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Whether it’s clothing, kitchen supplies, or makeup, many of us find ourselves overwhelmed with too much stuff. Despite regular decluttering efforts, it can be challenging to find adequate storage for everything. You may believe you’ve utilized every inch of your home, but there are likely secret storage spots you’ve forgotten about. Here are six hidden storage areas within your home that you may have overlooked.
Meet Our Expert Panel:
– Hillary Forst and Jamie Andrieu, professional organizers and co-founders of Sorted & Styled
– Kat Green, ADHD organizing specialist, coach, and founder of Badass Homelife LLC
– Briana and Erica Spruille, professional organizers and founders of Just BE LLC
1. Empty Luggage:
Kat Green advises her clients to repurpose their luggage for storage beyond travel purposes. By utilizing suitcases to store seasonal clothing, using vacuum bags for organization, and ensuring accessibility for travel needs, you can optimize space and functionality, especially in smaller living areas.
2. Under the Bed:
Make use of the space under your bed for storing smaller items like exercise equipment, extra bedding, and linens. Green suggests using clear totes for this purpose, as they fit conveniently under most beds and sofas.
3. The Top of the Closet:
Utilize the top shelves of your closets for storing items such as luggage, keepsake boxes, and other belongings that are not accessed daily. These high shelves offer ample storage space for items that require a designated place within your home.
4. Walls:
Briana and Erica Spruille recommend using wall storage solutions like hooks, floating shelves, and steel rods to maximize space for hanging bags, kitchen towels, umbrellas, or keys. These storage options are ideal for frequently accessed items and can be placed in various areas of your home.
5. Doors:
Doors offer additional storage opportunities, particularly bathroom doors. Consider hanging items like robes or shelf organizers for towels and toiletries. Utilize hooks inside cabinets to store cleaning supplies, dish towels, or other essentials.
Take advantage of over-the-door shoe organizers for efficient storage solutions. Recently, Forst and Andrieu organized a family living in an RV full-time, highlighting the versatility and effectiveness of door storage options.
I love this clever trick of using an over-the-door shoe organizer to store the kids’ arts and crafts supplies. Instead of shoes, the pockets are filled with crayons, markers, glue, scissors, and pipe cleaners.
An often overlooked storage space is the area under the stairs in some homes. Forst and Andrieu have been helping homeowners transform these spaces into practical storage solutions. They created a custom mudroom with a designated drop zone for purses, bags, and backpacks, a shoe storage cabinet, and hooks for jackets and umbrellas. The space is completed with cubbies filled with hyacinth baskets holding warm-weather accessories like gloves, hats, and scarves.
For more home organization ideas, check out the original article on Real Simple.
