Mason jar lids

UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE FOR MODERNTIMES

FLOWER POWER

TREATING YOURSELF to a bunch of roses this month? Make them last by cutting stems flat and pulling off leaves that will sit below the water, saysJohn M. Dole, professor of floriculture at North Carolina State University. And definitely add that little packet of flower food. No packet? Dole says that roses thrive in a vase filled with equal parts water and (wait for it) lemon-lime soda—the sugar, citric acid, and preservatives do the trick.

Written by Brandi Broxson Photograph by Yasu+Junko

ROSES ON YOURPLATE

For five delicious (and romantic) infused recipes, go to realsimple.com/roses.

BIG PICTURE

AN OPEN SPACE INVITES MESS; CUBBIES, BINS, AND SHELVES WORK AS VISUAL CUES FOR ORDER.

THE REALIST

home MOP SPOT A wall-mounted organizer prevents tall cleaning tools from toppling and corrals shorties like scrub brushes and dust pans. TOBUY: Medium Grook Utility Holder, $15; casabella.com.

DRY-ERASE DECAL With a stick-on whiteboard, a patch of wall or door space can become a mini command center—a place for invitations and shopping lists. TOBUY: J Board, $35 (14 inches square); threebythree.com.

DEEP SPACE A solo drawer takes care of random items that could otherwise wreak havoc. TOBUY: Double Hang One-Drawer O-Box, $132; organizeit.com.

ORGANIZE THIS

Utility closet

Our cheat sheet takesyour household supply zone to a higher plane.

HANGING CADDY Cut a canvas shoe bag to the length of your choice and you have neat slots for spray bottles, cleaning wipes, and other essentials that tend to get swallowed up by deep shelves. TOBUY: Real Simple 24-pocket shoe organizer, $20; bed bathandbeyond.com.

RELOADING DOCK Use a hanging sweater organizer to hold just-right amounts of paper towels and trash bags—supplies you otherwise store in bulk in the basement. TOBUY: Real Simple 6-shelf hanging organizer, $20; bedbathandbeyond.com.

Written by Stephanie Sisco Photograph by Jonny Valiant

BATTERY STASH Keep your AAAs, Cs, and Ds sorted in a compact mounted rack. You will never have to rummage through the junk drawer looking for a replacement again! TOBUY: Battery Storage Rack by Range Kleen, $18; wayfair.com.