When you’re constantly struggling to find enough home storage space, it may seem like moving or undergoing a costly home expansion are your only solutions to fix the problem.

But have you taken the time to thoroughly assess what your home has to offer in terms of its full storage potential? There’s a good chance it has hidden home storage space you’re completely overlooking.

Having too little storage space wastes your time due to it being harder to stay organized and clutter accumulating more rapidly.

With smaller homes and condos, maximizing your storage space is even more important.

Make the most of your hidden home storage space

Take the time to evaluate whether or not the following hidden home storage spaces can be better utilized to give you more storage options.

Upgrading these spaces will create storage opportunities that can be significant or a little less impactful, but every little bit definitely helps.

1. A spare room

It’s been said that “a spare room is a wasted room”.

It’s hard to argue with that belief. One study found that in America alone, there are an estimated 33 million spare bedrooms.

That’s a whole lot of wasted space that’s probably holding stacks of useless junk and clutter. Sure, that technically qualifies as storage, but it’s poorly used storage.

On top of that, these spare rooms only encourage you to accumulate more clutter. There’s never any urgency to declutter because the room doesn’t have a true purpose or function.

Converting a spare room into a useful space that includes extra storage room makes a lot of sense. A guest room, home office, or craft room with built-in storage systems can transform a spare room from useless to truly useful.

Another brilliant spare room idea is to convert one into a dressing room (also known as a large walk-in closet).

You’ll love the wealth of wardrobe storage space a dressing room provides. This stylish, cozy, and personalized preparation space will soon become your favourite room in the house!

2. Laundry room

Virtually every house has a laundry room, but the degree to which these laundry rooms maximize their storage space varies widely.

The fact is that most laundry rooms have lots of hidden home storage space. Exactly where is it, you ask?

Start with underneath your washer and dryer. Buying pedestals with storage drawers for these appliances can give you just a little more storage room. Pedestals can also raise your washer and dryer up to a height that’s more convenient for you.

Extra laundry room storage could also be included inside a comfortable bench to sit on while you’re waiting for a laundry cycle to finish.

A laundry room island also adds hidden storage space for items like a pullout ironing board and laundry supplies, while also providing a handy surface for sorting and folding clothes.

Adding floor-to-ceiling custom cabinetry to your laundry room will make the biggest difference to how functional it is as a storage space.

Along with adding extra features like pullouts, hanging rods, and under sink organizers, your laundry room will finally be up to the task of being one of your home’s hardest working spaces.

Update your laundry room with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry to optimize its storage space.

3. The basement

Most basements offer lots of space that is rarely optimized to maximize your storage space. Too often, homeowners just stack boxes and storage bins in a basement corner.

DIY shelving is also commonly found in basements, which isn’t always an ideal solution. It usually doesn’t make the most of your storage space, leaves you with more things to dust, and tends to look rather shabby.

Updating your basement’s appearance with bespoke cabinetry will help you to add a little style to this area of your home. You’ll allow this underused space to work a lot harder with effective storage systems that are easy to keep organized.

Adding any of the following rooms to your basement and incorporating custom cabinetry into their design are another way to get more storage space in your home:

• kids playroom
• wine cellar
• home office
• guest room
• pantry

Don’t forget about under your stairs, whether it’s in the basement on your home’s main floor. There are storage opportunities there as well, even if the space is limited and has some rather quirky dimensions.

4. Under the bed

Would you believe there’s hidden home storage space located right underneath somewhere you spend a third of your day?

Using under-bed storage is a shrewd way to add extra storage space without adding to the footprint taken up by your home’s storage systems.

A standalone storage bed or a bed that’s incorporated into a larger bed surround unit provide valuable drawer storage space that can alleviate some of your bedroom’s storage needs.

Seasonal clothing, for example, is perfect for storing in your under-bed storage drawers.

And here’s a bonus: because under-bed storage leaves no gap underneath the bed, you’ll have about 35 square feet less of your home to vacuum.

5. The attic

Because you rarely go up there, you may not even consider the attic as a hidden home storage space you could actually make better use of.

There’s no denying that an attic renovation can be a messy and complicated undertaking. It’s probably filthy, hot, may have little headroom, and could lack adequate floor support for walking around or holding much weight.

Poor lighting and even having a decent attic ladder might also be issues.

That can admittedly be a lot of obstacles to overcome, but it’s also a shame to let so much unused space in your home go to waste.

If an attic renovation in your home, however, presents relatively few home improvement challenges, it’s certainly a viable option in order to gain a sizable amount of additional storage space.

Fixing up your attic to add storage space can be a lot of work, but worthwhile for the amount of extra storage room it provides.

6. Closets

If a large walk-in closet exceeds your wardrobe storage needs, re-evaluate how your traditional closet spaces are being used.

You’ll know your closets could use a professional’s touch if:

• you waste time daily trying to find things
• you’re making duplicate purchases due to disorganization
• trying to decide what to wear is becoming increasingly difficult
• your “closet overflow” is starting to clutter the bedroom

With a few upgrades like a custom closet organizer and using the vertical space in your closets more efficiently, you’ll discover your closets contained hidden home storage space all along!

If you’re not just struggling with having enough closet space but any closet space in a particular room, it’s easier than you might think to add some. With create-a-closet®, you can add closet storage anywhere you’d like.

7. The garage

The garage, like the basement, is an area in your home that’s loaded with hidden storage potential.

Garage makeover professionals like Garage Living know that utilizing wall space and overhead space is the key to maximizing a garage’s storage functionality.

Slatwall, overhead storage racks, and cabinets provide ample room for storing a garage’s contents and items that may be cluttering up the rest of a home.

Even an extra vehicle can be cleverly stored in a garage with a space-saving car lift that uses a garage’s empty vertical space.

Another thing garages have in common with basements is that homeowners don’t tend to have the same high standards for the aesthetics in these spaces as they do for other rooms in their home. But they’re still part of your home and deserve to look nice.

Your garage is loaded with underutilized storage space. Adding a slatwall storage system, cabinets, car lift, and overhead racks maximizes storage space.

Hidden home storage space ideas and solutions

Take the time to look for it and you’ll find there’s actually ample storage space hiding in plain sight all over your home.

For the best personalized solutions that allow you to take advantage of your hidden home storage space, schedule a free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors.

See also:

• Why Bed Surround Storage Is the Bedroom Storage Solution You’re Overlooking
• 9 Great Ideas to Revitalize Your Spare Room
• Building Closet Storage Anywhere With create-a-closet®

There are a lot of decluttering myths about what it takes to live an organized, tidy life.

The recent popularity of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing book only seems to have muddied the waters regarding clutter even more.

The Japanese organization guru presents some radical concepts about decluttering in her book. Most famously, she preaches that any item you own that doesn’t “spark joy” within you should be discarded.

Well, Kondo’s book was a #1 New York Times Best Seller and is currently being turned into a Netflix series. Surely, she has all the answers when it comes to the best practices to follow related to home organization, right?

Not necessarily.

7 decluttering myths debunked

There’s more than one way to declutter and get a space organized. Decluttering methods and practices that work for one person aren’t going to work for everybody.

Let’s look at 7 common decluttering myths and the actual truth behind these misconceptions.

Myth #1: You need to be organized 24/7

The truth: Accumulating clutter (even on a small scale) is an inevitability in life, regardless of how tidy a person you are. Being completely organized all the time simply isn’t realistic or practical.

Sometimes you’ve had a long, stressful day and just need to relax instead of tidying up. That’s okay.

Give yourself a little leeway and make an effort to tackle your cleaning chores the next day. Your batteries will be recharged and you’ll probably do a better, more efficient job with your organizing tasks.

The key is find a schedule and routine that allows you to maintain a tidy home without feeling burnt out or burdened by the need to declutter. Impossibly high organization standards will only lead to frustration and disappointment.

Myth #2: You only need to declutter once in awhile

The truth: Decluttering needs to be a regular, ongoing process.

Investing hours into a major decluttering project will liberate you from the oppressive, chaotic feeling that comes with living in a cluttered home.

Taking action to curb the clutter is a good first step, but it’s just that –a first step. An annual concentrated decluttering effort just won’t cut it.

Having a regular decluttering routine is the only way to maintain a consistently tidy home. Try to allocate time to handle this task on a weekly basis. Once per season, devote a little more time to your decluttering and cleaning duties.

Myth #3: Empty space is a bad thing

The truth: Sometimes it’s about what’s not there when it comes to the impression a room can make.

Perhaps it’s the negative connotation of the word “empty” that makes empty space seem like a bad thing.

Some interior decorators even borrow a term from the world of art and refer to spaces in the home intentionally not occupied by furniture or, say, artwork on the walls as “negative space”. No wonder the concept gets a bit of a bad rap – “negative” is right there in the actual name.

Decluttering isn’t just about cleaning up and getting rid of junk. It can also be about making a calculated decorating choice to keep a space (or spaces) empty. That serves a couple of purposes.

First, a less “busy” space can be calming and not as overwhelming to our brains. Keeping spaces empty also allows other features and items in the room to be accentuated and draw our attention.

“Clutter” doesn’t just mean stacks of useless junk. It can also refer to filling corners or walls with too many things, like furniture and artwork. This room’s deliberate use of empty space accentuates its table and island.

Myth #4: A minimalist lifestyle is the way to go

The truth: It’s not for everybody.

One of the more common decluttering myths is that embracing a minimalist lifestyle is the way to go.

Kondo’s book and numerous media articles telling us to re-examine our consumerist tendencies have caused more and more people to learn to live with far fewer things.

Drastically downsizing and living in a micro condo, tiny home, or 200 square foot shipping container apartment definitely isn’t everybody’s idea of enjoyable, though.

Owning more things than you really need doesn’t make you a worse person than someone living a minimalist lifestyle. It’s simply a personal preference.

Just try not to go overboard with how much you buy until it gets to the point where you’re drowning in clutter. As the saying goes, “Own your stuff, don’t let your stuff own you”.

Myth #5: A messy person can’t change their bad organization habits

The truth: This is one of the decluttering myths to which we say “rubbish”.

Being well-organized isn’t a trait or characteristic – it’s a skill. And any skill can be learned and developed over time. It all comes down to a person’s willpower and patience to develop that skill.

Granted, it will definitely be a real challenge to get an older person who’s been untidy their whole life to suddenly make a 180 degree turnaround and become a neat freak.

Insert any number of expressions here…“you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, “a leopard can’t change its spots”, etcetera.

But you can change. Otherwise, expressions such as “if you’re not learning you’re dying”, “if you’re not learning you’re not growing”, and “if you’re not learning you’re not living” (and many other words of wisdom about learning) wouldn’t be part of our lexicon.

Myth #6: Habitually messy people can get organized without some help

The truth: There’s a lot of great organization helpers available out there. Take advantage of them, especially if you’re someone who perpetually struggles with staying organized.

One of the decluttering myths out there is that you can capably keep a tidy home without investing in quality organization and storage systems.

Sure, it’s possible, but why make it so difficult for yourself?

There are plenty of amazing products out there like closet organizers and bed surrounds that are specifically designed to maximize storage space and save you time by making it easier to stay organized.

These effective tools won’t do all the work for you in terms of staying organized, but they certainly make it a lot easier to do so.

Take advantage of the many great products out there (like this custom bed surround) that help you to stay organized with less effort.

Myth #7: Living with clutter is manageable 

The truth: Yes, one can technically live a disorganized life and just adapt to the clutter that surrounds you. Unfortunately, the longer you don’t deal with your clutter, the more unmanageable your life will become.

Think of how much time you waste every day searching for things in a home or office that’s not organized.

One recent survey estimates that the average American spends 2.5 days every year looking for lost items. The average search time spent looking for a single lost item was almost five-and-a-half minutes.

On top of the wasted time clutter causes, it’s been well-established by medical professionals that having too much clutter can contribute to stress, poor sleeping habits, and other medical issues.

The best solutions for decluttering

Don’t be mislead by the many decluttering myths that are out there. The truth is, everyone needs a hand occasionally when it comes to keeping their life and home organized.

Organized Interiors is all about helping our clients make space for living, not living around the clutter that’s congesting their homes.

We have effective storage and organization systems for every room in your home, so book a free in-home design consultation with us today.

See also:

• 10 Things Causing Closet Clutter You Should Ditch Right Now
• 5 Ugly Truths Your Cluttered Life Reveals About You
• Looking for a Confidence Boost? Start Clearing Your Clutter