This $36 Amazon Find Actually Saved Me Time When Unpacking and Organizing My Things for My New Home

Moving is exhausting. You have to organize, declutter, and pack up your things only to organize, declutter and unpack all over again. It’s also incredibly stressful, whether you’re moving things on your own, with the help of friends, or using a moving company. And if your home has stairs, that stress is exacerbated.

My husband and I recently became homeowners — after years of renting, saving, and consolidating our things — and while it’s been an overall happy experience, it’s also been quite overwhelming. After we moved in, we decided to pace ourselves and sort and organize things slowly to not only plan for where things will go and figure out what needs to be bought but also to conserve energy and time (especially with our busy schedules).

Along the way, I’ve discovered all these little trinkets and items in boxes that were clearly marked kitchen or living area, but didn’t belong there anymore — the realities of previously living in a studio apartment where everything smooshed together — and instead belonged upstairs. It felt like a never-ending battle of running up and down the stairs day after day or having a part of my kitchen become overrun with items and blocking pathways.

Luckily, you can find unique finds and incredible solutions for almost anything online — and I stumbled upon an interesting one. While scrolling on social media, I began to notice a lot of videos of this uniquely shaped basket that’s made to sit on the stairs. I thought this could be a great fix to my problem; a specific product that could be out of the way instead of taking up floor space as I continued to sort through my things.

This stair basket, which measures 16” by 8” by 16” and typically fits all standard-sized stairs, sits perfectly on the staircase. I got it in natural beige, but it is also available in classic brown and elegant black. I placed it right at the bottom of the stairs so that I could easily drop items into the basket as I went about my day. Then, in the evening — or whenever it reached full capacity — I’d carry it upstairs and sort through it. The following day, I’d take it right back downstairs to start the cycle again.

You can also collapse and assemble it easily and whenever you need it. The basket has handles, so it’s easy to carry, and it’s sturdy. It also blends right into my space.

It is an oddly shaped basket, but that’s OK. It has a specific purpose and it definitely saves you time and energy, minimizing the number of times you need to walk up and down to put things away. This is especially useful for us right now and for anyone in the process of decluttering or reorganizing. It also saves you space, but be careful if you have a narrow stairway — this might not be ideal for you. 

We’ve affectionately named it the “weird basket,” in my household and I noticed that whenever it’s out on the stairs, I will toss random items I’ve found on the first floor that need to be returned to the second floor.