For most people, the option to extend their home or convert attics or basements is beyond their financial or practical reach. This means they must learn to live with the space they already have, which means they need to be more creative about storage. Here are some ideas for finding hidden storage space around the home that you may not have thought about.• If you’ve run out of horizontal space in the home, see if you can go vertical instead. Most rooms have at least 20 per cent of their volume area wasted, because it’s above the height of the furniture and the occupant’s heads. Think about space above sideboards, over doors and up walls to create more storage areas without impacting on the available floor space.
- Multipurpose furniture Families have to have certain things, such as beds, a sofa and somewhere to eat meals. When being creative about storage, consider where those things are earning their keep for the floor space they take up, or whether there might be another way. Sofas with under seat storage can be perfect for tucking away the kid’s toys, and footstools or coffee tables that double as DVD storage make it easy to keep the place tidy.
- Dead space You might think you’ve filled up your home to the max, but have you really? Consider the area where the two kitchen cupboards meet – usually dead space. Consider installing a sliding shelf in that corner to add to the storage space you have for pans or dry foods. Under the stairs is another area often wasted, so consider buying a roll away drawer or neat sized box to slip in here and make use of the available space.
- Self storage If you’ve really come to the end of the available space in your home, there is always the option to rent some self storage for things you don’t need every day. Self storage can come at a very reasonable cost, and is certainly cheaper than moving to a bigger home. Consider putting in things that are out of season, such as garden furniture in winter and heavy clothing in summer.
Finding a place for everything and putting everything in its place is the key to having a tidy, clutter free home. It might seem like a tough task right now, but once you’ve found a home for all your belongings, you’ll find it much easier to keep it that way. Of course, having less belongings in the first place can make the whole process much easier, so consider having a big clear out and then finding storage for only the things you really need.A garage use to be a place we stored our yard tools and cars but today, things have changed. We use our garage as a personal storage unit and tend to fill up as much square feet as we can manage. Knowing this, we need to rely storage devices and containers to keep our garage as organized as possible.
Here are a few types of garage storage devices you can install yourself and will help decrease clutter in your garage:
- Utility Shelves and Box Storage When you organize your garage, you need to properly plan where you want to place your items. Using utility shelving is a great way to keep all of your gear in one area. They also allow you to utilize vertical space with multiple shelves. These shelves can be made from wood or metal and you can even find them in a home improvement store.Using cardboard or plastic boxes is a great way to keep your smaller items that you cannot hang together. Using the same sized boxes on shelving keeps your garage organized and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Make sure to label all of your boxes on each side so you can find your stored materials easily.
- Overhead Storage We all can stack our items against walls but there is only so much space for that. Sometimes you can’t find a shelf that fits a certain space in your garage so turning to an overhead storage device is a great option. Overhead storage is a great option to keep things out of sight and perfect for items you only use a certain time of year like holiday decorations, winter clothes, outdoor furniture or camping gear. They come in various sizes and work in different ways. Some are fixed to the ceiling, some use pulleys or cranks. You need to understand what you store and how you are going to access the device before you install the overhead storage.
- Storing Behind Your Doors Our garage space is limited so you may have to come up with some clever storage options. Your doors are a great place to add a rack, a set of hooks or shelving to hang often used items. When you install, make sure they do not interfere with the door hinges or door handle.
- Small Storage Organizers Although used in a small place, plastic organizers can save you a lot of time and are great for storing screws, nails, nuts and bolts, and all of your other little parts around your garage. They can be stacked on shelves or stored in drawers to keep your work bench from clutter. It is also helpful to use these organizers as you will know where all of your items are.You can also use old jars or labeled zip lock bags to store the small essential items in your garage.
