Space-Saving Home Organization Ideas
Whether you want to remove clutter from your home or are just trying to make better use of existing space, these space-saving home organization ideas are sure to improve your quality of life. We’ve found some of the best ideas from professional organizers and mothers of small children.
Don’t forget to think about functionality for your family unit. Ideally, you keep things where you need them. Also keep in mind who is going to clean it. Removing doors to open up shelf space also opens those shelves up for dusting and little fingers (if applicable).
Electronic Space
The most effective space for paperwork is the computer. A lot of utility companies and banks are going paperless, where you can receive your statement in an email or find it stored on their website. You can store almost anything you can put into a filing cabinet electronically: bills, statements, correspondence, excuse notes… Unlike traditional methods of storing paperwork, if you back up your computer to an online source like mozy.com on a daily basis, you’ll salvage all that information in the case of a fire or flood.
Electronic storage isn’t reserved only for documents. Music and movies can be stored as a file easier than as a DVD at risk of getting scratched. Thumb drives take up less space if you need external memory.
Destination Station
Lorie Marrero, a professional organizer who started The Clutter Diet, suggests having a destination station where you enter and exit. This place can house items like car keys, wallets, sunglasses, phones, chargers, briefcases, backpacks, shoes, coats, scarves, mail, etc. Many people have found it helpful to take a bookshelf and transform it by adding hooks, a bench, a dry erase board and storage totes. You can also have a storage tote full of “refills” for your purse or pockets like mints, gum, tissues, lotion, hand sanitizer, extra sunglasses, etc. A storage bench provides both a seating place and extra storage. You can plug in phone chargers and tack the cord in place for a consistent area to charge your phone as soon as you enter your home.
Drawers
Look for opportunities to install a drawer. Staircases have room to install drawers in the area behind each step. There may be a lot of tall, skinny unused space discovered in your home in between things like the refrigerator and cabinets or the bathroom sink and toilet. You can install a tall, slender drawer to roll out with shelving or maybe a bin for extra things. In the kitchen, a drawer could hold spices or baking goods. In the bathroom, it could hold toiletries or extra toilet paper. The horizontal appeal of the shelf is used via the depth of the drawer.
Ladders
You can take an old wooden ladder and lean it up against the wall to store blankets, towels, or use it as a line-dry method for laundry. If you build shelves from ceiling to floor, a ladder on wheels, like that found in a library, would put things out of reach, into reach.
Give Storage Equipment a Different Use
The items professionals use to organize and store their things can be also be used in the home for different purposes. Old filing cabinets, Industrial Shelving, Library Card Catalogs and tool boxes can be revamped into home storage. A large, red industrial tool box is not only one of the best places to store paper and artwork, but it adds a splash of colour to the room. A library card catalog can be a perfect recipe box.
Wall Shelving
You can purchase shelves directly for the wall to add a place for extra items like soap, hand sanitizer and air freshener for the bathroom. One idea is to place the shelf directly above a picture and line the shelf underneath with battery-operated, gold Christmas Tree lights to provide lighting for the picture.
You can also get creative and make your own shelves; for instance, taking large pieces of cardboard tubing and hanging it on the wall can make circular shelves for small throws or knitting accessories. A circular shelf for each family member in the bedroom is a great place to store the next day’s planned outfits.
Making space in your home and being more organized is easy with these creative ideas. Always keep what’s working for you, but change the methods for things that aren’t. The key is to think outside of the box. I bet you could come up with 25 different ways to use a magnetic strip in your home organization. Next time you see an armoire for sale, think of all the different ways you can use it in your home.
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