Organizing Tools the Pros Love!

Professional organizers use a number of tools to achieve the fundamentals of organization: Everything should have a home. Often used items should be easy to access and easy to put away. One of the tools I love, is often overlooked.

The lazy Susan or turntable.

They are made of a number of different materials including plastic, bamboo, acrylic and even stainless steel. I like to choose the material based on the overall aesthetic I am going for in the space. (Organization must be functional but it is inspiring when it looking amazing!) In a modern kitchen, I might use stainless. In a pantry with matching transparent bins, I might use acrylic. For an older or more French-Country design I might choose bamboo.

They come in a variety of sizes from 9” to 24” and nearly every size in between. The size you choose should be determined by the items you are trying to organize and the space you have to keep the items. For standard kitchen upper cabinets that are usually 10-11” deep, I would choose the 9 or 10.5” size. For large spaces, like under the sink, a small lazy Susan would get lost and a 16” or 20” version is most appropriate.

There are as many different configurations as there are sizes. Some are single level with a small lip but they also have two-tiered versions as well as ones with a tall lip to keep items contained as they spin. Two-tiered lazy Susans are best when you are organizing small items but have a tall space. You always want to consider vertical space when making the most efficient use of your storage areas. I prefer single-tiered ones in most cases because you have the easiest access to items, especially those in the middle.

Perhaps you have seen a lazy Susan but you weren’t sure where you could use it best. Really, there are SO many places they can be used. In the kitchen, I like to place one in the cabinet closest to the stove. On it, I place oils and vinegars. I often place the large version with a 3” lip under the sink to corral the cleaning supplies or dishwasher detergents and garbage bags. Simply spinning it gives you access to a full cabinet of items rather than having to bend low and dig in the back of a cabinet to find what you need.

In the pantry, you can use multiple lazy Susans to define the homes for various items, for example, one for condiments and one for salad dressings. That way you don’t have to rummage through an entire shelf to find what you need. Just spin and grab it.

Inside the fridge, you can make the most of your deep shelving by giving easy access to things in the back, with a quick spin.

While likely the most common, the kitchen isn’t the only place you can use a lazy Susan to get and stay organized. I have used the acrylic version and the version with a tall lip on the vanity countertop to define the space where your everyday items will sit. It reduces the look of counter clutter when items have a defined home. I have used under the sink as well, particularly if you don’t have too many items so don’t need to use all of the vertical space but do need to reach all the way to the back.

In the closet or on the desktop, they can organize office and craft supplies, especially the ones that have removable containers built into the system.

Turntables of all kinds are about making better use of the space to define a home and provide easy access to items that live there. Organizing your home with these items relieves the stress of uncontrolled clutter. It saves you time and money because you aren’t spending your time looking for things and then purchasing more when you can’t find them!

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