Ideas for Storage

It never fails, you always have more stuff than you have space to put it. Never fear, by storing things a little bit smarter, you can not only make more space in your home, but make it look more organized as well. Here are a few ideas for better storage:

• Plastic storage bins. These are wonderful to store an assortment of things in. They work great to store holiday decorations in. Put all your decorations in storage bins, use a permanent marker on the outside to label what's in there and you'll always know where to find stuff. The great thing about labeling too, is when you take your decorations down, you'll automatically know which box to put it in. Plastic storage bins are also great to store seasonal clothes in. You'll waste no space when folding up a coat and your scarves and stuffing them in there.
• Shelves. Use up your wall space to put up shelves. They don't have to be big, but they are a great place to store books, tools, or any variety of things you have. Put them up in your basement or garage if you don't want anyone to see them, they are easily removable if you ever decide you don't want them anymore.
• Attic. A lot of people forget about their attic or say it's too much of a hassle to put stuff up there, but it's a great storage space. Use the plastic bins mentioned above and stack them in your attic. Depending on how large it is, you could fit a bunch of stuff up there. When storing things in your attic, don't just throw things up there, organize them according to how much you use them or the type of thing it is. Also make aisles so you can easily get to everything you need to, instead of having to maneuver your way around and over boxes.
• Shoeboxes. Shoeboxes are an excellent source of storage and organization in places such as closets, cupboards and drawers. Store your children's markers and crayons in a shoebox so they always know where to find them and put them back. Keep your shoes in their original shoe boxes and stack them in your closet to save space and keep your closet from being littered with shoes. Shoeboxes come in a variety of sizes for anything you might need to store and they are easily replaceable if one rips or breaks.

There are so many places and things you can use for storage that people don't even give second thought to. Look around and I'm sure you'll find some great ideas for storage in your own home.