Transform Old Plastic Fruit Containers Into The Ultimate Organizer For Crafting

You smell them before you see them. In the grocery store, your nose guides you to the packages of ripe strawberries in the produce section. Encased in plastic, you know you should opt for a fruit without extra packaging. Usually made from polypropylene, this type of plastic is particularly hard to recycle. Yet, you can already imagine the berries' sweet taste and spring for a package. Give your conscience a break by reusing your plastic fruit container to organize ribbons, yarn, threads, and other unruly supplies that can morph into a tangled mess. The ecological refrain is "refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle." If you can't refuse the plastic, the best option is to reuse it.

On the TikTok channel NewLifestyleAbb, Alyssa Barber shows how transparent polypropylene containers for 1 pound of berries work wonders for organizing and dispensing ribbons. You can also borrow this tip to organize string, thread, yarn, and more. The dimensions, lid, drainage holes, and transparent material come together for results that solve a handful of problems. DIYers are constantly searching for genius craft room organization hacks. So enjoy those berries, but don't let the container go to waste when it can make your spools of supplies easier to store, use, and find.

Rolls of ribbon seem to be intended to fit in 1-pound strawberry containers. The height and width of the plastic boxes can fit about seven rolls of 1-inch ribbon, with still enough room to allow the rolls to move as the ribbon is dispensed through its own drainage hole. 

Set the rolls vertically in the containers, and ensure that the ribbon unrolls from the spool at the lower part of the roll rather than from the top. Send the end of the ribbon on each roll through its own drainage hole for a ready-made dispensing system. The snap closures on the clamshell lid secure the rolls, and the clear sides let you find what you need in no time.

If you're using this trick for thinner supplies like thread or small balls of yarn, this hack can quickly lose its appeal when the spools and bundles rattle and tangle together inside the box. At 7.25 inches in length, 1-pound berry containers can hold at least one horizontal row of six 1-inch spools of thread or five 1.25-inch spools. After you send the end of the thread through the drainage hole, tape the end of the thread to the side of the container near the hole to keep the material ready to use. Prevent tangled yarn and embroidery floss by placing rolls in reused mesh produce bags before putting them inside the container.

Not a crafter? Or was that package of blueberries too tantalizing to pass up, leaving you with an extra container you don't want to trash? Gardeners, try this solution for your rolls of gardening twine. There are tons of handy ways to store your gardening twine, but this one also keeps plastic from becoming waste. The next time you need to tie up a droopy tomato plant, grab some twine from your trusty organizer and snip off what you need. Use a bit of heavier masking tape to hold the end of the twine to the wall of the plastic container once you've threaded the end through the drainage hole.

Alyssa also shares how this trick works as a dog-waste bag dispenser. Usually sold in bulk, these rolls of dog-parent essentials can clutter up a drawer quickly. Line up the rolls vertically like you would with rolls of ribbon or spools of thread, send the ends through the drainage holes, and enjoy a more convenient way to store and use these bags.