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Nowadays it seems that everything comes on a CD or DVD. Take a look around and I bet you'll find CDs in your car, family room, bedroom, office and even in your kitchen. Whether it be music, software, cookbooks, data files or games, CDs are taking over our space. But there is a way to take control and organize all those CDs in about 1/3 of the space. This guide will teach you how to organize your music and computer software collections.
If you're serious about organizing your CD collections or just want an easy way to keep track of what you have, some form of a database management program is highly recommended. Discussions on this software can be a guide within its self so we won't be exploring that avenue here.
HOW MUCH SPACE DOES THAT CD CASE TAKE? AND AT WHAT COST?
Since space is an important aspect to consider when organizing items, we compared the three storage types for CDs. Looking at the picture above, we took 50 each of the standard jewel case (A), the slim-line case (B) and the CD sleeves (C)*. As expected, the slim-line cases reduce the space needed by half. Now take a look at how little space is needed for the CD sleeves - only 2/5 of the space is used. But wait, it gets even better, the CD sleeves hold two CDs each so there are 100 CDs stored in that space instead of 50! That means that the CD sleeves actually take up only a 1/5 of the space!!
The next thing to look at is the price of each. Using the standard manufacturer suggested retail prices to compare, the standard jewel case costs $0.34 each, the slim-line jewel case costs $0.24 each and the double-sided CD sleeve costs $0.08 each sleeve or a mere $0.04 per CD.
*Note: The CD sleeve that is used for this comparison is a double-sided plastic sleeve with a non-woven lining.
TYPES OF CD SLEEVES
CD sleeves are made from three different materials. We looked at each one to determine which is the best for our collection.
Paper Sleeves
You can find paper sleeves the easiest. They are typically white but multi-colors do exist. These sleeves have become the standard for commercial software. They have a window to the front and a flap that is either plain or gummed on the back. Although paper sleeves are great for mass distribution, they don't hold up to frequent use and don't provide protection for the CD's surface. Lastly, the sleeve only holds one CD.
Vinyl or Plastic Sleeves (without non-woven material)
Vinyl and Plastic sleeves offer more protection for the CD in terms of keeping it dry but bring about a whole new problem. Some vinyl/plastic sleeves will stick to the CD and even worse, melt to the CD. Also, if a CD has been directly printed on, the print can come off on the vinyl/plastic. Again, the majority of these sleeves only hold one CD and do not have a separate pocket for the CD cover or book.
Plastic & Cloth CD Sleeves
These sleeves offer all the benefits that a sleeve can have plus it has two separate sections to hold either two CDs or one CD and a cover or book. There is a no-woven cloth that lines the sleeve to protect the surface of the CD and the front plastic has a cut-out to help you easily move the CD as you take it in and out. Another great feature is that there are usually holes punched out along the side so you can store your collection in a CD binder.
This is the sleeve we are referring to throughout this guide.
BENEFITS OF USING CD SLEEVES
Since we will be using the CD sleeves to organize the CD collection, let's take a look at why we chose to use them over the other CD cases.
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Inexpensive (only $0.04 per CD)
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Double sided for double the value compared to paper sleeves (store 200 disks in the space of 100!)
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Takes up 1/5 of the space compared to other CD cases
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Can be used in a variety of storage boxes and binders
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Comes in a variety of colors
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Can be easily moved into a convenient travel binder without changing the case
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Doesn't crack and break like traditional CD cases
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Has a protective non-woven lining for non-scratch protection of disc surfaces
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Compact size: approx. 5 1/2" X 5 3/16" each sleeve
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Can easily add a new CD to the collection without having to move around a bunch of CDs to make room for the new one.
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Store them in a variety of places since you don't need the grooved shelves
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Lightweight
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Unlike paper sleeves which will acidify with age, these plastic sleeves offer unlimited time protection for your discs
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Sleeves are flap-free for easy access to discs!
ORGANIZING YOUR CD COLLECTION
Changing over your CDs from the hard plastic jewel cases to the CD sleeves alone will reduce the space your collection takes up but trying to find a CD in a messy stack of sleeves isn't easy! Follow the three steps we've outlined below and your collection will be organized so you can find, put back and add CDs in a snap.
1. LEARN THE SYSTEM
Four components are used to create the organization system - categories, colors, labels and some type of storage container.
Categories
There's no need to have to create your own list of categories, eBay has done it for you! Take a look at the categories and subcategories that eBay uses for software and music.
Colors
You use colored CD sleeves to distinguish between categories and/or subcategories. You don't need a lot of different colors, you can repeat each color as needed. I used mixed packs of five colors, along with white, to organize my entire software collection of over 200 CDs.
For the majority of my software collection, I assigned colors to each category (see the picture under categories). Then to tell the difference between the subcategories, I assigned each with alternating color or white CD sleeves. For two of the categories, I had a lot of programs so I assigned a different color to each subcategory instead.
Labels
Labels are used in two ways. First, I used a large shipping label for the plastic dividers in the software collection to print each category and list the subcategories. I then used a label maker to make labels for each sleeve. The CD label has the name of the program or album, the category and subcategory, and a CD number I assigned to each. This is done so that you can easily put the CD back after using it.
Storage
You will need something to put all these CD sleeves into so they aren't more of a mess than the plastic jewel cases. There are many options available that work great for this system. You can use any of the storage binders meant to hold CD collections, CD boxes designed to hold sleeves, a decorative box found in the home section or an inexpensive plastic storage box. For my music CDs, I used a small Sterilite Show Off box. It has over 70 sleeves and 18 plastic dividers in it. That means it holds 140 CDs (or 70 with books/cover)!
2. LET'S GO SHOPPING!
Before you can sit down and get to the task of organizing your CD collection, you need to have enough supplies on hand. eBay provides a one stop shop where you can get everything without using any gas in your car! And with the addition of eBay Express, you can get all your items together and use one simple checkout.
Our shopping list is interactive! Just go to the item in the list and select how you want to shop, Buy It for Buy It Now/Store items, Bid on It for bidding and Shop for It for eBay Express. If you would prefer to browse, you can find most of your supplies in two areas, DVD-R, CD-R & Blank Media under the Business & Industrial> Office, Printing & Shipping category and Accessories in the Music section.
Interactive Shopping List
All items may not be available in all areas of eBay.
3. TIME TO ORGANIZE!
You've done all your shopping and you have all your supplies so you're ready to set this system up. Now go collect all those CDs sitting throughout your house and pile them up on a table. Make sure you have your category and subcategory list handy along with how you divided up the colors. This project is simple enough - pick up a CD, take everything out of the case and move it to a sleeve. I found that it is easier to move all the CDs into their sleeves and then make all the labels.
When you are finished, look around you. See how much space those old plastic jewel cases were taking up. Then look at your new, sleek and skinny new system. Now if I want to listen to CDs in my car, I can carry my entire collection with me in the same space where I used to only have a handful.
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