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Home : Get organized : Storage solutions : More Storage from the Space You Have
More Storage from the Space You Have
Form the corners of your closets the drawers that pull out in your kitchen, you would be surprised at just how much space you can find in your home that is not being put to good use. Do any of us really ever have enough space? Do we ever get rid of enough things to make us feel comfortable about our storage areas? If you are like me, you always have to many things for the space where it belongs. In this article I want to tell you more about where to find more storage space all over your home.Â
No matter how much space we seem to create, buying more to fill up those spaces seems to be an overwhelming habit for many people. The first step in finding more space in your home is going to be cutting back on the things that you buy, and what you store that you really don’t need. Do you need that box from Christmas stored in the laundry room or should it be in the attic? Should those balls and bats be in the kitchen corner or in the basement? Do you really need four boxes of garbage bags stored in the kitchen or can you get away with just two at a time? These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself.Â
We all save jars, stock up on stuff, buy extras, buy in bulk, and keep more stuff on hand as we find those great bargains. Putting them out of site is going to help you start finding more space! Extra paper towels, garbage bags, paper plates, and even extra laundry detergent and cleaning items that we find great bargains on can be stored in the attic. Storing these items right up the stairs or right inside the door of the attic is going to free up space in your kitchen and in the laundry room alike.Â
To find more space in the shelf areas for your kitchen and in the laundry, start using shelving. If you have a cupboard that is just a big open space without shelves, at least half of the space is going unused. Putting some type of vinyl wire coated shelving in the cupboard is going to give you more space than you had so you can put different items or more items nicely in this cupboard. If you use it for pots and pans, you can keep more pans in one cupboard, if you are putting canned goods in the cupboard you may even be able to put three shelves in this cupboard getting triple the space that you had before!
If you find that inside your cupboards below the sinks in the kitchen or in the bathroom are open areas that are wasting away you can use vinyl wire shelving in this area as well. These types of shelving are great because you can move them in case you have to work on the sink it self. There are all types of hangers and hooks that you can put right inside the door to use as hangers for your wash clothes, rags, and towels or even your cleaning towels and rags so they are kept dry and out of the way. Some types of garbage cans are going to fit right in this space and slide out while others are going to hook nicely to the door if you would like one that swings out for your use.Â
Stacking more items in spaces where you have space going up instead out sideways is going to help you fit more in the cupboards and drawers. Standing boxes on top of each others, stacking cans on top of each other, and putting them in the cupboard so they fit nicely is going to give you more space as well.Â
If you find that your dishes are taking up too much space, you might want to look for some new dishes. Thick glass, or ceramic type dishes are just that, thick. Corell or thinner types of dishes will take up ½ to ¼ of the space and will last so much longer as they are not going to break as easy. It is an investment that very well will create more space in your kitchen. The dishes that used to take up three to four shelves could easily fit into just two!
Look at your cups, drinking glass and your mug cupboard. Most of us have this cupboard that just seems to be over flowing, nothing matches, and it is always on the verge of having something fall out. Throw some of them away to create more space! Get rid of the chipped glasses, the things that you don’t like and start focusing on the items that you use more. Do you need fourteen mugs in the cupboard? There are just four of you in the house, so keeping six on hand is really all you need. If you don’t like the idea of throwing anything away give them away to a home that doesn’t have much or to a charity that can really put these items to use.Â
Lazy susans in corner cupboards and in cupboards in strange places such as above the stove or above the fridge are going to help you make the most of these spaces, while still be able to see what you have in that space. Lazy susans are small round turn tables that are going to move with a slight touch of your hand. Turning the lazy susan you can see what you have in the cupboard without forgetting about anything. This could include spices, certain containers, foods, and small items or cans, depending on the size of your cupboard and the size of your lazy susan!
All types of hanging boards can be added to the kitchen. Under the cupboards you can find a space to hang your special glasses while putting them on display at the same time.Â
Behind the stove on the wall, you can hang a container that will hold all those large utensils that just don’t fit well in the drawers, yet keep them close at hand for when you want them most.Â
A large ceramic or metal container can sit on the counter top to hold those large utensils that you use most in the kitchen but you feel they are overwhelming those already full drawers in the kitchen. Remember; keep only those that you use the most. If you only use it once a year or so, do you really need to be keeping it at all or could you do the same job with another item in your kitchen?
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