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08-25-2008 at 4:58 PM
Horse_n_hound
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Elk Grove, CA
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Horse_n_hound is not online. Last active: 11-21-2008, 11:18 AMBronze

Where do you find extra storage?

We're a family of four in an 1100 sq. ft house.  There's not a lot of storage space, and I'm always trying to declutter to fit our belongings in our home. So I'd love some suggestions on "new and different" places to store stuff.  One suggestion I swear by now is keeping the spare clean sheets between the mattress and box spring or *on* the bed (make bed, add extra mattress protector and make bed again).

What are some of your creative storage ideas?

08-25-2008 at 5:18 PM
Ms.MKBT
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Central IL
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We have a smaller home that is about 1000 sq. ft. so I know where you are coming from!  Every piece of furniture that possibly can be is dual purpose...  our coffe table opens and we put linens in it, our sofa in the guest room is a futon and has storage underneath.  We don't keep a lot of things we don't need and the things we have are kept to a minimum.  There has to be a space for them.  Another tip is to get closet organizers.  We have two racks in the closet and a tall unit with shelves- it holds phto albums, etc.  We also have two muscle racks in the basement that hold totes of extra sheets, small appliances that don't get used often, etc. 
08-25-2008 at 5:46 PM
Aliki
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New Jersey
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Aliki is not online. Last active: 12-04-2008, 5:37 PMSilver

Get those chairs that double as a storage space underneath.

Raise your bed up so that you can store underneath.

Make lots of shelvings in every closet possible.


 
08-25-2008 at 5:50 PM
Horse_n_hound
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Horse_n_hound is not online. Last active: 11-21-2008, 11:18 AMBronze

sigh - oh to have a basement would be lovely!  Instead we have a 1 car garage that hardly fits our bicycles and camping gear!

I did get closet organizers, they were a must to fit all our clothes in our room.  Even so, my husbands Army uniforms are in our son's room, and my dresses are in my daughter's closet. Maybe I can squeeze some shelves in each of those closets too.

I think I'll probably raise my bed a few inches and get more plastic bins to store things underneath.

And we need to have another Fling. I think we're up to 5 sets of sheets, so 2 or 3 of those need to GO!

08-25-2008 at 5:54 PM
smurfette2682
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Long Island, NY
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we are in a tiny condo....a few things we do:

we have the couch placed about 8 or 10" off the wall, behind it we have folding chairs and folding tables for when we have alot of guests...

as pp said, under-bed storage

above our kitchen cabinets is that "dead space" where alot of people put fake plants and crap-- we have wine racks up there to create a sort of "wine attic"

re-evaluate belongings and de-clutter ALL THE TIME









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08-25-2008 at 5:58 PM
Horse_n_hound
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Ooh, good thought on the dead space in the kitchen!  It's not big enough to store most items, but wine could go there!  Maybe I can also hide the juicer, rolling pin and mandolin I never use!
08-25-2008 at 6:07 PM
smurfette2682
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i had found great wine racks at pier 1----- each one holds 4 bottles, and in the store they have them stacked to make huge towers.  2 racks stacked on top of each other fit perfectly above the cabinets and i lined the top with them.  Everyone who comes over loves them! 








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08-25-2008 at 7:57 PM
Squishy'sGal
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I store my out of season clothes in our suitcases.  I put things under and inside anything I can find.

I love Jesus...but I drink a little. 
08-25-2008 at 8:51 PM
abarrett
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Cleveland Area
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My kitchen doesn't have much storage space, and my pantry is in a different room.  I use the pantry for storage of everything from dry goods and baking pans to cat food, lightbulbs, and vacuum filters.  I can't be too selective about what goes in the pantry - everything has to go in there - and neatly!

"When I punch you in the eye, that means shut up." - Pinky

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08-26-2008 at 12:47 AM
Kate-e-did
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I use clear storage bins in the closets and combine items in the bin. For example, instead of having the extra toilet paper, shampoo, soap etc. all spaced out in the closet, I put them together in a bin. That way they are easy to find and I can maximize the storage space.

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. 
08-26-2008 at 7:11 AM
TheSpark'sParadise
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Madison, IN
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We have a laundry closet rather than a room and we bought front loaders so that we could stack them on top of one another.  The extra space left plenty of room for a shelving unit. If you have attic space rather than just tossing boxes in there, buy some inexpensive free standing shelves and put boxes/totes on them.  It will make everything easier to find and up off the floor.  I always keep canvas totes on the bookshelves to pick up those odd items quickly.

I LOVE the wine rack idea!!  I will admit I am guilty of the fake flowers and crap.... 

 

 
08-26-2008 at 8:38 AM
JJcre8
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New Jersey
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We live in a tiny ranch.  It's older with minimal closet space.  I got so spoiled in my parents house, it was new construction with huge closets around every corner... maybe someday.  Until then, my husband and I purge regularly, and find storage wherever we can.  We luck out by having a basement and a deep garage.  I keep making the poor guy build closets wherever we have "spare room."  I would suggest walking through IKEA.  They have those sample homes and rooms setup to utilize small space living.  Even if you don't like their style, they might give you some sparks of ideas.  Good luck!

Best,
JJ 
08-26-2008 at 9:06 AM
mandms08
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Indiana
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I think everybody gave great advice. Dual-purpose furniture, closet organizers, under-the-bed storage with the bed risers. My house is small too--about 1200 sf. The biggest help has been to purge items. For instance, think about all those extra kitchen gadets. Do I really need a smoothy mixer when I have a blender and only make smoothies a few times a year? It was amazing all the crap I had that I didn't use. I'm constantly running to Goodwill every few week, and honestly, my house seems so much larger.

My Bio

My House Blog: She wasn't Pretty


Never go to bed angry... instead, stay up and plot your revenge. 
08-26-2008 at 9:08 AM
mandms08
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Also, think vertical storage. Look up. There is probably a lot of space on your walls. Think about some floating shelves with storage boxes on them. You could do something like what I have in my LR (PIB) but have 5 of them lined up. It's a fairly inexpensive with some Ikea shelves and boxes.

My Bio

My House Blog: She wasn't Pretty


Never go to bed angry... instead, stay up and plot your revenge. 
08-26-2008 at 11:07 AM
Horse_n_hound
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Great thoughts girls!  I think I'll hit up Dollar tree for some additional clear storage boxes and put those garage and closet shelves to better use. Ooh, I still have gift cards to Lowe's too...I might even be able to buy more garage shelving units for all the military gear!
08-26-2008 at 3:11 PM
pattymctatty
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Definitely go vertical! Our new house was built in 1890 - the closets are less than one foot deep (gross!), so we have tall armoires, one for us, one for towels & sheets. We bought an island for more kitchen storage and we definitely do under the bed stuff. Take a look at Ikea, Bed Bath & Beyond, and the Container store to get a few ideas of what you're able to do.

 Good luck!

08-27-2008 at 2:58 PM
wellington
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Hudson, NH
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Hi,  One thing that I use is over the door shoe organizers in the laundry room and linen closet.  It holds lots of little bottles (shampoo, deoderant, Qtips etc) so that they do not take up the space on the shelves.  Gives me more room for towels etc etc. I also use one in the spare bedroom/office for misc stuff that I cannot find a home for.  Decorative boxes hold lots of stuff too (pictures, bills, etc) and you stack them up in a corner and they look nice. 
 
08-28-2008 at 7:44 PM
mgfit1
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MI
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In my laundry room we installed cabinets and I house my kitchen overflow in there.  On top of the cabinets I have some cute baskets from Homegoods that have lids on them.  I store all kinds of things in there like table clothes and party goods and some craft items.  The baskets look really cute up there too.  In the laundry room I also created space for my son's coats, hats and shoes.  I put a set of hooks hanging on the wall behind the laundry room door for his coats.  On the back of the door I have one of those mesh, over-the-door hanging shoe racks.  I put his hats, mittens, shoes in there.  I also added a mail center on the wall in the laundry room (which is right off my kitchen).  I have a few racks that hang on the wall for bills, things to be filed, things to review, new magazines and a bulletin board/eraser board.  It helps keep the paper clutter off my kitchen counter.  Under our sinks in the bathrooms I bought those stacking plastic containers that open like drawers.  I stacked them as high as they could go in the cabinet and use the vertical space.  I have my brushes/combs, make up, extra soap, etc... in them.  I also added some of these in my linen closet to hold smaller things...soap, shampoo, conditioner, sunblock, etc.... I also hung a cute white cabinet over the toilet in my last house to store TP and extra bathroom supplies.  In my kitchen I take advantage of the top shelf which is hard to reach because I am only 5'3".  I bought cute plastic baskets to put up there that I can just barely reach and grab to pull down.  I store my baking supplies (chocolate chips, baking soda, vanilla, etc....) in one and all of my spices in the other.  I just pull it out and put it on the counter and get what I need and slide it back up there.  I also bought furniture with storage (I have a bench with cubbies in my FR housing a lot of my son's small toys/books). 
08-28-2008 at 11:25 PM
glittergal73
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Pegboard inside of closets with pegs for bags, storage, etc. on every side wall.  I also like to store new garbage bags in the bottom of the trash cans.  You empty the trash and a new one is right there for convenience.  I also bought an extra medicine cabinet just for makeup/toiletries.  I like the 3-drawer storage carts you can get at Target for crafts, etc.  I even put these inside of closets for accessories.




No one in the world needs a mink coat but a mink. ~Murray Banks 

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