So, you’re out on your own. Congrats! You have your own small house or apartment. It’s tiny, but it’s better than living in your parents’ basement.
The only problem is feeling almost like you can’t move around because you have so much stuff. Papers you wrote in high school. Books from college. Trophies. Clothes you’ve had since elementary school. An old recliner. Boxes of other things. Where can you put it all?
Here are 5 tips for creating more storage space in a small apartment or house. It’s time to Kondo your place!
1. Designate Hot Zones and Cold Zones
Do you remember telling someone they were getting hotter or colder when they were looking for something? That’s the idea behind this method of thinking about your storage ideas for small spaces, like a bedroom or kitchen.
Just decide that some hard-to-reach storage areas will be cold zones, which is where you’ll store seasonal decorations and other once-in-a-while items. An example of a cold zone is that weird little cabinet over the refrigerator. You’ll feel a little less cramped when you store things out of sight that you hardly ever use.
Keep things you use more often in hot zones. That can be extra rolls of toilet paper, certain dishes, and certain clothes.
2. Space-Saving Storage Items
If you’re near to the IKEA in Miami or Sunrise, you can head over and find a few cheap space-saving items.
You could get a rolling utility cart, for example, that can hold shoes, books beside your bed, or whatever else you want. It’s perfect storage for a small bedroom without a closet.
IKEA also has stackable beds, wall-mounted storage cabinets and shelves, nesting tables, and many other ways of creating storage space in a small apartment.
3. Toy Storage
What’s worse than getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stepping on a toy block or car in the dark? If you have kids, there are a lot of ways to store their toys on a budget. They might even have fun putting their toys away!
You can attach velcro to cheap fabric bags and attach them to the underside of a table. Or put outdoor toys in stainless steel or plastic buckets on recycled old shelves.
Get wheeled wooden carts that you can throw toys into and roll under a bed.
4. PVC Pipe Projects
There are some exciting uses for PVC pipe. “PVC” and “exciting” aren’t words you normally put together. But you gotta try these ideas!
Get new or used PVC pipe, connectors, glue, and a saw. That won’t cost much. Then, put them together into the shape of lamps, a toy car parking garage, or a tool holder for your garage or closet.
PVC creations can also go in the bathroom to hold a hairdryer, brushes, and iron, or they can hold towels and toilet paper if you get the right size. Finally, they can even be shaped into plant holders.
5. Self Storage Rentals
If you can put some of your extra things in a self storage unit, you’ll suddenly have a ton more room! Let out a sigh. You didn’t know you were holding it, huh? You could put your extra furniture in your unit and then swap out the furniture in a room every few months.
A storage unit is the ultimate cold zone for things you want to keep but don’t need to see very often. It’s one of the quickest ways to learn how to create storage in a small house.
So, call one of our Value Store It locations near you in south Florida. Check out our units and reserve one that fits your needs today.
