by Pat Merewether

Created on: October 18, 2008   Last Updated: November 17, 2008

Plastic storage bins with tightly fitting lids can save many of your belongings from dampness, mold, rodents and even smoke.

Covered plastic bins are excellent for finally getting organized. Clear or color-coded bins are helpful for this. Obviously the clear bins allow you to easily see what's inside. Red and green bins keep all the Christmas stuff together and safe from fading and moisture. Solid green bins are great for storing gardening supplies, blue for extra linens, and so on.

One of my favorite types of storage bins stack on upon another and have drawers. These are great for arts and crafts supplies that you don't use every day, but still want to be able to get to easily. They are great for quilting or embroidery supplies, or even the smaller less-often kitchen gadgets like cookie cutters, candy molds and cake decorating supplies. Tall plastic bins are available for those frustrating rolls of gift wrap.

But plastic bins aren't just for storage anymore. We use a large one as a doggie bath tub. I take it outside and bathe the pup when the weather is warm. The water helps the garden when I'm finished and this method saves a cleanup ordeal in the bathroom.

We use plastic bins to hold ice for chilling drinks at cookouts. When the party is over, I use water for my garden the next day - when the water is no longer super cold.

Space Bags ( where you suck the air out of a plastic bag filled with clothing or linens and make them flat) are great but I stack them inside a large plastic container to keep each season together. Those bags are also slippery little devils and tend to slide shelves if they aren't placed in something sturdy.

A plastic fishing-tackle box is our first-aid kit in the car, and a slide out drawer type bin contains our first aid kit under the bathroom sink. The drawer allows us to put other items on top of it, but also get to the first aid kit in a hurry.

I use a plastic fishing tackle box for my sewing box. I love all those little compartments for buttons, needles, thread, etc.

In the summer, large plastic bins catch rain water for the garden. Put a teaspoon of oil on the water to keep mosquitoes from breeding. The oil will cover the mature mosquito wings and prevent them from taking flight.

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Bins filled with ice work well for fishing. Several empty bins that stack one inside the other are great for saving space while camping. Use them as you need them for collecting wet clothing or even fire wood. Keep one handy in your boat or on the deck so you can

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