After a recent dinner at my friend Heidi’s apartment, she kindly insisted on sending me home with leftovers. After we spooned some colorful salad into one repurposed glass jar and stir-fried cauliflower rice into another, Heidi asked me to grab matching jar lids from the cabinet above her kitchen sink. I expected to discover a scene similar to my chaotic kitchen cupboard, where jar lids are strewn among disorganized piles of jars, food containers, and Stasher bags, but instead I opened her cabinet doors — and my jaw dropped.
As someone who lives in a studio apartment, I’m always looking for innovative ways to make the most of my space. And Heidi’s hack for storing jar lids was so smart that I immediately knew I had to steal it. On the inside of her wooden cabinet doors, several long magnetic strips with adhesive backings were affixed vertically, and metal jar lids — which are apparently magnetic — were placed all along each strip. Ingenious!
Why My Friend’s Storage Trick for Jar Lids Works
For one thing, this storage trick keeps her lids super organized: I could see all of the jar lids at once, and I was easily able to find the ones that matched the two jars Heidi gave me. Plus, it keeps the lids dust-free, easy to access, and — most importantly for those of us in small apartments — it means the jar lids virtually take up zero space.
This got me thinking about other ways to use magnetic tape to keep my home organized. Tons of metal everyday items are magnetic (and apparently taking up more drawer and tabletop space than they should be!).
How to Use This Storage Trick in Your Home
When browsing the internet for adhesive magnetic strips to buy for my home, I came across a bunch of ideas. You can stick these magnetic strips to the wall in your bathroom and use them to store things like tweezers, nail clippers, and bobby pins; you can hang them in the garage to display small metal work tools; and you can use them as a DIY magnetic knife rack in your kitchen.
On Amazon, you’ll find numerous different kinds of magnetic strips and tape. If you plan to hang items on the heavier side, such as kitchen knives, make sure to look for strong tape that can support their weight (and maybe even double up strips). Or if you rent your home like I do, look for renter-friendly tape that can be peeled off easily when you move out.