6 Multiple-Use Magnets at Home

Believe it or not, magnetic strips and wine racks are vital ingredients in the art of being tidy. They can be used pretty much anywhere and for anything. Garden shed, kitchen, bathroom, you name it, these things will work anywhere. Here are some great examples of how to use them.

1. Hair Grip Strip

This one’s great for the bathroom. When fashioning my comb-over I like to use bobby pins to complete my look. While holding the strands in position, I reach for the hair pins, but where have they gone? In a fluster I lose my ideal pelt position and overturn absolutely everything in the bathroom, usually yelling as I go. So for the perfect hairstyle in seconds, go to your local DIY shop and get yourself a magnetic strip roll (the kind with a magnet on one side and a sticky surface on the other). Fasten it to the inside of your bathroom cabinet and pin up all of your bobby pins. Trust me, you’ll never have a bad hair day again. You can also use it for tweezers and nail clippers, to deal with the mono brow and the yellow toenails.

2. Magnets For Knives

At some point or other in life many of us start to fancy ourselves as professional chefs. The toasted sandwiches have reached new levels; the boundaries of baked beans on toast have been surpassed with Gorgonzola cheese. (The kids didn’t like it, but what do they know.) If this is the case for you, you may be rather proud of your kitchen knife set, so why not have them on display? You will need:

1 old wooden board (approximately 16 in x 4 in)

A bit of sandpaper

Power drill

A 1-inch Forstner bit (it should come in your drill bit set)

Fifty-four 1-inch round magnets

Superglue

Two 2½-inch wall-mounting screws

Start by sanding the board down for a softer surface and to remove sharp edges. The goal now is to drill two central lines of nine magnet holes. Remember you are not drilling all the way through–make sure there is space at each end to screw the board into the wall and most importantly to clamp the board down securely.

Superglue two or three round magnets together and then glue them into holes. Finally screw the knife rack onto the kitchen wall, somewhere high up away from the kids.

3. Makeup Magnets

My shimmery nude palettes far outweigh the amount of containers I own to put them in. That said, they also far outweigh the amount of manly items I own. My mornings can be pretty stressful choosing which shade brings out the auburn hues of my facial hair. So I have come up with a new tidy way to organize my makeup so that I can see what I am working with.

Use an old frame and instead of putting a picture inside, put in a sheet of thin magnetic metal (you can get these from DIY shops). You can cover the metal in wrapping paper or any patterned paper too, to give it a bit of pizzazz. Stick mini magnets onto the makeup you want to stick into the frame. Then put it up in your bedroom or bathroom for a tidier makeup collection.

4. Spice Magnet

Ooh la la, a spice magnet! No, fortunately you have not turned the page in another book about spicy magnetism; we are still talking about tidying. Phew! Specifically I am talking about putting your spices and herbs into small jars with metal lids. Once again, get your magnetic strip out, this time in the kitchen, and attach it either inside or outside the spice cupboard. Make sure you stick labels on to the bottom of each jar stating what each one is (you don’t want the nutmeg mixed up with the garam masala–it might not be the nicest cake you have ever made). Screw the lids on and watch the spice jars dangle enticingly from the magnetic strip. Now you have really spiced up the spice rack.

5. Shed Magnets

Grab your trusty magnets, because, that’s right, they can be translated for use in the garden shed too, thanks to the little metal band that hold your brush’s bristles in place. You can use an inexpensive roll of magnetic strip and stick a strip on the shed wall. Or you could invest your time in making a paintbrush board using the same method as the kitchen knife board. Then you just have to stick on your (clean) paintbrushes, bristles down, for a tidier shed.

6. Wino Towel Rack

Wine racks are perfect for storing rolled-up towels, in all shapes and sizes. The towels look shipshape and although your wine rack is now filled with fluffy towels, at least you’ll be warm and dry in a neat and tidy fashion. Who needs to be drunk when you’ve got that?