How to Make a Desk Organizer Out of Tin Cans

With increasingly hectic lives, many of us are looking for ways to organize our possessions, particularly on our desks. Desk organizers come in many shapes and sizes but they are often overpriced and unattractive. The following project will allow you to make a desk organizer that is customized to your needs and decorated according to your personal taste that will also save you money.

This project is also great to make organizers for children's desks or play areas. It has the added bonus of being fun to complete so you can easily engage and occupy children with the project if you wish to take a break.

You will need cans, paint or fabric, super glue or a hot glue gun and a metal file (a small metal file for finger nails will work). The type of paint you use is up to you, I recommend spray paint but feel free to use acrylic paint if you wish.

Begin the project in advance by collecting cans of various sizes; when collecting cans keep your storage needs in mind. Small cans are good for storing things such as rubber bands and paper clips while coffee cans can easily store tools such as scissors and hole punchers.

After you have collected the cans that you wish to use, remove their labels and then run them through the dishwasher. If you have difficulty removing the labels, heat them up first with a hair dryer. This will melt the adhesive making it easier for you to remove the label. It is best if you then run the cans through a dishwasher cycle but if this is not an option then you should thoroughly wash the cans with very warm, soapy water. Then soak the cans in a solution consisting of 1 gallon very hot water and 1 cup of baking soda for 2 to 3 hours. Allow the cans to dry before proceeding with the next step.

Sometimes empty cans have a sharp spot or two on the top from the can opener used to open it. If this is the case with any of the cans you have chosen use a metal file to smooth those rough spots out. Then either shake the can and blow on it or rinse it out to remove any metal shavings. If you choose to rinse the can allow it to dry before proceeding.

Your cans are now ready to be decorated. Depending on your preference your cans can be painted, wrapped in fabric or wrapped in self-adhesive contact paper.

If you choose to use contact paper first cut the paper to size then simply wrap the cans in the paper taking care to avoid making any creases or bumps. If you decide to use fabric apply lines of super glue or hot melt glue from a glue gun to the underside of your fabric, then simply wrap the fabric around the can as you would with contact paper and smooth out any bumps or creases.

If you choose to paint the cans you have several options. You can easily and quickly paint the cans by using spray paint. It comes in a variety of colors and metallic spray paint makes the cans look very good. If you don't want to use spray paint you can paint the cans with acrylic paints. Either way use two thin coats of paint on the cans. After the paint has finished drying you can, if you wish to be more elaborate, use stencils or sponges to add contrasting colors of paint to the cans. Finish the paint job by applying a layer of glossy, protective clear coat to the cans.

After the glue or paint you used to decorate the cans has dried, arrange the cans to your liking. If you wish you may use a small piece of wood as a base for the organizer but this is not necessary. If you use a base then apply super or hot glue to the bottom of the cans and then press them firmly on the base in your desired arrangement. If you do not use a base then apply glue to the sides of the cans and press them firmly against each other in your desired arrangement. Once the glue has dried your organizer will be ready for use.