In organizing my pantry I thought about what I use every day, once a week, once a month, so I could put things I use every day within easy reach. I have a small spot for a broom and my Swiffer handles but no where to put the dusters. I looked online and found some great organizers but they were too large so I decided to make my own. Here is what I did so you can do this if you want!
Problem: narrow space available to store much needed daily items.
Solution: make your own dispenser and use Command hooks to fit more things into a small space
Project: Swiffer Duster Dispenser DIY
Difficulty: Begging
Steps:
Measured the space, drew a rough idea on paper, then started teaching online for what I needed. I found a number of great dispensers for ziplock bags but they were too big. I decided to make my own so I ordered 2 plastic bins with removable latch on lids, the plastic looked thin enough to easily cut out some ovals. The latches make it easy for me to refill them, and nothing falls out accidentally.
I then created two templates: one for cutting the lid holes and another for creating a vinyl overlay to cover up any sharp edges from my cuts on the lid. I used a sharpie to trace the oval cuts and then used heavy duty scissors to poke a hole and began cutting.
The next template I cut with my Cricut to make a pretty and useful cover, this is optional and you can use regular scissors to cut it out, it needs to be the size of the lid inside any edging that you may have on your container, practice making your template on copy paper first! It does not need to be perfect. If you drop have a Cricut here is a link to my template on Cricut Access (just be sure to modify it to the size of your container).
In the center of the oval area cut an oval that is half the height & length of the original oval, then cut a line every inch to the depth of the original oval. When you apply the vinyl you will center it on the lid and then push the cut portions through the oval opening sticking them underneath, this will give you a smooth edged opening.
Next I created a shelf/divider inside the box so I could have two stacks of dusters in each. I made this out of chipboard, applied a sheet of pretty vinyl to it then I cut it with several passes of my exacto knife to just a tiny bit smaller than the box length and depth, the pattern I used is one of Anna Griffin's that you can only buy on Cricut. I then cut two smaller strips of chipboard (half inch wide) and bent those in half adhering one half with double sided heavy tape to the shelf bottom on the left & right sides so it would have some stability.
To attach the box to the wall I used 3 sets of 3M Velcro heavy hangers, this honestly weighs almost nothing but I wanted to be sure it would stay up when I pulled out dusters and it has. I also needed to hang my swiffer duster handles so I staggered them on the wall using 3M broom hangers and was able to get several in the space.
I hope this inspires you to make your own organizer! If you want to use this template be sure to hide the words as they are just to help provide you with guidance, be sure to measure your bin and resize the template. Enjoy!
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