Having organized and optimal storage spaces is essential for everyday living. Having your items appropriately arranged and stored in the appropriate respective storage areas in your house and lot ensures efficiency.
Maximizing your home’s storage is key to saving time and energy because you will be able to know where your items are when you need them. Given this, this blog dives into great storage ideas that you should consider to get extra storage space!
Storage Tips to Maximize the Valuable Space in Your Home
1. Take stock of your storage items and spaces & declutter.
The first step to organizing your home’s storage is to take stock of what kinds of items are present in the different rooms and spaces in your house. List down and take note of what items you frequently use, and isolate worn-out, unnecessary items that you do not use anymore. Once you’ve accomplished this, throw out the unnecessary items to free up overall storage space in your house.
2. Organize items according to their frequent use and proximity.
With the numerous and various items that we keep in our house and lot, there are items that we frequently use more than others. This is important to consider when organizing your items when considering maximizing storage. Therefore, when it comes to items that you frequently use, make sure that they are placed within the level of your knees to your shoulders for easier access. You can also add organizers so that you can easily access items in your drawer space or closet space. And it makes the space more appealing to the eyes.
3. Place specific labels on storage containers.
When placing items in different storage units, you will not be able to memorize what every single container stores. Although making use of transparent containers will help lessen this issue, there may be specific items that get hidden within the container that you will forget that you ever placed them there. Hence, place labels on storage containers to make things systematic.
4. Use the free space above the level of your head.
The free space above your head is free space. This particularly refers to areas that are out of your reach when standing and require the use of step ladders or stools. Maximize this free space in your house and lot by placing items that you still need but don’t frequently use in the storage space above your head level.
5. Optimize vertical spaces in your house and lot.
Prioritizing horizontal spaces for storage organization eats up a lot of space. Make use of vertical spaces – stack containers on top of each other, have shelves that are arranged vertically, and utilize the back of your door as space for storage by attaching racks to it. Make use of walls that aren’t load-bearing by attaching shelves or something like a medicine cabinet. Maximize your floor space with this tip. This is crucial especially if you live in a space that has limited square footage.
6. Use the underside of staircases as a storage room.
The space on the underside of your house’s staircases can serve as storage space for your items. You can place storage chests, cleaning supplies, or items not used that frequently in this area to save space.
7. Double-duty furniture increases storage.
Double-duty furniture is great for maximizing your house and lot of storage space. This includes desks, footstools, Ottomans, and the like that can be opened up to store items within them. You can place specific items within this furniture according to the respective rooms that they are placed in (e.g., storing magazines in double-duty living room furniture). If you have a guest room, use a double-deck bed instead. You can use one part of the bed to store seldom-used items instead.
8. Have small bookshelves built.
Instead of stacking your books and putting them away in some drawer, installing a bookshelf in your bedroom or living is a good way to organize your books and maintain their quality. This not only maximizes storage space for your books, but it also enhances the aesthetic of your house and lot by serving as a nice décor.
9. Get creative with using “out-in-the-open” storage.
There are various ways to maximize storage areas in small spaces within your house. Having mesh filters as containers attached to the side of your desks is one good example of utilizing “out-in-the-open” storage.
10. Have racks and holders in your bathroom and laundry room.
The bathroom is typically the place where we use a bunch of items for our hygiene and self-care. To make things more systematic and convenient for you, have racks and holders attached to your bathroom. Examples of this include having a holder for your toothbrush and razor on the mirror, a rack for your towels, and a holder for your flat iron/hair straightener behind your bathroom’s cabinet door. Whereas in your laundry room, make use of a washer and dryer combo if you don’t have enough space. Your door, may it be a closet door, could also be a great place to store items. To do this, just add hooks behind the doors to add more storage space.
11. The space below the kitchen ceiling shouldn’t be ignored.
The space below the kitchen ceiling is typically underused in most homes. This free space can be maximized by installing storage shelves or cabinets in this free space for kitchenware that is not so frequently used to add more counter space. Just make sure to ensure safety by using an appropriate step ladder.
12. Maximize your kitchen’s efficiency by having a lid holder and a spice rack.
An excellent idea to implement in the kitchen of your house and lot is to have a lid holder that is non-slid and adjustable for holding the lids of pots and containers of kitchenware that you are using while cooking. On the other hand, a spice rack is great for having a systematic way of organizing small containers of sauces, condiments, and spices.
13. Utilize two-tier or three-tier shelves, corner shelves, and slide-out racks.
Two-tier and three-tier shelves and corner shelves are great for maximizing wall space in small spaces in your house and lot. Place these scaled-down versions of these shelves in your kitchen for mugs, plates, and glassware, or place the shelves in your bedroom for personal items. You can also make use of shallow shelves if you don’t want to drill deep into your walls.
14. Install shelves and racks across windows for space and natural light maximization.
Racks and shelves don’t have to be just installed on walls. Installing shelves and racks across windows lessens the need for lighting devices like lamps by accomplishing both the storage of items (e.g., having a pot rack across the kitchen window) and the maximization of natural light.
15. Ensure your house entryway has appropriate space and a mudroom bench.
The entryway of your house is what connects the outside world to the inside of your house and lot. Therefore, it is a good idea to make sure there is adequate space in your home’s entryway with appropriate shelves and racks for placing items and clothes that were used outside. Furthermore, having a mudroom bench lets family members have a bench to sit on while changing or removing shoes, while at the same time having storage space within the mudroom bench itself for maximum storage.
16. Have a storage unit outside of your living spaces.
For items that you still want to specifically store but rarely use, having a storage unit outside of your house is a good idea to have additional storage space. This way, you will be able to have more precious space within your house for items that you use more often.
Read more: Storage Ideas to Maximize Your Condo
