Baskets are a perfect "tool" to use in organizing your home. They're often inexpensive, beautiful and functional items. And baskets are usually made of quite durable materials for typical person's usage. You can use them in every room of your home. Use them to organize and store everything from your kitchen utensils to your bathroom towels to your child's toys.

In a way, baskets are a magical organizational tool. Why? Baskets are decorative items that hide mess right before your eyes (and those of your visitors). They're your home organization magic wand--the one that makes disarray disappear in seconds.

Here are seven types of baskets and how to use them to organize your home.

1. Stair Basket - A stair basket is shaped like letter "L" upside down. Set one on your top step or your bottom step of your staircase. Fill basket ongoing throughout day with things that need to go up or down. That way you only make one trip. And whichever direction you go with it, up or down stairs, leave it at opposite end of stairs once it's empty. That way your next trip with basket will include items that go to opposite end of your home.

2. Bushel and Peck Baskets - These look like wide, round pails and usually have swinging metal handles. They're deep baskets (that hold a bushel or a peck, for example). And unless you're a farmer (or selling produce at a farmer's market), you won't want to fill them with dozens of tomatoes, apples or other fruits and vegetable (unless you have a lot of immediate family members to feed!). Instead fill them with your children's miscellaneous toys divided into different categories for each basket (dolls, soldiers, rubber balls, etc.).