Organizing with Pegboards: Low-Cost, Effective Home Organization

Gone are the days of ugly brown pegboards that once only graced the walls of garages and shops. Today's pegboards come in a wide variety of colors, styles and materials making them a versatile, decorative way to organize many areas of your home. Pegboards are great for organizing areas where you may use a lot of smaller items such as in a home office, laundry room or kitchen. Here are some tips for organizing with pegboards including what type of pegboard to choose for certain applications, how to position the items on the board and how to choose a decorative pegboard that will accent your home decor and fit in perfectly.

When you think of pegboard you likely get an image in your mind of the old brown wooden pegboards that weren't exactly decorative. Today, though, pegboards come in many different materials including metal, plastic and wood. Not only can you buy pegboard in just about every color of the rainbow, but you aren't just limited to round holes, either. Many of today's pegboard styles come with slits or squares instead of the standard round hole which makes them look a little more modern.

When deciding what type of material you want for your pegboard you should consider how you plan to use it. Metal pegboards are a great choice for a home office because you can also use magnets on them. That allows you to tack up important reminders or papers right in your work area while keeping the top of your desk clean. Plastic is a good choice if you are looking for a funky color. Traditional wooden pegboards work well if you want to paint your own pegboard or make it more decorative by adding extra details. No matter what material you choose make sure to get a pegboard that is large enough to hold everything you want to hang on it.

When it comes to placing items on your pegboard, a good rule of thumb is to place items that you use often toward the bottom where they are easy to reach and reserve the top of the board for items that you hardly ever use. Even items that don't seem like good candidates for storing on a pegboard can be easily hung with a little creativity. Try tying string or ribbon around oddly shaped items and hanging them from a hook. For small items like paperclips or clothespins you can attach a mesh bag to the pegboard and store them inside for easy access.

Consider buying some shelves designed to fit in pegboard to add additional storage space. This is a great option for larger items such as laundry detergent, files or papers.

Do you have a tangled mass of wires behind your computer or television? Try using a pegboard to neatly organize the wires and keep them tangle free. Just attach some hooks and wrap the wires around them to tidy up the space. Another fantastic use for a pegboard is to organize jewelry. Hanging necklaces, earrings and bracelets from hooks on a pegboard keeps them tidy and tangle free while also having the added benefit of making it easy to find the piece you are looking for.

With a little bit of imagination and creativity pegboards are a wonderful, inexpensive way to organize your home.