October 4, 2020

My Best Tips & Tricks for Organizing School Supplies

Ready to get all your supplies in order? I’ve got the best tips and tricks for organizing school supplies that are going to change your life!

Note: There are affiliate links included in this article. Check out my disclosure policy for any questions.

When I got myself to start this project, I realized just how bad my situation was. The supplies were literally everywhere in my house. And on top of that, no thanks to back-to-school-sales, I didn’t even realize the insane amount of school supplies we had.

Organizing school supplies may get super messy at some points, but it will look absolutely stunning by the end. Like, the type of stunning that makes me sit on the floor and stare at the closet.

This post is all about organizing school supplies!

Get all your supplies in the same space

When I was organizing school supplies, they were literally everywhere.

School stuff was in the basement, office stuff was in a closet somewhere, and other random stuff was in the kitchen. Before I could even start to organize anything, I needed to know what I had.

This took forever, but I spent some time collecting every supply that was in my house. And then I piled it all in one room.

It may look daunting to have such a big pile, but you need to actually know how much stuff you have before you can do anything else.

Specifically categorize before organizing school supplies

With such a big pile, the next step was to categorize it all by the type of supply. But this is more than just having a big pile of markers.

Even if you aren’t going to keep it this way, you want to make piles that are as specific as possible. Instead of a pile of markers, make separate piles of dry erase markers, permanent markers, washable markers, and whatever else you have!

You may end up combining them later, but doing this now helps to make sure you are not keeping too much.

Get rid of stuff

Piles are great to sort everything by supply, but next you have to sort out everything that is trash.

This step is so important for supplies more than other areas. Make sure to test your all your markers and pens to see what is out of ink. Check your pencils if they are broken or missing erasers.

Some of your stuff may just be old and gross, and in that case, just throw it out. Get rid of as much as you can.

Use the right bins

At this point, your piles should be slightly smaller than before. Now that they are completely sorted, it is time to control them in bins.

A big mistake in organizing school supplies is using the wrong bins. Pretty fabric or wicker bins might not be the best choice for this project. Those will become damaged quickly.

Instead, try using clear, stackable bins to keep things in place. With clear bins, you are able to see everything you have. And, if they are clear, it is more of an incentive to keep them neat because everyone can see through.

Check out my article here for my favorite bins!

Don’t overfill your bins

The biggest reason a space becomes disorganized again is because you get more stuff. Make sure you leave room to grow in your bins.

This was the main reason for making super specific piles. If your space will allow it, try to make more bins with less stuff. That way, when you buy new stuff it will have a place and you won’t have to redo the space every time.

Label everything when organizing school supplies

I have said this again and again, but I literally cannot stress this enough.

Label the bins.

Labels can be the difference between constantly having to reorganize or actually having a system that works. And honestly, they look absolutely gorgeous on clear bins. Click here to check out my favorite label maker!

In my house, we have different supply stations. In our kitchen, we have a few of everything for easy access. Then I also have supplies in my bedroom for when I am doing my school work. All of the back stock and extra supplies are organized in a closet.

Check out my 3 supply stations below for inspiration where ever you are organizing!