|
Sat, Dec 4, 10 at 8:49
| My son and DIL downsized from a 3500+ square foot rental with a full attic and basement to owning a 1900 sf cape cod with no attic but full, unfinished (takes minimal water in heavy rain) basement. They have 3 children, the oldest is 4.
Naturally, everything that wasn't immediately needed for daily use was relegated to the basement. It looks like a warehouse down there. They got a 12 tote rack storage system (someone posted about it here--WONDERFUL) and due to MIL enthusiasm, are the proud owners of twelve 18 gallon totes and twelve 30 gallon totes. YES, that's a lot of totes. The issue now arises--how can the totes be labeled? Naturally, a tote labeled Boys Size 4T Clothing will not be needed in a few years. They don't want to write directly on the tote unless there's a marker that will completely erase after a time. Any ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I think I would do marker on strips of masking or white painter's tape. Not the prettiest, but quick and easy. |
|
- Posted by western_pa_luann (My Page) on Sat, Dec 4, 10 at 10:38
| I use a label maker for my totes. |
|
- Posted by westvillager (My Page) on Sat, Dec 4, 10 at 11:03
| I'm a p-touch fan too. They have cartridges in white, clear and colors which can help. We allocated a room in the basement- for various holiday decorations mostly- that's full of those metro shelves and bins. I grouped in more general categories to start, (Xmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.) then got specific (linens, ornaments, outdoor) If I seemed to have a lot of one thing, wreaths in my case, I put them all in a tote together. I tried to think about what would make the identifying and unpacking process easy and kinda worked backwards. lol. |
|
| If the totes are clear or semi-translucent, you can simply list the contents on a piece of paper and put the paper INSIDE the tote on the end between the contents and the tote. If they aren't clear, buy a package of write on labels to stick outside. Barbara |
|
| Ahha! Been there! I used plain white index cards (paper would work- you can print out on printer using clip art if you wanted to!) I used clear packing tape and taped the paper/card to the tote,leaving a 1/4 inch tab on one side of tape stuck to itself. You can pull the tape off in a snap and move it to a larger or smaller one when you need to. I try to code mine with color also, to make it easier to locate- blue= grandsons, pink= granddaughters, gray+ Hubby, etc. Holidays are easier also- I picked up 1 or 2 each Holiday- red=Christmas, yellow=Easter, orange=Halloween etc. I try to limit myself to no more than I truly need to store...can get carried away! Probably eight have fabric, 4 have crafty stuff.... Pretty handy system. I also try to put the Holidays in order. Makes it easier to put one away and pull the next one without extra shuffling... I am in the process of downsizing a lot of stuff/clutter/crap I really don't LOVE- and it is nice to have 6 or 7 empty ones!! |
|
| I use the p-touch in the kitchen but on totes I need print large enough to see labels on the top shelf. I print on plain paper from the PC and tape on the totes with wide packing tape to ensure that the labels are kept dry.
|
|
| When I got most of my totes years ago they came in blue or the larger ones were tan with a green top. I use masking tape and write on it with a sharpie. |
|
| Wow, thanks for all the great ideas. The first order of business is getting all the boxes unpacked and INTO some sort of organization within the totes. For now I'll suggest the printed paper with clear tape to secure. Mustangs, the organizer in me LOVES your photo, I may have to ask for a label machine for my birthday! |
|
| There are new removable labels that work like post-it notes. Those might work for you. I don't have brand names but I've seen them at Target and Office Depot. I've used my labeler for years for the same purpose, but if you don't have one, the labels should cost less than a P-Touch or similar labeler. |
|
- Posted by justgotabme (My Page) on Tue, Dec 7, 10 at 0:14
I'm big on labeling and color coding. Each of my family has a color or for their containers. When we couldn't find containers in their color anymore we went with clear containers and used white card stock and colored sharpies to write the contents. I'm a bit obsessive so I write down everything little thing that's in each container. Unlike our daughter when I asked her to pack up the basement family room and make sure she labeled everything. She did. "Misc. Family Room".  |
|
- Posted by westvillager (My Page) on Tue, Dec 7, 10 at 8:33
| Miscellaneous Family Room. That's priceless. |
|
- Posted by cross_stitch (My Page) on Sat, Dec 11, 10 at 5:11
| My very best day at a charity auction was the day I won a bundled item: P-touch label maker AND a shredder. What more could a wanna-be-organized person want? And I'll second the vote of appreciation for Mustangs' photo. Relatively new removable tabs are made by Post-it "Durable Tabs". Lots of colors and sizes. They are also great for a musician's sheet music so the performer doesn't have to struggle to turn a page in a hurry. Love those! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Post-it Durable Tabs
|
- Posted by justgotabme (My Page) on Sat, Dec 11, 10 at 21:27
| Glad you enjoyed that WestVillager. I can't say that I did at the time, but it's one of those things I look back on and laugh about. That daughter is now serving our country in South Korea and I miss her terribly! With the time difference and the cost of cell phone use we've only Skyped once. I did just get an email from her that she sent a week ago from her phone. I hope they all don't take that long. |
|
| JGTBM, I'm thinking of your daughter and appreciating her service!! I would be honored to supplement the cost of a holiday phone call to your daughter. Is that possible? |
|
- Posted by westvillager (My Page) on Thu, Dec 16, 10 at 16:30
| Thinking of her too -- especially after hearing a few Senators complain about working over Christmas to review START. In your daughter's case it couldn't be more relevant. A labelmaker's import suddenly seems much less so. :) |
|
| One more option I don't see listed here... You can use the clear plastic sleeves that FedEx uses and slip paper inside it. Easy to change out as needed. :) |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Organizing the Home Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.