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Top 10 Storage Ideas to Get Your House in Order

Thu 14 May 2009 - 12:54

Top 10 Storage Ideas to Get Your House in Order
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Deborah_R_Dunn]Deborah R Dunn

Get your imagination going with these great storage ideas.

Don't be fooled into thinking that home organization is all about having your drawers, closet, garage or kitchen perfect. No, that is not the important thing. Being able to find what you are looking for when you need it is the most important thing. To help you with this, here are 10 storage solutions:

Store items as close to the place where they will be used most often. So for example, keep your mugs and cups close by to the kettle, store your iron where you will be ironing your clothes, if you do exercises in front of the T.V then perhaps store your exercise in a lounge room cupboard or behind the sofa.

Whether it's closet storage or kitchen storage, store the items you use most often in the most accessible places. Near the front of a shelf or in the top drawers

Make finding things as easy as storing things. If you use generic storage containers then choosing clear, see-through storage containers means that you can quickly assess if it's the item you need. This goes for under the bed storage tubs to storage canisters in your pantry.

Another cheap storage idea is to give every item a 'home'. Whenever you acquire new items, you need to allocate a place where it 'lives'. Once this is known by everyone, it's very easy to find it next time because it will be where you expect it to be! This is probably one of the best secrets to storage. The idea is to be able to have your house looking neat but also to be able to find things quickly. Every item MUST go back to the same place every time. From your rice cooker and vegetable peeler to the peg bag and sticky tape dispenser!

Select cheap storage solutions that match the room or space not because you like the box or basket! I have a house with small rooms, so selecting storage solutions that take up floor space are not really an option. They must be able to fit under the bed or in the closet. They must be stackable and clear and be on wheels so it's easy to move them around. Know what your house and room needs are before you select your storage options.

Thinking of closet storage: In your cupboards with only hanging space, you can move sets of drawers into them to free up floor space. You can also hang towel rods on the inside of cupboard doors for scarves and belts or tablecloths if it's your linen closet.

Garage Storage: Out in the garage you can set up hooks and hangers from the ceiling to store items such as bikes. Alternatively, put some boards across the rafters to make a mini mezzanine floor or loft. This is a good place to store seasonal items such as Christmas decorations or lawn furniture. A third option would be to build a high border shelf around the perimeter of the room.

Use or build coffee tables that are enclosed and have cupboards or shelves underneath them to store magazines, CD's and other items in your lounge room.

Hang surround sound speakers on the walls to free up floor space.

Use the space behind the sofa and couch to store unsightly or cluttered looking objects that you need handy in the lounge room. For example, our internet cables and phone connections are stored neatly behind our sofa. Throw blankets, extra pillows for movie nights or exercise mats can also be stored neatly in a box behind a couch.

Don't be limited by these storage ideas. Hopefully they will inspire you to many other ways you can use storage solutions within each room and cupboard within your home!

Deborah Dunn is a freelance writer, teacher and mother of two. Her site http://www.OrganizeOurFamily.com will help you work through each area of of your home and family life to bring order to chaos and enjoyment to the family you love.

A Getting started guide which contains a self assessment survey and a 3 Step Plan for Teaching Your Family Home Organization is also available. To access all the valuable tools and resources at this site go to http://www.OrganizeOurFamily.com now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_R_Dunn http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-10-Storage-Ideas-to-Get-Your-House-in-Order&id=2305012


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