How to Organize Magazines

You can display magazines in your bedroom, bathroom, or living room. Neatly stack them into a pile or store them in bins, crates, or baskets. Or, create long-term storage by utilizing file holders. In addition, you can cut out helpful information from magazines you may not need to save and organize them in a binder for future use. Be sure to recycle issues you don’t need!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Displaying Current Magazines

Download Article

1
Store your issues under a table or entertainment unit for easy access. You can place the magazines you are currently reading or some of your favorite issues in easy-to-reach locations. Stack 3-6 issues in 1 neat pile, and place the pile on the shelf of your entertainment unit or coffee table. You can leave out 1 stack or a couple, depending on how many magazines you want to feature.
- Alternatively, you can place the magazines on top of your coffee table as well.
- You can also place your stacked magazines on end tables in your living room or bedroom.
2
Arrange your magazines in decorative bins or crates if you’d like. For a relaxed, rustic look, you can use wooden crates to house your magazines. Bins and crates are also made out of plastic or paper materials, if you prefer other varieties. Neatly stack your magazines so the spines are visible, and place several in your bin to fill it up.
- The number of magazines in your bins will vary depending on your bin size and magazine thickness. You should be able to fit many magazines in 1 bin.
- You can also use milk crates for magazine storage.
Advertisement
3
Home your magazines in decorative baskets for an inviting option. Baskets are great touches to nearly any room, and they can store quite the number of magazines as well. Buy a few magazines and place collections of issues in each basket. Place them on shelves in your living room, next to your bedroom end table, in your bathroom next to your sink, or next to your entertainment unit.
- If you’d like, you can add a wooden label to the outside of your basket.
4
Place your magazines on a ladder or shutter to utilize vertical space. You can set an antique wooden ladder in your bedroom, or paint over an old shutter and place it in your living room. Then, open your magazine to the middle and place the pages around the steps or grooves so they hang from the spine.
- This adds a cozy, rustic feeling to your room, and you can still easily pick up and read an issue.
- You can also try hanging a bucket from your wall and placing your magazines inside of it.
5
Try magazine storage bins for an easy solution. Nowadays, there are countless variations of the traditional magazine storage bin. You can select a modern style, vintage look, or standard variation. Purchase 1 that matches your style and will fit most of your magazines.
- You can place your magazine bin in your living room, basement, or bedroom.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Storing Your Magazines Long-Term

Download Article

1
Sort through your magazines and decide which to keep, recycle, or clip. Keep the magazines you collect or want to reread at a later time. Set aside magazines with helpful information to come back to later. Then, recycle any magazines you no longer need.^{[1]XResearch source}
- This will eliminate extra clutter from your home so your magazines will be organized and easy to access!
If you prefer to keep things organized in alphabetical order, then arrange your issues by title so the magazines that start with “A” are on the left side, and the magazines starting with “Z” are on the right. Then, place your magazines in their appropriate place in between.
3
Organize your magazines based on theme to group hobbies together. If you have many magazines on the same subject, such as scrapbooking, cooking, or bodybuilding, then organize them categorically.
- For example, if you are looking for a new recipe for dinner, you can easily go to the “Cooking” section and locate an issue.
4
Place your magazines into file holders. File holders are small boxes or racks that allow you to display files, or in the case, magazines, vertically. After you choose your organizational method, put your magazines into the holders accordingly. You can fit 8-12 magazines in a standard file holder, depending on the thickness of your copies.^{[2]XResearch source}
- For example, if you have many craft magazines and you want to organize them thematically, put all your craft magazines in the same holder.
5
Label each file holder with a marker, sticker, or a label maker. After you place all of your magazines in their respective holders, you should label them so you can easily locate individual issues. Write the name of the magazine, and include the issue numbers if you'd like.
- You can write directly onto your magazine holders with a permanent marker, or use sticker labels and adhere them to the front of your holders.
- If you want to use a label maker, turn on your machine and type in the title of your label, such as "Animals." Then press "Print" to create your label. Peel off the backing and stick your label onto your file holder.
You can situate the file holders anywhere you like. Keeping them on a bookcase is a great way to keep them organized and easily accessible. You could also store them in closet, on shelves, or even in a storage area like a basement or attic.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Organizing Your Magazine Clippings

Download Article

1
Skim through magazines and cut out information you want to save. As you sort through your magazines, flip through the pages and look for neat pictures, interesting quotes and stories, or inspiring recipes. When you find something worth saving, trim it off the page using a pair of scissors.^{[3]XExpert SourceMarty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO®
Certified Professional OrganizerExpert Interview. 14 January 2020.}
- Repeat this for all the magazines you are skimming through. That way you are salvaging the helpful information.
- Make sure you only trim information worth saving and that you will reference again. You don’t want to end up with a surplus of unnecessary clippings to organize!
2
Store your magazine clips in labeled file folders as temporary storage. As you go through your magazines and trim out sections, place your clippings in paper file folders. Use a marker to label the tabs on your folders to keep organized as you go.
- For example, write on your folder’s tab things like “Recipes,” “Christmas,” or “Summer time.”
- Alternatively, you can use a label maker to mark your folders.
3
Store your clippings in a 3-ring binder for long-term storage. After you’ve gone through your magazines and trimmed out pages worth saving, place your clippings in plastic sheet protectors. Do this for all of your clippings, and then insert your sheet protectors into a 3-ring binder. In addition, you can use divider tabs to section off your sheet protectors.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Label your binders for particular categories such as “Holidays,” “Home,” or “Kids.”
- Use either a marker or a label maker to name your dividers.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question
Should I keep old magazines?
Marty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO®
Certified Professional Organizer
Marty Stevens-Heebner was the first Certified Senior Move Manager (SMM-C) in the United States and is Founder and CEO of Clear Home Solutions, a move management and professional organizing company based in southern California. Marty is also a Certified Professional Organizer and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) through the National Association of Home Builders. She is the President-Elect and is on the board of directors of the National Association for Senior Move Managers, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, and has been acknowledged as a Hoarding Specialist and ADHD Specialist through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.
Marty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO®
Certified Professional Organizer
Expert Answer
If you're trying to decide whether to hold onto or toss out a magazine, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, back issues of old magazines are usually available online if you ever need to access them. Also, tech or business-related magazines are likely out-of-date if they're over a year old. Finally, old magazines are usually considered valuable collectibles since so many people hold onto them.
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn
Yes No
Not Helpful 1 Helpful 2