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Home & Garden Articles
Are You a Space Waster?
Tue 23 Jan 2007 - 12:22
Are You a Space Waster?
By Tracy Alt
Have you completely run out of storage space in your home? If you answered yes, you might be a space waster. Take a look at these storage ideas. I bet there is at least one that you can take advantage of to maximize your options and uncover storage space you never knew you had.
Outside Storage. If you have a garage or shed, are you using it to it's full potential? Take a look around your garage and think about what you use it for. Do you have a lot of sporting equipment stored in there? If so, do you have it just thrown in a corner or did you take the time to purchase or build a storage system to keep it all neat and easily accessible?
Do you store seasonal items in your garage? If so, is it sitting neatly on shelving or piled on the floor?
Look up. Do you have enough height in your garage to add overhead storage in the form of a loft?
As for a shed, do you own one? If not, could you use one? You can purchase plans to build one out of wood or you can go to your local home improvement store and purchase a shed made out of weather-resistant material that essentially snaps together. How much easier could it get?
Whether you already have a shed or are considering adding one, maximize the space inside of it. Add shelving to store gardening supplies. Install hooks on the interior walls to hang rakes and shovels. Think about what you will store in the shed and accessorize accordingly.
Closets. Closets are probably the biggest offenders when it comes to wasted space. Do you have closets that you are afraid to open without wearing a hard hat? Or are you the minimalist that sees only the hanging rack and no other possibilities? You don't have to spend a lot of money having a professional install a closet organization system to maximize the space that you have. All you need is a little imagination and ingenuity.
Take the old dresser that you have stashed away in the basement and place it in the closet for instant drawer storage.
Save shoe boxes to stack neatly on the overhead shelf. Use the shoe boxes to store anything from old tax returns to .... say.....shoes. Just make sure to label the outsides so you know at a glance what is in each box.
Storing your luggage on the floor of the closet? Why not multi-task? Fold your extra blankets and put them inside the suitcases then stack the suitcases on top of each other.
Have a handy person in your life? Ask them to install some shelving for you, suited to fit your needs
You are only limited by your imagination.
The Laundry Room. Adding cabinets or shelving to a laundry room is a great and often overlooked way to increase storage. A mesh-style metal shelf can perform double duty if you use it to store your laundry needs and as a drying station by simply hanging hangers through the mesh. Add some cabinets above for less frequently used items and away you go.
Kitchen Cabinets. If you open up your kitchen cabinets and think that your storage space is limited to the number of shelves that you see, you are in for a surprise. Take a trip to your local home goods store and keep your eyes peeled in the kitchen department. There are countless products on the market today designed to maximize kitchen cabinet storage. Whether it is a rack that provides an extra "shelf" above a stack of dishes, hooks to hang your mugs from to provide extra space underneath them, or drawer units that fit on an existing shelf to store small, often-used items, there is virtually no limit to what you can do to take full advantage of the space behind those cabinet doors.
Under Beds. It is so easy to create storage space under beds. Whether you purchase large, flat, plastic storage containers or build your own you are missing out if you are not taking advantage of all of this extra space.
The most creative idea that I have seen for under bed storage was to construct "drawers" out of wood. Each drawer would be the width of the bed. The drawer would have a solid bottom and four sides and would sit on casters. Each drawer would have a "handle" made out of rope or canvas strips stapled to each short side. The drawers would be placed side by side under the bed and there would be as many as would fit under the length of the bed. The drawers could be labeled as to what is in them and could easily be pulled out by the handles from either side of the bed. Of course a decorative dust ruffle would cover them up nicely and only you would know exactly what is stashed under your bed.
Under Staircases. Staircases provide the perfect opportunity to take advantage of what could be wasted space. Whether you close the area in and turn it into a closet or build shelves to fit the space, there is plenty of storage waiting to be utilized underneath your stairs.
Double-Duty Furniture. When you are purchasing furniture, keep storage space in mind. The most common example of this idea is probably the storage ottoman. The person who came up with this concept was really on to something. An ottoman that opens up to reveal storage space inside - what a fabulous idea!
Don't let your creativity be limited to what you can find in a store, though. Why not turn a blanket chest into a coffee table, or stack antique suitcases to create a side table? Virtually any object that has the ability to store something inside of it can be re-purposed into a piece of furniture with added storage space. I have even seen somebody place an old two drawer filing cabinet in their living room. Topped with a piece of round glass or wood and a floor-length table cloth the average person would simply see a beautiful side table. Nobody would ever know that all of the household bills and important papers were stored underneath!
These options are only meant to provide jumping off points and give you an idea of the different ways you can create storage space in places where you thought you had none.
With these types of ideas in mind, take a look around your home with an open mind and a new perspective. Don't be a space waster.
Tips to Organize Life is the website that provides shortcuts, tips and tricks to help you get things done faster and better.
Tips to Organize Life focuses on all aspects of life, including organizing your home, cooking, entertaining, money management, children, communication, gardening, planning for emergencies and more.
http://www.tips-to-organize-life.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Alt
http://EzineArticles.com/?Are-You-a-Space-Waster?&id=425281
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