Recently I’ve found myself going “back to basics” so to speak, and re-embracing the simple idea of color coding things. One of the advantages of color coding is that it makes identifying items incredibly quick and easy. This saves me tons of time throughout my day! So today I’m going to share 11 examples of things you can color code around the house to make your own life easier! 🙂
I love it when my house is neat and tidy, but I hate the act of organizing. It takes a certain amount of time and effort to do that, and I usually find myself wondering which system would be most helpful in any given area.
Color coding can be faster, easier, and cheaper than other planning methods. You can use things you already have around the house to color your stuff, like washi tape, permanent markers, rubber bands, and even nail polish! With simple supplies and just a few minutes of work, you can implement a color-coded system that will save you a lot of time and energy down the road.
11 Things You Can Color Code to Make Your Life Easier
1. Keys
If you have a keychain full of keys that look the same, it can be hard to remember which key is which. To solve this problem, get a few different shades of nail polish! Simply paint the ends of each of your keys with a different color of nail polish. You can use yellow for your front door key, red for your storage unit key, etc. Use whatever colors you’re most likely to remember and you’ll never struggle to find the right key again!
2. Cords and cables
In this day and age, many of us carry cables, cords and other charging equipment so that we can charge our smartphones on the go. But since all those cables look the same, it can be hard to remember which one is which! To solve this problem, use a different colored or patterned washi tape to mark your cords, cables and plugs. You will know for sure which one is yours and you can skip arguments and accusations. And since washi tape is easy to remove, you won’t have to worry about leaving a sticky residue on your cords.
Another way to keep cords organized is to store them in a toilet paper tube. Use color-coded washi tape to identify which type of cord is in each tube.
Related: 12 Surprising Practical Ways You Can Use Cardboard Tubes
3. Medicines
Wrap colored rubber bands around your medicine lids to color code them. A few different systems may be helpful depending on your situation. You can color-code them according to when you’re supposed to take them (eg a green rubber band might indicate once-a-day medication, while a blue band means twice-daily.) Or if your family keeps medications in one central place, you can color-code them by who they’re prescribed.
4. Bill
Use colored stickers or colored clothespins to group important papers and bills. For bills, you can use green clothespins for paid bills and red clothespins for bills that are yet to be paid.
5. Spices
Color code your cooking and baking spices using colored rubber bands, stickers or nail polish on the lids. You can use green for dry vegetables, yellow for baking, red for spicy etc.
6. Recipes
You can use stickers or washi tape to color your recipe cards, or just buy different colored index cards! This makes it easy to track a specific recipe based on type (such as baked goods, main course, side dish, etc.).
7. Holiday Storage
Color coding can be extremely helpful when it comes to holiday decorations! Your seasonal decor stays put away for most of the year, leaving you with a lot of time to forget where you put things. Use different colored storage bins or mark them with your existing storage bins to keep things organized Colored duct tape. Use orange cans or tape for Halloween decorations, and green cans or tape for Christmas decorations, etc.
8. Laundry bags
Use laundry bags in different colors to pre-sort your dirty laundry. Then when laundry day comes, you’ll know exactly how to wash clothes without re-sorting them into any specific bag! You can take it a step further by sorting items based on that Laundry symbols on the tag. No wasted clothes because you forgot to look at the clothing tags.
9. Cutting board
Color coding can be a great way to ensure you are using good food safety practices in the kitchen. Using a color-coded set of cutting boards can help reduce the chance of cross-contamination. One set I found has a red cutting board for red meat, yellow for poultry, green for vegetables, and blue for fish. You can also color code your existing cutting board by marking it with a permanent marker.
10. Planners and Calendars
Whether you choose to use a paper planner or an online calendar, color-coding your appointments can help you stay on top of things. If you’re keeping track of appointments and events for your entire family, try color-coding events according to which family member they’re for. Or you can color events by type like social events, work events etc.
11. Towel
Towels come in tons of different colors, making it easy to implement a color-coded system at home. You can designate different colored towels for different jobs, such as using blue towels for kitchen cleaning and yellow towels for bathroom jobs. You can even color-code the towels you already have! Just make a small slit in one corner of each towel, and tie a scrap of colored ribbon through the hole to mark it.
Related: That’s why microfiber cloths are the ultimate cleaning tool
What’s your favorite way to color code things at home?
