Learn how to organize a messy TV cabinet using budget-friendly plastic baskets and special label tags that allow you to change up the contents easily anytime you need to.
I have swooned over this buffet hutch for years, but I never really had a place to put it. Until we moved into our Forever House. I knew exactly where it would go. I finally got to order it, put it together, and slide it under our TV in the living room. And now it’s the perfect hiding place for all the little things we keep in our family space. That’s a win, right? Well, kind of.
Introducing, the -ish to my organized life. The cabinet quickly became a place where we would stash things right before guests came over, or a temporary holding place for things that didn’t really have a home. And before I knew it, that gorgeous 70’s style cabinet became a hodgepodge mess. So I did what any other Organized-ish chick would do. I went to Target. Here’s how I cleaned up my TV cabinet in just one hour and banished clutter for good.
What You Need To Copy My TV Cabinet Organization Look
- Y-Weave Baskets in various sizes (I used these from Target)
- Clip-On Dry Erase Label Tags (I used these)
- Dry Erase Marker
How To Organize Your TV Cabinet
Start by clearing everything out of the cabinet and wiping down the shelves. If some things don’t belong in the cabinet at all, put them away in their real homes. Once you’re left with only the things you want to put back in the cabinet, group by category in piles.
Decide which size baskets you need for each category, and head to Target to buy them (or order online). I highly recommend not buying the plastic baskets until you actually know what sizes you need. This will save you time and money. For the time being, just put your categories in temporary recycled boxes or in stacks inside the cabinet until you have your baskets.
Fill each Y-Weave basket (which is basically a plastic basket with a solid bottom) with each category, then add a clip-on tag and write the contents on the tag. I chose to use dry erase bin clips for my labels so I can switch them up easily, but you can also use clip-on or self-adhesive bin clip frames and just swap the paper inside as needed.
Why Use Plastic Baskets Instead Of Natural Woven Baskets?
While natural woven baskets look a lot “prettier” and more high-end, they aren’t a good idea for using inside your TV cabinet for two reasons. First, the basket bottoms have tiny little holes in the weaving that can allow small things to fall out or get stuck inside.
And second, natural woven baskets can scratch wood shelving. All that sliding back and forth will leave scratch marks all over your TV cabinet. That may not bother you if it’s on the inside, you’ll be mad when your kids slide the basket onto the top surface to sort through the card games and leave a big scratch on the outside of the furniture.
More Ways To Organize TV Cabinets
That’s it! Easiest project you’ve done all week, huh? This is really helpful for cabinets of all types, and also works for TV cabinets that have drawers. You can use the same baskets inside drawer to divide up electronics, remotes, and separate gaming equipment for kids.
If you want to take it to the next level, either alphabetize or arrange by color all your DVDs and video game cases, and store cords and gaming equipment in plastic bags to keep them from getting tangled up. We did this in the man cave/theater in our basement and it really makes things easy to find and keeps the drawers from becoming a big jumbled black hole.
Want More Quick Win Projects?
You can watch me organize this TV cabinet in video form on my Instagram Reels, and you can find all my Quick Win Friday projects by hopping over to this page. Never want to miss a QWF tutorial? Sign up for my weekly emails. You’ll get a round up on Saturday morning of all the posts that went live on the blog that week so you can catch up on what you may have missed.
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