet pieces and affix two to the first plastic bottle. Arrange them parallel horizontally. Also, make sure they are aligned straight.

Hand holding a clear plastic container with two circular silver lids.

Repeat with the other bin.

A hand holding a transparent plastic package with round metallic objects inside.

You're done! Simply fill them with the items you use the most and attach them to your fridge.

Let's say you have a large junk drawer, though. What if two small bins isn't enough to hold your most used items? Perhaps a set of bins using different materials is a better option!

Materials

  • Tin can
  • Can opener
  • 2 Formula canisters
  • 6 Sticky backed circular magnets
  • Decorating materials

Select Can

Pick a tin can that is an appropriate size based on the materials you want to place in it.

A can of food with a barcode and nutritional information label.

Empty Can

Remove the label from your can. Using your can opener, open the can and remove the contents. Clean the can out.

Empty metal can from a low angle.

Affix Magnets

Like mentioned above, remove the back to your magnets and stick them to your can. Make sure they are in line with each other.

Metal canister on a white fabric surface.

Select Formula Canisters

Again, select formula canisters that are the right size for the materials you wish to place inside. Of course, they do not have to be formula canisters. Any other type of canister will do.

Two containers with nutrition labels and ingredient information on the back.

Empty Canisters

Remove the labels to your canisters and remove contents. Clean them out as best you can without water, as formula canisters are made of cardboard.

Two silver metal containers side by side.

Affix Magnets

Affix two magnets in a line to the cans, just like before.

Two metal paint cans on a white surface.

Decorate

Decorate your new bins as you see fit. I added some simple purple stripes cut from paper and secured with tape around the center of each bin.

Creative pen and marker holder made from repurposed cans with purple tape.

Just stick your bins to the fridge, add stuff and you're done! What would you put in your bins? Sound off below.

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