Organizing Ideas for the Weekend: Keys

Happy Friday!  Time for another organizing idea for your weekend!

I've been working on my entry area this week and looking for a new key holder since I decluttered the heck out of my old one.  Along the way I saw some pretty great ideas for organizing keys so I thought I'd share them with you today. 

Options For a New Key Rack For Our Entry

I asked for advice on Facebook about a few key holder options I found on Amazon (these are affiliate links).

I'd really like something like this, but for keys instead of coats (I already have coat storage and this is much bigger than I'd like in our small hallway).

Amazon

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is 4' wide. And it's more expensive than what I'm intending to spend for a project I wasn't planning to do (this only came about because I decluttered everything out of my existing mail organizer / key holder except for the keys and garage door opener).

So I looked at these two key racks instead.

Amazon

Amazon

Both are much more suitable for our space and budget.  I'm just not sure if I'd like the closed basket better or the open one.  I like the look of the open one but I'm concerned about things falling through the cracks.

Most people liked the closed basket one better.  I'm thinking about it a bit longer and I will do some shopping this weekend to see if I find anything else.

 

DIY Key Organizers

Several people on Facebook suggested I DIY something.  I love DIY organizers and if this project hadn't just risen out of a decluttering project, I might have tried to do that for my keys.  But I'm really booked up with organizing clients this month so I don't have time to DIY anything.

I took a peek at my DIY Organizers board and my Entryways, Drop zones and Command Centres board for ideas though and found lots of them!

Here are a few of my favourites:

• Command hooks in a cupboard (or anywhere really)

Pretty Organized on I Heart Organizing

• A key rack made out of bead board, molding, book plates and cup hooks

Organize and Decorate Everything

• Another key rack made from a piece of wood, fabric, and cup hooks

I Heart Organizing

Tips for Organizing Keys

I gave some tips for organizing keys earlier this week, but here are a few more:

• If you have keys you don't use regularly (storage unit, shed, neighbours' home, etc.) and you can't remember which keys go with which lock, you can label them with a small label and stick it right on the top of the key (see example in this post).  You can also wrap a piece of tape or washi tape around the key ring and label it that way.

• If you have multiple keys that are similar to each other but not for the same lock, and you use them regularly, you can colour code them using nail polish so you can tell which is which.

Organize and Decorate Everything

• There are lots of key storage tips in this post from Unclutterer

 

• You can use a drawer to store your keys if you have space for a small stand or table.  Or if you have a lot to store and have more space, you can use a dresser like Becky did (the drawers would be great for other common entryway items too - hats, gloves, sunglasses, etc.)

Organizing Made Fun

Our entry is really small, so I'm still planning to buy some sort of small key rack with a basket above it for the garage door opener.  I'll show you what I end up with soon!

So who's ready to organize their keys this weekend?  Hopefully these ideas and tips will help you create a system that will work for your home and family!   

You can find lots of other entryway organizing tips on my Entryways, Drop zones, and Command Centres board on Pinterest.

If you've already got a good system for your keys (and you don't lose them!), or if you'd just like additional ideas of what you can organize this weekend, there's a tab at the top of this page called Organizing.  In that drop-down menu you'll find a page for all my Organizing Ideas for the Weekend posts. 

Are you overwhelmed with your entry?  Which of these tips do you think will help you the most?  What key organizing tips can you share with us?

Happy organizing and have a great weekend!




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P.S.  If you missed the Spring Cleaning printable bundle last week, there's another bundle available this week, full of ebooks on decluttering, time management, home management, and a few other topics (as well as the 9-session video series on simplifying your closet!).  It's a great deal and I've found several of the books really helpful!  But it's only available until tomorrow. Click the picture for the details (affiliate link).