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General Container Considerations:

• In most areas I use clear containers.  I like the look of the baskets and cloth containers, but they’re for style more than function and if you’re organizing a cupboard or closet, it just makes more sense to be able to see what’s inside at a glance,especially when they’re behind a door most of the time.
• I usually use them with no lids on. For regular use, it’s just easier to pull the container forward and select what I want.   It takes more time if I have to open a lid and if my hands are full, I may not be able to open it one handed or I may drop the lid while selecting the item I want.
• Containers with handles are best for things that are used in groups and items that need to be moved to the area where they will be used.  I use them most on my toy shelves.  For anyone who hasn’t seen my system, I keep most of my kid’s toys locked up in a closet and my kids are required to clean up the last toy that they used before getting a new one.  The handles allow the child to easily carry the toys to the area in which they want to play. 

Container Size:  When choosing a container for a cupboard, my advise is to consider the dimensions of the cupboard and invest in a perfectly sized container. 

• Shoebox sized containers work well for deep shelves because they allow you to utilize the full depth of the area.  They’re also cheap, about $1.00 per container, but they are not ideal for most areas.
• Most cupboards (especially kitchen cupboards) are designed to be shallow so that you can access the items easily (consider the challenges presented by deeper corner cupboards). 
• Shoebox containers are too long and too narrow for most cupboards.  In order to make them fit, you have to turn them so that the long side faces out.  Since they are more narrow than traditionally sized shelves, they waste the space in front or behind them.  The best way to maximize the use of your space is to buy containers that fit perfectly.
• After measuring all the containers at Wal-Mart, I discovered that the most perfectly sized container for the shallow cupboards at my house and at my mother’s house is made by Sterilite (considering that they’re the perfect size for both of us, I assume they’re perfect for any standard-sized cupboard).  They come in many sizes and look like this.  There are three sizes that fit my cupboards perfectly.

The 7.2 Quart and the 5.5 Quart are the same in all dimensions except height.

The 12.7 Quart has all the same dimensions as the 5.5 Quart, except that it’s twice as long.  If you can’t tell exactly how they compare, look at their size comparison in the last picture.

Here’s an example of how perfectly sized containers make a difference.  This is the way my cupboard looked yesterday.  I had just transferred the shoebox containers that fit perfectly in my deep pantry shelves to these more shallow shelves After purchasing new containers, I was able to re-organize thus creating more space and making some of my items easier to access.  I even created a new category of medicine by separating out pain relievers into their own containers. 

After this picture I reorganized some more by interchanging these items with the items in the cupboard next to it. 

Note:  I’m not sure how many tips I’ll post.  I made a list of ideas and as I’ve written, sometimes the ideas have been combined and other times I’ve written about an idea that’s not even on the list