How to organize gift bags – 7 ways to create a boutique-grade wrapping station

If you love to go all out with your gifting you likely have an extensive gift-wrapping collection on hand, ready to wow your friends and family with both the gift and the presentation, too. 

However, akin to organizing a craft room, keeping these supplies neat, organized, and free from damage can be tricky – especially when you are dealing with long rolls of wrapping paper, a range of seasonal cards, and every sized gift bag under the sun. 

So how do you organize gift bags so that they are easy to find but out of the way when not in use? The experts recommend trying these seven tricks. 

How to organize gift bags

Organizing niche items such as gift bags requires niche organizing ideas so you do not have to tackle your wrapping tools every time you open a cabinet. They need to be easy to find when a birthday or holiday pops up, but out of the way enough to not be a daily nuisance.  

1. Organize by occasion

One of the simplest and most aesthetic organizing tricks for organizing gift bags is to work by category, keeping holiday themes and birthday bags lumped together for easy sorting, begins Lina DaSilva, professional cleaner and owner of Toronto Shine Cleaning:

‘I would start by sorting them by occasion, like holidays or birthdays. this way, you'll always know where to find what you need.’

2. Sub-categorize by color

When, either within categories or beside them, you can rainbow organize bags – a trick that is particularly useful if you have plain, unthemed bags, adds Lauren Saltman, professional home organizer and owner of Living. Simplified. 

‘If you keep solid colors or more simple gift bags in your home, then sort them by color. Use the red ones for Valentine's Day, the green ones for St. Patrick's Day, and so on.’

3. Store bags within bags

If you are looking to organize a home without spending any money, then storing your gift bags inside other gift bags is a great place to start, continues home organizer Lauren Saltman: 

‘When it's time to determine how to store the bag, there are several systems that you can use. The simplest system is to use one gift bag, for example, newborn baby gift bags, to hold all of the other gift bags in that theme. Be sure that you choose a bag that is large enough to hold the entire collection of themed gift bags. 

‘Then line these bags up on a shelf in your closet and it will just be a quick visual to determine which bag to pull for your wrapping needs.’

4. Invest in a dedicated wrapping storage bag

Of course, for every niche storage need, there is a dedicated product to help with it. If you have a very large wrapping collection and want to keep it all together in one place, you can pick up a wrapping storage bag from Amazon to keep all your supplies together, Lauren Saltman points out. 

The bag makes for great underbed storage too, helping to keep these situational items out of the way when not in use. 

5. Store bags on the backs of doors

While you might be investing in upgrading your wrapping game, there is often little need to take up a load of home storage ideas just for gift wrap. If you want to keep a lot in a small footprint, why not look to vertical storage to save space, suggests cleaning expert Lina DaSilva. 

‘Another neat trick is to hang the bags on hooks or a dedicated hanger in a closet. It keeps them flat, preventing creases, and makes it super easy to grab one when you're in a rush.’

6. Pick up a magazine holder

Although typically used for home office storage ideas or organizing cookbooks, magazine racks have multiple uses around the home – such as organizing gift bags, continues home organizer Lauren Saltman. 

‘If you are using this system on an open shelf, choose a magazine holder that coordinates with your room decor. If they are being placed on a shelf inside a closet, you can get something more utilitarian. 

‘Just be sure, if you are using racks that are opaque, that you can easily affix a label to the exterior so you know what types of gift bags are stored inside each holder.

7. Keep them dry

If you want to keep your gift bags in top condition, there are several places you shouldn’t use for home storage – unless you have good protective organizers to keep them dry and prevent them from fading, warns Lauren Saltman. 

‘If you need to keep these supplies in a basement, attic, or garage, I would recommend storing them in a plastic bin with a tight, waterproof closure so that they don't get damaged by moisture or insects.’ 

FAQs

How do you organize gift wrap?  

When trying to keep gift wrap neat and organized, consider packing them into an under-bed storage bag to keep them out of the way, but in a dry location where they will not get ripped. You can also throw in your other gift-wrapping supplies to keep everything together. Alternatively, you can keep gift wrap neatly rolled up or folded in hanging bags on the backs of doors to keep everything readily accessible – just be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent them from fading over time.  

What supplies do you need for a perfectly wrapped gift?  

To wrap a gift with all the trimmings, it is a good idea to have gift wrap, double-sided tape, gift bags, tags, and tissue paper to hand. This will help ensure that your wrapping looks pristine no matter the occasion. For an added extra touch, it doesn’t hurt to also have ribbons or wax seals too.  

When organizing gift bags, keeping your wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and cards close by will help keep your home more organized and prevent smaller items like gift tags from getting lost or floating around your home storage.