WATCH: Never Lose A Button Again
We've all been there -- you're getting dressed in the morning when you look down and one of your buttons has mysteriously disappeared. You dig through your closet and search in vain for the spare that came with the garment when you bought it, until you finally give up after fifteen minutes. It might be a minor mishap, but it's ultimately more frustrating than it should be since this puts you in a position of having to go out and replace all the buttons with new matching ones.
Cleaning guru Stacey Platt came up with the perfect solution for storing spare buttons: make yourself a button box. Find a cardboard box, or old shoe box, and leave a permanent marker inside. Whenever you buy a new article of clothing or accessory that has buttons, go to the box and use the marker to label the small plastic bag the button comes in with the name of the item they belong to. This way, you can find the button when you need it and discard buttons for things that you no longer own or use. And while it might seem like a tedious extra step to organize your spare buttons, it'll save you a lot of hassle when you do lose a button.
If you're not so keen on having a box in your closet, you can save space by hanging the buttons. Cut a long strip of fabric and add a hole at the top. Then, tie a marker to a string and sew the string to fabric. Also sew a pouch on at the top where you can store safety pins. Whenever you have a spare button, label the plastic bag with the marker and fasten it to the strip with a safety pin. You can hang this strip out of the way on your closet door or against an open wall to stay organized while conserving precious closet space.
And for an extra hassle-free alternative, keep all of your buttons in a pouch and store the small bag where you usually store your mending and sewing supplies, be it a tin can, a box or a kit stashed away in your cupboard. It's easy to remember and you'll have everything you need to replace the button in one place.
Another idea: if you frequently craft with buttons, try finding a box that has two separate compartments. One side can store spare buttons and the other can hold crafting buttons. This way, all your buttons are in one place and if you discard a garment, you can easily move the spare button into your crafting pile.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
