Dorm-It Challenge 2 - Organizing the Office

I shared a few ideas and tips for using the Off-the-Floor EZ Store Dorm-It! organizing product I tested in my previous post.  This time I choose to think outside the boxed kit and provide additional tips.

Dorm-It! 1/2 Kit

As a writer and crafter, I am always looking for ideas to keep my work surface free of clutter so I can get more done.  So when the box containing my kit was delivered I could hardly wait to open it and check out the product. (BTW: there are 2 options per product, so consider whether you want to hang it on wall horizontally or over-the-door vertically.)  After reading the snap-together assembly instructions, I decided to try some variations of my own.  Since a hook is supposed to hold up to 5 pounds, I decided to verify that it would work alone to hold something heavy.  So I put up only 1 panel with a single hook to verify I could hang my heavy winter coat.  Yep – it held it!  My only problem was in trying to get the hook back off so I could build my next bright idea.  It was on there so tight I broke a nail (oops), but I got it off!  I asked the vendor about this – you can go to my previous post to see their response.

Next, I decided to see if I could just hang 1 long section of panels securely or if it really had to be in 2 sections in order to work.  My readers know I try to stretch a dollar and thought this was a way you might be able to use it in 2 rooms verses 1.  So I built a section for my home office to get some of those office supplies out of the way. It worked pretty well.  However, I was now short a set of over-the-door brackets for another room so they would need to be ordered if I kept this configuration.  I do think this product is a great idea for a home office or as a place to keep crafting supplies all together.  So if you are cluttering up the family room with your beading, sewing, knitting, or whatever - you might want to check this thing out.

My tips for building products based on what I learned:

1. If you plan to divide the 2 panels of off-the-floor products between 2 rooms (maybe 1 per child’s bedroom), then be sure to go to the accessories page of website to order 2 more door hang brackets (or possible extra wall mounts - ask their customer service to be sure) to securely hang it plus any extra storage shelves or bins you may need.
2. If you have an adjoining door between bedrooms or are a multi-crafter thinking to use both sides of a door, don’t!  Do not try to hang product(s) on both sides of same door!  Because of the way the brackets are, they just will not sit right.  Plus this could be a lot of weight on a door since most starter kits may hold up to 75 pounds (check product and accessory pages for actual weight capacities).
3. Please note that in all tests, I put this on a standard 30-inch-wide bedroom door.  I do not know if a single section would work on the French type doors that are on some bedroom closets or bathrooms.  If that is what you have and where you want to put this, then I suggest you check with the door’s manufacturer first to verify there would not be a safety issue in hanging the extra weight on a door with such small hinges.
4. If you lose or toss the instructions and want to move the kit later, you can get them from the home page of vendor website formerly at offthefloorezstore(.com) and at amazon under the same name.

For fun, you might want to watch the vendor’s clever video of Rack-It! Man and Glam-It! Girl (the dog) helping clean up a toy mess.  It is slightly funny and will give you a quick chuckle, and it may possibly provide inspiration for your kids to clean their rooms.  In case you are confused about how to put the panels together, the video also shows how to do that in rapid motion.

Here is another organization blogger's post on the Rack-It product.