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Cozy living room with a white sofa, red armchair, orange accent chair, and a checkered rug. Shelves display books and decor.
Credit: Kiritin
I’ve always considered myself a fairly organized person: Everything I own has a “home,” I declutter regularly, and I make sure to set aside 15 minutes at the end of each day to prepare my home for the next. And yet, I still feel like my systems could be better. After all, tidying up is only half the battle — it’s maintaining that order that really counts. That’s why a recent conversation with Cathy Orr, co-founder of The Uncluttered Life, made me rethink one item I’ve always associated strictly with travel: packing cubes.
While they’re typically reserved for suitcases, Orr says they’re just as effective (if not more so) when used throughout your home. They create instant categories, make shelves and drawers easier to manage, and help keep systems intact long after you’ve finished organizing.
Why Packing Cubes Are Brilliant Organizers You Can Use All Around Your Home
The idea is refreshingly simple: Group like items together in flexible, zippered containers that are easy to stack, move, and maintain. Bonus? If you ever move again, your things are already pre-packed.
Below are Orr’s favorite, most practical ways to use packing cubes around the house — no suitcase required.
Bathroom
Bathrooms tend to collect a wide range of small items, which makes them ideal candidates for cube-based organization — especially helpful if you’re sharing a bathroom or short on drawer space. “Use one for hair accessories or hair tools such as a blow dryer with its attachments,” Orr suggests. “Other ideas are to have makeup, skin accessories, and toiletries in different cubes. Or perhaps use one packing cube for your morning routine, and another for your evening skin care.”
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Home Office
“Contain all your different tech accessories in a packing cube,” Orr says. “This is especially helpful for cords and adapters that tend to get misplaced or mixed in with other things.” You can also create a dedicated “workday” cube stocked with pens, sticky notes, and paper supplies, making it easy to clear your desk at the end of the day.
Entryway
A cluttered entryway can derail your day before it even begins — and packing cubes can help prevent that pile-up. “There are always little things scattered about in this area,” Orr explains. “Make packing cubes for leashes and pet supplies that tend to get misplaced.” You can also designate cubes for reusable shopping bags and other outdoor essentials like sunscreen, bug spray, or hats, so everything you need is ready to grab on the way out the door.
Kid’s Area
Packing cubes are especially effective in kids’ spaces because they make cleanup intuitive and manageable. “Think about putting your kid’s LEGO sets in packing cubes,” Orr says. “These keep them separated and make it easy to find small pieces.” Art supplies also benefit from this system. Separating markers, crayons, chalk, and paint into labeled cubes helps kids understand where items belong (and encourages independence when it’s time to tidy up).
Kitchen
If your kitchen cabinets feel like a sea of mismatched containers and loose tools, packing cubes can help create order. “Sort lunch-box items by type or favorite flavor for kids,” Orr suggests. “Use other packing cubes to separate baking items such as cookie cutters, pie accessories, and frosting utensils.” She also recommends thinking in terms of stations: coffee or tea accessories, disposable cutlery, or pantry odds and ends all stay easier to find when they’re grouped together in cubes and lined up file-folder-style.