How to Store Anything

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Unless you're a practitioner of near-monastic minimalism, it's likely you have a lot of stuff. And much of that stuff needs storage--preferably organized storage. Crammed closets, jumbled drawers, overflowing bookshelves and other storage disasters not only look bad, they sap your time and energy. Getting control of clutter and installing workable storage systems is, in the long run, a gift to yourself.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Assess the way you keep your stuff. Can you find the things you need when you need them? Do items emerge from storage in good shape? What are your biggest storage issues? Once you clearly identify specific problems, you're on your way to finding solutions. See 1 Get Organized.

Step2

Strive for simplicity with the storage systems you create. Store things as close as possible to where you use them--if you use them frequently. That turkey platter that comes out only on Thanksgiving doesn't need to be on the most accessible shelf the other 364 days of the year. Keep the blender handy if you go into smoothie production every morning.

Step3

Sort through piles of paperwork and save time and money by finding the right thing at the right time. See 184 Conquer Your Paper Piles and 229 Simplify Bill Paying.

Step4

Turn closets into allies instead of a no-man's land that things never return from. Add closet organizers to increase capacity while decreasing chaos. Get comfortable with culling and regularly pare down belongings so it's easier to find a place for everything. See 60 Conquer Your Closets and 12 Get Rid of What You Don't Want.

Step5

Take advantage of the profusion of new containers available both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. From the Container Store to Target, Hold Everything to Home Depot, a wide array of stores offer storage products in every price range. AlwaysOrganized.com, TheHomeMarketplace.com and Improvements.com are just a few of the many Web sites that carry a plethora of storage aids.

Step6

Browse for storage solutions and continually ask yourself "What else could I store in that?" The hanging shoe holder's pockets could hold a collection of small stuffed animals; the plastic sweater box could store craft supplies; and the acid-free cardboard box designed to protect artwork could preserve vintage linens.

Step7

Label what you can't see. If you don't want to use clear plastic boxes to store your shoes, at least label the ends so you aren't on a hunt for your sandals when the plane to Hawaii leaves in a few hours. Be specific with your labels. Scrawling "books" on a cardboard carton is not enough. "Cookbooks" is better; "Cookbooks: Italian" will make finding a particular volume easy.

Step8

Decide not to hide. A collection displayed is a collection that doesn't need storage space. Don't reserve wall space just for paintings, photos or a grouping of china plates. If your purses are fabulous, hang them from pegs on the dressing room wall. If you've saved wine corks from every special vintage you ever tasted, pile them in a shallow wooden bowl or in a tall cylindrical glass vase. See 56 End Collection Chaos.

Step9

Steal ideas from the pros. Retail stores, hotels and restaurants pay designers and stylists to devise innovative and attractive storage solutions. Whether it's wineglasses hung from wooden racks over a bar or a hairdryer stored in a muslin bag and hung from a hook on a hotel sink, clever ideas await your copying.

Tips & Warnings

Keep a storage journal. Whether it's a section or your household organizer or a file on your computer, a list of what storage pieces you need to shop for and what new ideas you'd like to try is a valuable aid to staying organized. It should contain brief notes as to where infrequently used items are stored. A year later you might have forgotten you stowed that turkey platter under the guest room bed. See 265 Create a Household Organizer.
See 57 Live Better Through Labeling.