Home hacks: 5 ways to use old items to organize your stuff

The start of the new year always brings that clean slate, and it's the perfect time to freshen up your home.

On "Unang Hirit" on Friday, crafts expert Joy Patanindagat encouraged the idea of "repurposing" or using old items in a brand new way to help in the decluttering process. While it's tempting to buy more shelves and boxes, here are a few "hacks" to keep in mind first.

1. File folders as a shoe rack. Place a file / magazine holder by the door and use it to stack your shoes or slippers.

2. Turn an empty tissue box into a plastic dispenser. Add adhesives to the back or side of the box and stick it, for example, to the kitchen counter and use it as a dispenser for small grocery bags.

3. Barbecue sticks as knife holder. Purchase a big bag of thick bamboo barbecue sticks and place them in a jar. Slide your knives in and voila, instant knife holder.

4. Tissue rolls as dividers. There are thousands of used toilet rolls tossed away daily, but they're not that disposable. Gather a some in a shoebox — which you can decorate — and use it to store pencils, cords, socks and other small items.

5. Corkboard for your jewelry. With the help of pushpins, a corkboard not only organizes your jewelry, it also puts them on display. Feel free to add some wrapping paper or old fabric to further spruce up the board.

—Aya Tantiangco/JST, GMA News