Before you create your new organised system, the first step is to go through your container collection and do a big purge. Any lids that don't have a matching container, or vice-versa, any that are looking grotty or 'past it', then get rid of them! Be as brutal as you can, considering whether you each one. Consider how many storage containers you really need to have. The next stage is moving on to choosing a storage solution that best suits your needs.The key idea to most of the organised systems in the pictures below is to separate the actual food storage containers from the lids. This gives you more space to stack and store the containers according to size or shape, but also makes it so much easier to find the lid you're after.

Clip a mesh or plastic basket to the back of the cupboard door as a hold-all for container lids. You could hang two of these on the inside of the door and sort lids by shape - rectangular and square in one, and round in the other. | If you store your plastic collection in a drawer, then consider inserting a simple wooden panel to act as a divider between the containers and lids. Stack same-sized and shaped containers for easy access.Divide your drawer vertically into thirds with adjustable drawer dividers try a product like this, and organise it in a way that fits your containers best. You could categorize round lids on one side, square and rectangular on the other; or large lids on one side and small on the other.

Stack containers in the middle section, or if you have a large collection, use two-thirds of the drawer to store containers, and one-third for lids. Whatever configuration will be easiest for you to maintain!Use tension rods inside a drawer to separate lids from containers and have them standing vertically, so they are easy to grab, and easy to find what you need. A perfectly organised container drawer is all about customizing the space to fit your collection. The picture below uses divided sections for each type of lid so you can really easily find the one you need. The dividers could be.DIY ed using pieces of thin wood, or you could use bookends like these or these to create customized sections.

The containers are then simply stacked by type, with the smaller ones inside the larger. Use an old CD rack to store and stack container lids, and place containers on the other side. They'll be super-easy to access, and you can organise them by size or shape for extra organising brownie points!Grab a mesh basket with sections specifically designed for dividing different items. This type of basket Fridge storage box is perfect if you store your collection on a shelf as opposed to in a drawer, as you can pull it out, like a drawer, to access what you need. If you have a smaller collection of storage containers, you could use a compact pull-out storage unit for the smaller ones and their matching lids. Then just stack the larger collection on top of the drawer unit. This prevents anything toppling out and keeps everything organised and easy to maintain.