By Jenn Ryan | Updated Jan 19, 2021 9:22 AM

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If you have items sitting around your home, especially seasonal items to store away throughout the year, it’s time to invest in some storage bins to organize and neatly store your items. The best storage bins will safely accommodate your items—whether it’s off-season clothing, extra decorations, or even your family’s favorite cereal—and conveniently store them under the bed, in the closet or garage, or in plain sight on the kitchen counter.

This guide will profile some of the best storage bins on the market to organize your belongings.

Storage containers can play an important role in your home; they help keep clutter to a minimum and allow you to organize essential items. That being said, it’s still necessary to consider several factors when choosing the best storage bins for your specific needs. In particular, think about the kind, size, and number of items you plan to store, and then carefully evaluate the size, weight, and design of each storage bin you might purchase.

The items you plan to store are an important consideration when choosing the best storage bins for your organizing needs. If you’re storing lightweight items, like clothing or bedding, it’s likely not of concern that the storage bins are also of a lightweight material, such as fabric or thin plastic. However, if you’ll be storing heavier items, including books, electronics, and seasonal decorations, heavy-duty storage bins may be a better choice, as they should resist cracking or tearing when you load items in them or move them around.

The size and weight of the storage bins you choose matter, both for maximizing your storage space and making sure the bins are easy to move. The best storage bins should be large enough to accommodate all the items you want to store yet not too cumbersome or heavy to move when you need to access or relocate them (especially if you store them in the attic). Storage bins are available in many different sizes and weights, and the best bin for you depends on what you plan to store. While bulky items, like large comforters, require larger storage bins, smaller items, like accessories, are better suited for small or slim storage bins.

Storage bins are also available in a variety of designs. Larger bins typically include lids, while smaller bins may not have lids. Some bins feature airtight lids, making them ideal for food storage. Perhaps you’d prefer open storage bins to keep shoes, hats, and tote bags in a foyer closet or mudroom, or maybe you need lidded storage bins to pack off-season sweaters under the bed.

The best storage bins also come in different shapes, including rectangular, flat, tall, and square. Their design may also feature different materials, including fabric or plastic. Some storage bins are also meant to stand alone, while others are designed to be stacked. The best storage bins for you will have a design that makes sense for your needs, so consider where you’ll be storing the bins, as well as what you’ll be storing in them.

Not all storage bins include lids and handles, but many do provide handles to make moving them easy. If you’ll be frequently moving the bins, consider choosing bins with handles, as they will make transporting them not only easier, but safer. Like the above design considerations, deciding if a lid is important to you depends on where you’ll be storing the bins as well as what you’ll be storing in them. If you won’t need to access your stored items very often or want to keep out dust and dirt, lids are an important feature. However, open storage bins work well for items you access every day, since removing a lid every time you need an item would be unrealistic and time consuming.

Whether you’ll need storage bins with an airtight design also depends on the items you’ll be storing. Airtight storage bins are ideal for storing both human food and pet food. But keep in mind that airtight storage is best for food items that take longer to perish, such as cereal, chips, and spices, while fresh fruits and vegetables shouldn’t be stored in airtight containers.

An airtight design helps prevent food items from absorbing outside odors, becoming contaminated with dust and dirt, and collecting moisture, allowing them to remain fresh longer. You may also want to consider an airtight design for storing important or sentimental items for an indefinite amount of time, such as keepsake objects, financial documents, and family heirlooms that you rarely access but want to protect from deterioration.

The best storage bins give you the opportunity to get organized and have a dedicated space to store important items from clothing to home decor to food. Keeping the above considerations in mind, read on to discover some of the best storage bins on the market in a variety of categories to help you select the product that suits your needs.

Plastic storage bins from IRIS USA are available in different sizes and quantities. This 19-quart size measures 15.38 inches by 12.38 inches by 9.63 inches, and all of the sizes feature handles and latches with an ergonomic design, making them comfortable to move. Each size is available for purchase as a pack of six.

The storage bins are semi-opaque, providing you with some privacy but just enough visibility to potentially identify what is stored inside. Sturdy plastic makes them appropriate for lightweight as well as heavier items. Overall, these versatile storage bins can hold virtually any object, and their stacking ability makes them ideal for narrow or cramped storage areas.

If you don’t mind or are specifically looking for open storage, these fabric storage bins from AmazonBasics are an affordable and versatile option. They can simplify the storage of a lot of smaller items, all while making your cubby area look neater. Each bin features a handle that makes it easy to pull it out and put it away as often as you need. The bins are also collapsible for convenient storage when you’re not using them.

Measuring 10.5 inches by 10.5 inches by 11 inches, these storage bins are available as a six-pack with a choice of six colors. Choose from beige, black, gray, brown, navy, and red. Versatile in nature, these smaller bins allow for colorful organization under beds and benches, on cubby shelves, and even just on the floor in kids’ playrooms or craft areas. Although not suitable for very heavy items, you can still use them to store books and other items with some weight to them.

For safely storing off-season clothes or even bedding, this three-pack of fabric storage bins from Lifewit boasts several features to help you get organized. Measuring 23.62 inches by 16.93 inches by 13.78 inches and with a 90-liter capacity, each container boasts a reinforced handle and a sturdy zipper. Choose from grey, black, or blue.

These bins also feature a clear viewing section to easily identify what you’ve stored inside. A single bin can hold 35 items of clothing, one king-size comforter, or six blankets. You can also stack the bins in a closet, attic, or basement, or slide them under a bed. They are also collapsible when not in use, making them easy to store away.

Small objects can be more challenging to store, especially if you access them daily. However, with these stackable plastic storage bins from mDesign, you can organize small items so they’re convenient to get your hands on at any time. Ideal for storing items such as vitamins, toiletries, and small tools in the kitchen or bathroom, these open storage bins are available in a pack of eight and in a variety of sizes to suit your specific needs.

Each bin is made of BPA-free plastic and features a built-in handle on each side, allowing you to stack and move them as you see fit. They are shatter-resistant, easy to clean, and safe for food storage.

The pantry is a place that can quickly become disorganized. Fortunately, these airtight food storage bins from Chef’s Path could be the solution to a neater pantry. This seven-piece set features an airtight design ideal for storing nonperishable food, tea, coffee, flour, and much more. The set provides one large container (8-cup capacity), two medium containers (5.1-cup capacity), two small containers (3.4-cup capacity), and two mini containers (2.1-cup capacity).

Since the bins include 10 reusable chalkboard labels, you can easily label your containers and update them as needed with the included chalkboard marker. They’re also stackable and made of clear and durable ABS plastic, so you can see exactly what’s inside and protect the contents if a child’s small hands accidentally drop a container of favorite cereal.

For storing items a bit heavier than clothes, books, and food, these commercial-grade storage bins from Rubbermaid offer robust storage and can also help you keep items off the floor. These containers come in sizes ranging from 3 gallons to 50 gallons, depending on your storage needs. They are also available in multipacks, so you can order several at once if you have more extensive storage needs.

These heavy-duty bins are designed to withstand temperatures from 0 degrees Fahrenheit to 110 degrees Fahrenheit and are also impact resistant. They also protect the enclosed contents from moisture, meaning you can even store nonperishable food items in your garage, shed, basement, and any other areas. They’re also stackable and have built-in handles that make them easy to carry.

Getting organized with the best storage bins for your needs can be easy once you know which products suit your particular situation. Here, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about your new storage bins.

Many people find it helpful to organize storage bins by keeping similar items together to make them easier to find, such as storing only toys or only clothing in one storage bin. Depending on the items, you can also use dividers and labels for extra-savvy storage.

Fabric storage bins are most suitable for clothing, bedding, and pillows, but you can also store children’s items, such as stuffed animals or other soft toys, and medium-weight items, like some books or keepsakes.

It is generally safe to store photos in plastic storage bins. However, if you’ll be storing photos for an indefinite amount of time, look for opaque bins to help keep out light that could damage your photos.

Sturdy plastic containers are actually best suited for books as they are less likely to break under the weight of a lot of heavy material.

As long as your storage bins are airtight and watertight, bugs won’t be able to get in.

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