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ROOM IDEAS |
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FURNITURE IDEAS |
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SAFETY |
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Home Storage Ideas
Here are 50 clever ideas for boosting the space you have, without the expense of a renovation or addition.
- If you are short on wardrobe space, build in low drawers along one wall in a bedroom to store not only clothes, but CDs, books and DVDs. Make sure the labels are facing out.
- Bookshelves limited? Buy pre-drilled kits from your local hardware store that are ready to finish and install on the wall.
- Closets get unorganized when hangers get tangled together. Use plastic hangers, not wire, to keep clothes hanging straight and separately.
- Adjustable shelving inside a pantry gives you the flexibility you need to keep canned goods, pans and other cooking needs in order.
- Rather than an ad hoc collection of boxes beneath your bed, use plastic bins with castors so you can easily pull them out and push them in. You'll want lids to keep dust out of the contents.
- In a room with limited floor space, mount the TV on the wall with a special bracket.
- Narrow wall-mounted cabinets can be useful in small spaces.
- The secret to getting kids to put away their belongings is to implement an easy-to-follow storage system, labelling drawers or storage boxes with pictures and words, but just ensure you can change the labels or markings easily. Chalk perhaps?
- Cavity construction walls can be used for extra storage space, especially in small bathrooms or kitchens. These cavities can allow you to have recessed spaces for bottles and soaps. You'll need a skilled person to do this job.
- Items that need long-term storage should go in unused spaces like the attic or basement (unless you are using them). Even if you only have a small roof cavity, installing a roof ladder and covering rafters with plywood sheets or boards will give you a platform for this purpose.
- You can hang ladders and lengthy items from the garage ceiling with a block, tackle and pulley arrangement, making them easy to get down and put away when you are finished with them.
- A wheeled laundry sorter can be used to store sports gear and move it around easily. When not in use, just roll into a closet.
- Window seats and shelves around one wall of windows will provide a room with lots of extra storage.
- Pigeonhole-style shelves will allow you to display ornaments, photographs and keepsakes in the openings, as well as baskets for hiding bits and pieces.
- A collection of simple baskets is a great way to help clean up clutter.
- Use modular units (bookshelves, wall units, bed sets) so that you can match your storage needs to your requirements as they change.
- If you are willing to add a playful touch to your decor, stacked lunch boxes and school cases can hold bits and pieces.
- Mobile trolleys, like the ones used by hair stylists, can be very useful for the laundry, bathroom or children's bedroom.
- If you're short on storage, think laterally. Do you have a blank wall that could have floor-to-ceiling shelving built on it?
- For a decorative touch in the bathroom, use a spare fruit bowl and place in it some rolled up handtowels and a few nice soaps.
- A good way to organize spices is by cuisine type. Put all your Mexican or Indian spices together in a small container and label it to anyone can easily find what they need.
- Old plastic ice-cream containers can be used as caddies for messy pantry bottles like oil and sauces.
- Newspaper racks on the wall can look great in a family room or near a breakfast bar. They also get magazines off tables.
- Place recipes clipped from magazines or printed from the Internet in plastic sleeves, and then sotre the sleeves in a ringed binder. To help you find the recipe later, sort them by cuisine, preparation time, occasion or other category.
- Husk storage baskets are a stylish way to gather your bits and pieces. They come in a wide range of sizes and look great on shelves.
- Save your floor space and mount your TV and music equipment on the wall.
- Keep silver and silver-plated flatware in trays line with felt or velvet to prevent scratches.
- Store your sewing machine or PC inside a cabinet with a pull-out tray or drawer. It's not hard to convert existing cabinets or cupboards using hardware kitchen or office suppliers.
- Mount hooks for hanging coats and umbrellas at the front and back entrances of your home. Use a backing board, if you want to minimize holes.
- Add lighting to your wardrobes and other spaces that have shadows. This will help you see what is at the back.
- Hatboxes are wonderfully decorative for storage and inexpensive too.
- If lots of people use your bathroom, a cheap and effective way to ensure you have enough towel racks is to make a ladder of rails using dowel rungs glued in place. Prop the ladder against the wall so towels hang individually.
- A peg board can be used in many rooms or for small patches of wall. It is inexpensive and you can hang shelves, photo frames, hooks and lots of other useful items off it.
- If you have picture rails in your home, these can be u sed to keep clothes off the bedroom floor by putting hooks in them.
- If your refrigerator space is larger than the refrigerator, install pigeon holes that can hold wine bottles.
- Use a lazy susan in the bathroom cabinet as you would in the kitchen...to help you reach everything.
- Fix racks and hooks for ties and belts to the inside of wardrobe doors or even behind the bedroom door to free up space inside your wardrobe.
- On the shelf or in the refrigerator, square and rectangular storage containers use space far more efficiently than round ones.
- Keep boardgames under the sofa - their long and deep dimensions can make storage tricky. This way they are concealed but accessible.
- Scour vintage stores, flea markets, websites or stores for a clothing butler or valet stand - this is a wooden rack that takes up the space of a chair but does SO much more. You can properly hang a man's or woman's suit and it typically contains a tray for keys and small change.
- Label the shelves in your linen closet ("bath towels", "pillow slips") so that everyone who uses it knows exactly where items belong.
- Consider stacking two or possibly three medicine cabinets up a bathroom wall to give you extra storage and also a full length mirror.
- Store hairdryers and straighteners in a caddy, basket or bin that you can attach to a closet door or vanity.
- If you are short on walls, pin-up space can be found on the inside of cupboard doors or the wall between the kitchen counter and cabinets above.
- A stair landing could be used as a small office niche.
- Bookcases built beneath windows take up little floor space and can provide attractive storage space for books or to display ornaments and family photographs.
- Clear plastic containers or recycled glass jars are great in the shed or garage for storing small items like drill bits or nails.
- Keep unmatched socks safely in a basket or bin until their partners appear.
- Install a hanging pole near the clothes dryer so you can hang up shirts directly from the dryer.
- Set up a gift-wrapping center to include all the necessary supplies and a space to keep gifts until its time to give.
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