If you live in an apartment or small home totaling to less than 1,000 square ft, chances are, space is a recurring struggle.
While there certainly are benefits to downsizing, the risk you run as a small house owner is living in clutter. Clutter is more than just the occasional pile of unfolded jackets relegated to the corner or a pile of unopened mail strewn across the counter, clutter is a source of stress, procrastination, and lower quality of life.
Luckily, there are a few techniques and storage hacks to follow that can help you optimize your space so you can enjoy your living area as much as possible.
In this article, we’ll investigate the top 11 ways to maximize every square inch of your tiny home or micro apartment.
1. Consider renting a storage unit
Sometimes, no amount of wrangling with plastic storage bins, shelving units, over-the-door shoe racks, or under-the-bed storage solutions will help resolve your limited space issue.
Introducing storage solutions like clothes racks, additional dressers, or plastic storage bins may even make your home look more cluttered.
At the end of the day, the most effective way to declutter your home isn’t to move clutter around; it’s getting rid of the clutter entirely.
To do so, you can:
- Trash ripped and stained clothing hogging up your closet space
- Donate your never-worn or gently-worn clothing to a local charity
- Sell your gently-used clothing to a secondhand store
If there are closet staples you can’t part with–even if you only wear them on special occasions–you should consider renting a storage unit.
While initially, renting a storage unit may appear to be the pricier solution (and an out-of-budget solution, at that), when you think of the costs you’ll incur stocking up on home storage solutions, you might rethink your hesitation.
Plus, with cheaper storage alternatives like peer-to-peer storage through Neighbor, you can score a storage space for as little as $20 per month.
If you’d like to experiment with store-bought storage solutions before committing to an off-site storage unit, consider the following solutions below.
2. Choose Double-Duty Furniture
Double-duty furniture is multifunctional furniture that is ideal for small spaces as it can serve more than one storage purpose.
Examples include headboards and coffee tables with built-in drawers, sofa beds, and a room divider with storage pockets.
When it comes to double-duty furniture for your clothing, make sure you select items that protect your clothes, keep them well in place, and add a stylish touch to your bedroom.
3. Buy a Dresser
Dressers are not only one of the most effective ways to store a maximal amount of clothes. Aptly named, dressers not only protect your everyday wear from unnecessary wear-and-tear, these pieces of furniture also dress up your living spaces.
Dressers can offer spacious and versatile storage space. The drawers can store everything from clothes to miscellaneous items, and the top of the dresser can be used to place clocks, decorations, or further storage arrangements such as filing cabinets.
Heavy-duty dressers don’t have to come with a heavy-duty price tag, however. There are cheap and accessible options available for all consumers. One option is the HAITRAL 6 Drawers Dresser. Its stylish look can compliment even the smallest space and is a perfect option for those looking to add some clothing storage.
4. Install Built-in Drawers
Built-in storage has gained rapid popularity in the past years, and rightly so. These built-ins provide room for storage without taking up unnecessary floor space, giving the room an unbelievably spacious feel.
For bedrooms, built-in drawers can become a permanent dresser. With built-ins at the ready, you can ditch your traditional three-drawer dresser and free up some much-needed floor space.
5. Use Space Beneath the Bed
Is it possible that the best (and most under-utilized) storage space has been right under your nose this whole time? While you may have checked under the bed for monsters, you may not have looked there for new storage opportunities.
In most homes, the space under a bed goes completely unused, when you could store shoes and out-of-season clothing in under-the-bed storage containers.
One way to organize the space under an elevated bed is by using boxes for your clothing such as these. These drawers come in packs of four, six, or eight to fit your storage needs. They are sleek and made of high-quality non-woven fabric and pvc and have a 90L capacity, which is sure to store a large quantity of your clothing and keep them safe.
Selecting a bed frame that is elevated or has incorporated floor drawers is a great way to maximize space in a room without having to scour aisle after aisle for the right storage solution.
Don’t let a square inch of your small home or apartment go to waste. After all, the more sweaters you store under your bed, the less room there will be for those pesky monsters.
6. Use Your Nightstand Drawers
We’re all guilty of cramming miscellaneous items into our nightstand drawers without much rhyme or reason. However, this faux pas could be costing you precious storage space.
For example, consider using your nightstand drawers to place books, jewelry, and precious items, so that your dresser drawers can be free to hold t-shirts, undergarments, and pants. This will help make use of bedroom storage even if you don’t have a walk-in closet.
There are many tips and tricks in order to best optimize drawer storage. Whether you use the Marie Kondo Method or a different approach, choose a methodology that will be easy to stick to. That way, your nightstand drawer doesn’t morph back into a bottomless pit a few days after committing to minimalism.
7. Store Your Shoes Over the Door
Over-the-door shoe organizers can help you save loads of room that cabinets and other storage containers would otherwise occupy. For shoe lovers, maximizing storage is more of a need than a want.
Over-the-door shoe organizers can hold up-to 35 pairs of shoes and is an ideal solution for those hoping to rotate out seasonal shoes like winter boots or summery flip flops.
One option for over-the-door shoe organizers is this one by Tiblue. It features 35 mesh pocket organizers and can be placed in an entryway, bedroom, or bathroom door.
8. Use a Bookcase as Extra Shoe Storage
The bottom shelves of a bookcase can also be a great place to store boots, shoes, and other footwear. You might also consider using a middle shelf on a bookcase to arrange and store various accessories, such as sunglasses, hats, and jewelry. You can also store box organizers on the shelves for a more protected form of storage.
9. Improve your closet organization system
When scurrying to get ready in the morning, the last thing on our minds is closet organization. Yet, you might be surprised by how much storage space can be saved when one’s closet is properly organized.
There are several techniques for better closet storage, including:
- Decluttering
- Labeling
- Choosing the right containers
You can find out all about in-depth closet organizing techniques by following this link here.
Use S-hooks
While it may be tempting to fold your pants and store them in drawers or bins, using s-hooks to hang pants and jeans is actually a much more space-efficient option. You’ll not only save on storage bins, but these S-hooks keep your pants crease-free for an ironing-free morning.
Use Tiered Hangers
On a similar note, tiered hangers are one of those can’t-miss storage solutions that grant you more space than any armoire could.
With the help of tiered hangers, you can place up to 3x as many clothing items on your hanging rack.
10. Try Clothing Racks
Serving as an extension of your built-in closet, clothing racks (whether stationary or on-wheels) are a must-have for those homeowners and apartment renters with abnormally small closet spaces.
Clothing racks typically feature a rectangular frame on wheels, onto which some users hang floating storage compartments. You can maximize your clothing rack even further by opting for tiered hangers.
11. Use Storage Bins
Storage bins like these are always a sure bet when it comes to storage optimization. They are easy to pack, access, and store away in the nooks and crannies of a living space. Plus, the lid will protect your closet staples from dust, pests, and even water damage.
Pro tip: When using storage bins, make sure to label the boxes so you can quickly find what you are looking for.
When All Else Fails: Declutter!
Decluttering is the hardest but most important aspect of optimizing clothing storage space. In your decluttering pursuits, you can choose to trash, sell, or donate your unused clothing items.
Depending on your city’s climate–and whether or not you experience all four seasons–decluttering can also mean separating clothes according to season and stowing away the winter or summer wear that you plan to retire for the next few months. For example, wool sweaters, snow pants, and winter coats don’t need to monopolize space on your hanging rack during the summer months.
Once you’ve labeled these bins with labels like “Winter Clothing” or “Ski Gear,” they’ll be ready for storage in your closet or storage unit.
Remember, store-bought storage solutions aren’t a cure-all. Sometimes, the only cure for clutter is elimination. If you can’t part with your vintage leather jacket or high school prom dresses, store these relics from Wardrobes Past in a storage unit.
