Remotes drive me nuts and I mean it. Why do I need three of them to control my TV? Why does my tower fan come with one? Why do all the little LED lights around my apartment need their own remotes, too? We should be technologically advanced enough to do without them by this point, but here we are. Until that day blessedly comes, I’ve gathered a couple ways to make them less overwhelming.
Get a designated remote organizer
The first option is an easy one: You can just buy a remote organizer. When you’re tidying up and making your home more efficient, always remember the Organizational Triangle, which says you have to store similar items together and everything in your space has to have a designated spot. Typically, this means investing in containers for every category of item you own and in this case, it’s no different. A regular old box won’t do in this scenario, though, since you need pretty constant access to the remotes and digging around in a big container is going to be frustrating. Here, consider something vertical and free-standing, like this:
I like this one because it’s classy looking, so you can keep it on the side table (keeping the remotes in easy reach) without everything looking like a mess. That said, depending on how many remotes you have and how often you reach for certain ones, it might make more sense to get a rotating holder.
This way, you can keep lesser used remotes in the back, but still swivel the holder around to get to them. Regardless of which you choose, try to get a vertical one so it’s not taking up too much space.
Use Velcro strips to store remotes
Designated holders are fine. They’re a reasonable option. But I live in a small apartment and I don’t have space for all kinds of side tables. What I’ve been doing lately has been working much better for me: I’ve been putting Velcro strips on everything, including my remotes. The kind I have are these:
I’m on the record as being a huge fan of storing stuff by sticking it to the wall, so I got these for holding up shelves and containers that are slightly too heavy for regular adhesive pads. From there, I started using them for my remotes. Some are stored near the thing they operate. The remote that controls the LED lights on the ladder to my loft, for instance, is stuck directly to the inside of the ladder itself. For other things that I use more often and don’t want to get up for, the remotes are stuck to the wall behind my couch. When I need one, I can just reach down there and grab it. When I don’t, they’re out of sight and safe, always in exactly the same place so I never lose them.
The wall, the side of an end table, or even a couch itself could all hold the Velcro strips, keeping the remotes (and anything else, really) super organized and hidden. You don’t need to be looking at your remotes all the time or yielding valuable table space to them, but you do need them accessible, so as far as I’m concerned, this is the way to go.
