You Dont Need a Lot of Space to be Organized!
Organizing your home is one thingorganizing small spaces is another! But dont let limited space limit your creativity! Rather, challenge yourself to find new purposeful ideas to store your items.
Youll be relieved to know that there is not a right or wrong way to organizeits organizing in a way that is best for you and your family. Organizing small spaces for families has additional challenges because it means that there are more people who have to follow the rules. But, with practical, functional, and easy-to-use organization techniques, your family will be more likely to accommodate with your system.
Take your familys daily activities into consideration. What you think might be the best organization plan, might not actually serve their needs. Keep a close eye on everyones habits to see how everyone can best benefit from organizing small spaces.
Whether you are dealing with a small house, a small apartment, or a small room, you will find some helpful tips below to help your efforts in organizing small spaces.
Tips for Any Small Room:
Choose vertical shelves rather than horizontal. These will fill up empty wall space and give you more floor space.
If you are really serious about shelves, consider shelving out an entire wall. On this wall you could attractively house a TV, electronic equipment, books, and knick-knacks. Use the upper shelves for showcasing pretty accessories, while keeping the lower shelves for items you use more often, such as books, DVDs, etc.
Select furniture that doubles as storage space. For example, an ottoman that has storage underneath or a short bookcase as a night stand.
Use an armoire for any room of the house. They are great for storing TVs and electrical equipment in the family room, a microwave or extra serving ware in the breakfast nook, TV or clothes in the bedroom, and linens and toiletries in the bathroom.
Tips for the Small Kitchen:
Create control in the kitchen. Add shelving between the counter and the cupboards to store extra utensils in a pretty vase or other knick knacks. This will save your countertop space for the bigger items.
Add wire racks to the cupboards. This gives you more room to neatly stack spices and food items.
Use a ceiling or wall pot rack. This cleverly saves cupboard space, plus makes your pots and pans convenient for cooking.
Tips for the Small Bedroom:
Utilize the space under your bed for long, shallow plastic containers. These are great for storing out-of-season clothes, extra linens, wrapping paper, and more.
If you have a night stand with an open bottom, cover it with a pretty table cover so you can add storage below it.
Shelves can be a dramatic addition to a bedroom. Arranged in unique patterns or designs, you can add a lot of pretty accessories without taking up dresser space. These shelves are great for picture frames, candles, flowers, and other personal items.
Tips for the Small Bathroom:
Use your medicine cabinet for personal care products you use everyday (for example, toothbrush, deodorant, and face soap), not just medicine.
Use clear, plastic pull-out drawers under the sink to store extra cosmetics and toiletries. Perhaps give each person who uses the bathroom their own drawer.
Save drawer space and use a clear, over-the-door shoe rack to hold small items such as hair accessories, nail clippers, tweezers, hair trimmers, Q-tips, band-aids, etc. organized.
Tips for the Small Home Office:
Select a desk that gives you room to add credenza for more vertical storage.
To avoid clutter on your desk, invest in a printer stand to house your printer, printer paper, and printer cartridges.
Utilize the space beneath a desk. Add plastic drawers to store extra supplies.
Tips for the Mudroom:
Keep mudrooms supplied with plenty of storage space so no one tracks through the house with muddy shoes. Giving each person their own space for shoes, coats, and gloves will keep this entryway organized and clean.
Consider adding a bench that provides storage underneath.
Hooks are a smart way to free up small closet space.
Tips for the Laundry Room:
Add shelves or cupboards above the washing machine and dryer, or any available wall space.
Attach a wall-mounted drying rack to save floor space.
Repurpose a broom closet into a pullout pantry to store extra supplies.
When you take the time to find a purpose and a place for every item in your home, you will find that organizing small spaces can be a fun and rewarding activity.
Copyright 2005 by Kathleen Elias - Editors are welcome to use this article for content as long as the article and author biography are reprinted in their entirety and an active weblink remains intact.
About the Author
Kathleen Elias is the editor of www.Home-Organizing-Ideas.com, a website focused on organizing your home room by room. It offers original ideas, expert advice, and a monthly newsletter to help you reach your organizing goals. To contact the editor or find more information on organizing your home and life visit www.Home-Organizing-Ideas.com.
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