Smarter Home Storage Secrets

In today’s fast-paced world, a home that is organised, tidy, and clutter-free makes life that little bit easier. However, with so many devices, gadgets, and accessories that need to be stored, finding the right storage solutions can be a challenge. 

Use Your Vertical Space

Making full use of wall shelves, storage racks, and other wall-mounted storage solutions frees up floor space and makes it easier to access and organise your items.

You can place them high up for valuable or precious things you want to keep out of little fingers’ reach or have low, colourful shelves for playthings you want to encourage toddlers to use.

Choose a shelf type that complements the rest of your décor, going simple and streamlined or ornate and fancy so they become part of your styling rather than purely functional additions.

Use shelves in cupboards and cabinets, too. Risers in kitchen cupboards are especially useful as having ingredients or condiments at different heights saves time rummaging around to find things hiding at the back. And there’s something strangely satisfying about a neat and organised kitchen cabinet.

Get More Multi-Function Furniture

Investing in multi-functional furniture is another great way to save or create more space in your home. 

For example, a sofa bed can serve as both a comfortable place to sit and a spare bed for guests, so can be a great addition to spare rooms you also want to use for other activities.

An ottoman bed can also be a brilliant way to gain more space and keep items organised. The main part of these beds lifts up so you could store all of your bedding in there or all your out-of-season clothes, freeing up space elsewhere. They look really stylish, too.

Downstairs, a coffee table with built-in storage provides a place to store books, magazines, and other items. Side tables with drawers are useful for often-used items you want to keep close, things like hobby kits or the TV remote and phone charging cables.

Maximise Closet Space

Wardrobes are often overlooked as a storage solution, but they can be an excellent way to maximise space in your home. Use closet organisers like hanging shelves, shoe racks, and storage bins to keep your wardrobe tidy and organised.

You could add additional rails, fix hooks inside doors, put a shelf over the rail for folded items, or just use ring pulls off cans to connect clothes hangers to each other.

If your wardrobe is bursting at the seams with clothes you’re not wearing now, consider using self-storage for out-of-season items. When you don’t have to sift through heavy coats and winter boots to find your shorts and T-shirts, life is a lot less frustrating, and storage unit cost per month can be less than you’d imagine.

Organise with Containers

Using containers to organise your smaller possessions is a simple and effective way to stay clutter-free without too much effort. Like shelves, container storage offers a multitude of choices when it comes to style. You can go for large transparent tubs for under-bed storage or small, pretty baskets for the dressing table or bathroom.

But you don’t necessarily have to buy containers. For purely practical purposes, a washed ice cream container is a useful receptacle for spice jars and bottles in the kitchen cabinet, or you could save empty jam jars (or those lovely, oversized, gherkin jars) for small toy figurines, button collections, even sweets and treats or as a piggy bank.

Self-Storage Tips

If the idea of self storage appeals but you’ve never considered it before, you might be wondering how self storage works and where to start. 

• Consider location. Ideally, it should be close to home and easy to get to.
• Think about access. Look for a facility with good parking, trolleys you can use and lifts to upper storage areas, especially if you want to store larger items such as furnishings or garden machinery and tools.
• Ask about security. Is there CCTV, are storage units alarmed, for instance?
• Consider costs. Self storage costs might be lower than you’d expect, but you still don’t want to pay more than you need. Ask about different room sizes or the availability of lockers so the space you’re renting is right for you.
• Check on opening hours so you know you can get to your possessions when you need to.

Everybody has an individual approach to home storage and organisation, and there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. Whatever works for you is the right way. The important bit is getting down to it so you can create a roomier living space, whether you’re organising a tiny home or a mansion.

This is a collaborative post.