Rethinking Small Spaces That Lack Storage

I adore solving puzzles, always have. To me, small space organizing is a jigsaw puzzle metaphor. Lots of pieces to assemble into the best fit for the framework. I heartily encourage looking at living spaces, no matter the size, from a fresh perspective. Get creative, think beyond the blueprint, to find imperceptible storage options. Storage doesn’t necessarily have to be a closet, cabinet, or shelf. Consult a neutral observer such as a professional organizer or designer for space optimization ideas if absolutely stuck.

Small space design mock up using Wayfair cube shelves to create a functional storage privacy screen for home office. guest area, or any use.

I worked with a client whose one-bedroom apartment had virtually no storage. Placing 2 bookshelf partitions on opposing walls to the rear of a 9x12 room created private office nooks for 2 desks tucked on each opposing wall. The partitioning cubed bookshelves concealed large objects such as tents and skis having nowhere else to reside. Simultaneously, they provided extra storage for books, kitchen gadgets housed in decorative baskets, hobby supplies, and other miscellaneous items. Hooks and hanging rod systems were installed on each of the concealed walls to stow clothes and coats.

small space closet — No closet? Create your own hidden storage.

Another client moved from a multi-bedroom condo, to one room within a shared home. The clothes closet had been removed to accommodate her queen-sized bed. We removed a dark wardrobe consuming far too much space which not only made the room look smaller, the piece didn’t provide adequate storage, and needed repairs to function properly. In lieu of the wardrobe and an old file cabinet, we repurposed two bookcases previously housed in off-site storage. Baskets were added to the shelves to store folded shirts, accessories, cat toys and accoutrements. Displayed books, photos, and decorative objects added a personal touch. Brackets were hung between the 2 bookshelves to create a hanging closet system. Curtains from a previous residence were draped into a privacy screen for the closet which also houses a cat feeder and hamper.

After purging unneeded documents from the old file cabinet, retained files were relocated to a credenza in a newly created office space at the foot of the bed across from her desk by a daylight window.

If remodeling is a feasible, budgetary option, consider room layout shifts. In my first home, the primary bathroom had no storage, the linen closet was located down a long hallway. Inconvenient when needing emergency supplies. The bedroom adjacent to the bathroom was very large with an oversized closet. I convinced a skeptical architect, as well as my husband, to break through the adjoining wall, annex a small portion of the soon-to-be nursery closet to create a linen/supply closet inside the bathroom. The result was sensible storage, and the double-doored nursery closet remained spacious.

We enlarged a miniscule kitchen with virtually no storage in that same home by breaking through the from the kitchen into a small section of the garage. Only a few extra feet afforded us a large, swivel pull-out pantry. By extended that extra garage wall space into the adjoining powder room, we added a much needed second shower.

In the two remodel scenarios, it took a fair amount of translating my visions and convincing the reluctant experts. Follow your creativity, don’t let others, even highly trained professionals, easily persuade you into thinking they’re unreasonable. Those projects nearly didn’t happen. They did, we loved the improved function results.

The Key to Keys

What’s the #1 thing you lose in your house? The 2 things I hear most often that my clients lose are keys and cell phone. The phone is fairly easy to find if lost inside the house. Use someone else’s phone to give yourself a call to locate it.

dowels for hanging to go items — Install a plank with dowels or hooks for easy-to-see, quick grab and go of keys, umbrellas, yoga mats or totes.

Keys are a little trickier. There are tracking devices you can attach to your keys for faster locating. I can’t vouch for any since I haven’t tried, but Tom’s Guide provides a review of the sampled key trackers. The brands vary by performance, detection range, price, phone compatibility, battery replacement, alarm sound, other trackable items such as wallet or purse, and subscriptions.

key holder — Key hooks are available in fun, attractive designs

How else can you keep track of your keys? Have a designated place to store and find them. Install a hook or wood plank with multiple dowels, pegs, or hooks for your keys, purse, backpack, umbrella, yoga mats, and tote bags. Place it near the door you use most often. I recommend having it directly across from the door so that when you walk in, you see it. If you place it next to the door, it likely won’t be noticeable as you fly in, but you are more likely to see it on the way out. As a precaution, if your entry area has windows or transoms, then it’s not advisable to store personal goods in view.

As with any new habit, building routines take time. Play around with it. If after a few weeks it still isn’t working, and your keys are continuously AWOL, try a different location or maybe the tracker is more your speed especially if you geek out on electronics.

Green Greetings

This past holiday season, greeting cards were an emotional tug of war for me. Not because I didn’t want to do them or didn’t know what to say. The reason for the struggle was that I wanted to stay in integrity with my goals to lessen my environmental footprint. Conversely, I want those I care about not to feel short-changed by a less than personal acknowledgement.

After much hemming and hawing, I found a website, greenvelope.com that offers elegant digital greeting cards and event announcements. And they are eco-driven. According to Sam, the CEO, he shared with me the following statements. “We are part of 1% of the Planet so we have always donated 1% of our revenue each year (even before we were profitable). These donations are currently split up between National Forest Foundation, Mountains to Sound, the National Park Foundation. Our NFF partnership plants one tree per purchase during the holiday season (this correlates to a $1 donation for each purchase. The promotion just ended and we donated over $45k to NFF this year, so 45,000+ trees!” My purchase planted a tree. That’s one of the best holiday gifts I’ve given.

That all boils down to no paper used, no extraneous trash created, messages were sent, opens are being tracked, and return messages have been received all without destroying trees, adding to polluting emissions upstream or recycling or landfill impacts downstream.

Kudos to greenvelope.com for the best customer service I have experienced in eons. Personalized welcome emails were received immediately after registering. All, and there were many, email inquiries were answered almost instantaneously. And here’s the part I truly appreciate…they provide a phone number for live customer service. No intricate layers of voice response systems either. I spoke with a human, Craig, who walked me through the post-mailing analysis with patience and resources. He also referred me to the CEO for the additional questions I had in order to accurately complete this tip. Sam, the CEO (if you recall) answered ASAP each time. Wow! I’m blown away.

2021 was a test run to see how the overall experience is received. As of today, the day after Christmas that I’m writing this tip, 60% of the recipients have opened and/or replied with a return message. There is an option to resend to those who haven’t opened after the first try. I launched the resend this morning. I have to admit I do so hesitantly as I didn’t want to appear naggy. However, if the cards were lost in the webosphere, I didn’t wish those recipients to go without holiday salutations. 2 additional contacts responded straightaway. Sometimes emails end up in the spam box, neglected due to busyness, hair-raising concerns about opening suspicious deliveries, or uncertainty about needing to or how to open. If some of your contacts have overflowing inboxes or never check email, greenvelope.com offers SMS texting. Again, this is a trial run. Not only does it satisfy the analytical neurons by the ability to track progress, it’s helpful to the ailing neurons to have a contact list in place so that each year you can view who you’ve sent cards to and who was missed or skipped.

I should clarify that this experiment was for The Practical Sort business greeting cards only. I did send paper greetings to my personal contact list this year as I was given 2 boxes of Christmas cards that I wanted to release. Next year my personal list will likely get added to the greenvelope.com contacts except for a few of the senior family members who are not as digitally receptive.

Lastly, over the years, clients, friends, and family members have asked about ways to organize paper greeting cards more thoughtfully. Here are a few recommendations based upon systems I have used or use.

In your electronic calendar add all birthdays, anniversaries, graduation and wedding dates, and any other special occasions.

At the beginning of the month or a few weeks ahead, to give yourself lead time, create a reminder to pick up a greeting card for each recipient along with stamps.

An accordion greeting card or photo holder is ideal for storing the cards. My cards are sorted by occasion. You can do the same or sort by month, person, or however you choose.

accordion greeting card holder — Sort your cards in a way that makes sense to you. These are sorted by occasion.

Set a reminder date a 3-5 days ahead of each occasion to mail the greeting card(s) depending upon distance needed to travel, your schedule, and expediency of the postal service.

I hope this offers some ideas for how you can optimally use your time, financial and environmental resources, calendaring, and storage to manage your greeting card mailings.

Hang Up…For Added Storage

I decided to reoffer the tips below because this topic comes up very often. I’ve updated as well with some new thoughts and because SeeJaneWork, whose products were handy for organizing in these situations, sadly appears to have gone out of business. No worries, there are many other options out there in cases…

When:

storage options are minimal
you’re a visual processor and need to see things for reminders
clutter on your desk, countertops, or other surfaces drive you crazy

Then…

Go vertical

See Jane Work® Wall System at SeeJaneWork.com — Check out Etsy for a variety of vertical storage options.

Wall mounted bins and baskets can be tastefully arranged to satisfy your storage needs without looking too industrial. Etsy offers an assortment of decorative, useful storage options at a variety of price points and styles. In fact, some are ideal for walls in or out of the home office area.

Use:

Small baskets to house bills awaiting payment

Hanging open tray and hook holder by See Jane Work® at SeeJaneWork.com — If you're feeling crafty, create your own wall system with hooks and baskets.

Key hooks to hold keys, necklaces, lanyards, and other small, hang-able objects

Magazine racks to hold magazines, family paperwork (school documents awaiting signatures, medical bills pending insurance reimbursement, tax documents, art projects, etc.)

Bulletin boards or white boards for messages, invitations, coupons, event tickets.

Floating shelves for books, artwork, toiletries and even hang laundry.

Pottery Barn Trenton Organization System available at PotteryBarn.com

Hanging pocket sorters for hats, gloves, scarves, shoes, purses, socks, stuffed animals, umbrellas, sports equipment, jewelry, cosmetics, hair ribbons, hair products and styling appliances, toys, tools, small books, kitchen gadgets and small appliances, bulk food items, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies. Please note that over-the-door brackets can damage door frames (speaking from personal experience).

Now the caveat here is take care not to overuse your wall spaces. Wall clutter is just as visually overwhelming and overstimulating as surface clutter. You’ll also risk losing whatever you’re looking for if there is too much visual noise.

Brilliant Storage Optimizing

Are shoes, purses, backpacks, and sports gear piled up by your entry door? That could pose a safety hazard and not an ideal way to welcome guests. Take advantage of every bit of storage space even in small homes. Sometimes the best storage is unseen. Time to get clever. Use this blank canvas for storing shoes and accessories.

Not everyone will have the financial resources or a stairway to implement this tip, but this use of empty wall space is absolutely brilliant for maximizing storage. I wish I would have thought of it in my last home in which entry storage was minimal and the stairway wall featured a blank canvas for creating shoe and accessory storage. I snapped this shot recently at a friend’s home. This was part of a more comprehensive home remodel project.

Use wall space to maximize and optimize storage. Under stairways near your entry is a fabulous use of space.

Additionally, my sister-in-law was fortunate to have had a contractor for her previous home who crafted a storage closet under her stairs as part of the home build. We had enough other home improvement projects in our old house that we opted not to do one more nor did we need extra closet space. A shoe cubby, now that would have been awesome for all the walking sneakers, athletic shoes, casual shoes, purses, etc.

If you have a stairway near an entry door, consider converting it into useful storage space either a storage closet (although the slanted ceiling will cause some lost space and discomfort in accessing the area) or use it to create storage cubbies. Insets into the wall won’t impinge on walkways which will maintain safe passage nor will they eat into tiny entryways.

Organizing and Repurposing Hacks by Blossom

Video by Blossom with organizing and repurposing hacks. Watch the many clever budget-friendly ideas.

Ok, I admit that I feel totally tacky recommending an online video of organizing hacks for my weekly practical tips. Yet, after viewing these clever and budget-friendly repurposing ideas from Blossom, I just had to pass them along. The under bed shoe box storage, yogurt cup organizer, S-hooks for hanging pants, and the magazine holder shelves were some of the brilliant hacks that captured this organizer’s little heart. The DIY pull down desk/table with built-in chalkboard and storage shelves is ideal for tiny spaces. Think about something like this for children’s bedrooms especially if the kiddos share a room with scant space for doing homework or crafts. You bet I will suggest these ideas to clients who appreciate economical and space saving storage.

Sock it To Them Socks: Free Eco Sock Organizer

As you might suspect, my home is organized, well fairly organized. But before you smirk and give me the finger, I have to admit there is always room for improvement. Rarely does a tweak jazz me as much as the latest adjustment. My sock drawer was a mess. Until...

Repurpose glass jar dividers or other cardboard dividers into sock organizers

I discovered cardboard dividers in an old box of mason jars. I grabbed that and tossed it into my sock drawer. Voila, a repurposed glass divider becomes an instant sock organizer. Yes, this tweak has knocked my socks off and into little easily found rolled balls. I keep the colors fairly well grouped with darks vs lights. Now I can quickly grab the socks I need without fussing to find the right color.

I have more socks than the dividers provided for. So my husband picked up some extra dividers at a local wine store which I cut roughly in half as they were too tall. Now I have the right amount of cubbies for them all. I’ll admit, it’s nothing fancy and may not last forever, but it has surely simplified my life, and noone else sees it. The best part of this repurposed solution was that it is free and eco-friendly.

Time for Recess

Recessed shelves provide additional storage when space is tight

What if you need more storage but there’s no space for shelves? Here’s an alternative, if your budget, wall space, and framing allows. Look inward.

Consider recessed shelves. Recessed shelves in tight areas such as bathrooms, powder rooms, kitchen, office or even laundry room can increase your storage without eating up space in your room via jutting shelves.

These seven 6” x 13” shelves were an ideal solution in lieu of a medicine chest in a tight space abutting a vanity. Wall usage was maximized by going as deep into the framing as possible.

Storing to Flee

If you’ve been following my posts recently, in light of the Oregon wildfires, my husband and I felt it was prudent to prepack our essentials, valuables, and personal treasures in the event we had to flee our home. By doing so in advance, it gave us the opportunity to be more thoughtful about the things we wanted to take. Not that I truly put that much thought into it as it’s not something easy to wrap your head around.

Now I’m beginning to feel comfortable with contemplating unpacking again. If we’d get a downpour, I think I would be fully onboard. Talk about weird feelings, a mix of bummer because it’s like unpacking from a vacation that you never got to enjoy, yet extreme, unspeakable gratitude that we never had to leave our beloved home (so far knock on wood). Here’s what I realized, although I packed for practicality, my personality hallmark, I would have left behind some of my favorite sweaters housed in my dresser. I only grabbed those that would be warmest in winter.

Store your favorite sweaters together

For quicker grab and go

If you need multiple drawers, use one near the other

Here’s my new strategy as evacuation occurrences are unfortunately a reality in the Pacific Northwest. As I reload my dresser drawers, I’m going to segregate not by color or style. I will keep all my favorite sweaters together so if I have to pack on the fly in the future, all my faves will be grab and go. The same in my closet. Presently, my clothes are sectioned by season and color, I will also group all my favorite shirts and pants, so again, I won’t have to give this exercise much thought. My shoes are already sorted by my frequently worn pairs.

Because I have lots of photo albums and memorabilia scrapbooks, I will regroup all the priority ones together on the shelf (wedding albums, baby albums, and special event or vacation albums). With this system, I won’t have to go searching for the ones that would be devastating if I neglect to pack.

Create an evacuation list of essentials, valuables, and personal treasures. This is only a partial list.

Now that the threat near us is waning, and as I’m unpacking, I’m creating a checklist with all the things I grabbed so that I will be less likely to forget them in the future. By adding check boxes, that will ensure that I don’t inadvertently skim over something.

Hopefully we will never have to face this again, but if we do, it’s an extra level of peace of mind.

TP Hack for Controlled Cord Storage

Even with NEET cable manager, the cord is still a mess

If you’ve seen any of the recent toilet paper roll hack videos, perhaps then you’re already familiar with using the empty rolls (which accumulate quite rapidly during pandemic sequestering) to store electronic cables. I hadn’t thought of it before seeing a Youtube video on Facebook, so thank you to all those TP roll experts who have shared this tip.

I’m always trying new organizing tips in my own house. I love how this is keeping the drawer so much tidier. Until I discover something different, I think I will keep using this awesome reuse idea.

Storing gloves and reflector inside that hat ensures nothing will be forgotten

Forget Frozen Fingers and Ears…Remember Accessories

This is one of those tips that I had never considered sharing until I mentioned it to someone a few days ago and it nearly blew her mind with an aha moment. She complained that as a jogger, she frequently gets a few blocks from home before she realizes that her hands and ears are cold. She forgot her accessories.

I relish my daily walks. Often I’m half awake when I leave the house and pressed for time so needless searches must be avoided. Therefore, this time of year when mornings are chilly and somewhat dark when I step outside, I want to ensure I am prepared. No time to backtrack.

Post-walk, I nest my gloves and reflector vest inside my hat. They are stored in an over-the-door pocket storage on the inside of my coat closet next to my jacket. I put my jacket on facing the pocket storage, see my hat, grab it and add the reflector vest to my jacket then put on the gloves. I could leave the gloves in my jacket, but I rotate between my rain and ski jackets depending upon weather conditions, so I don’t want to assume wrongly that I have everything I need. I used to place an extra set in each jacket, then I was prone to forget the hat and reflector. Now, I grab them all at once. Save your fingers and ears from frosty conditions. Remember your gear with ease.

Nix the Scavenger Hunt: Your back and knees will thank you

Clear labeling ensure quick identification of your goods

Does it drive you batty when things take longer than they should? Too often we find ourselves thinking “dang my time is too valuable” or “I could be doing something much more fun” than scrambling for misplaced objects.

Practical Sort pre-made labels are useful for quick identification

If you are like most homeowners, your storage areas are overflowing with an assortment of boxes and bins. They might be neatly arranged on shelves and quite possibly sorted by categories. But without an effective labeling system, what you envisioned as a quick search for an old scrapbook or kitchen gadget evolves into a Herculean effort of lifting, unloading and loading, uncovering and resealing until you find the right receptacle. If you have “Adult ADD” like some of us, watch out for those “shiny thing” distractions as you come across age old treasures. There is also that periodic temptation to take a stab at organizing or reorganizing for the fifteenth time. Those two minutes erupted into an hour or more, ok so a half a day slipped by. Yikes!

A simple labeling system could save you time and heroic lifting efforts. Nothing fancy required unless you like artsy labels. Choose a day that you can dedicate a few hours to finally getting a system in place. You might wish to start before the weather gets too hot if you are working in the garage or unairconditioned spaces. Start the project well-rested, hydrated, and sated with a solid protein meal. Pump up some tunes. Ask a friend or family member to assist. Select someone who will keep you on task especially if you are easily distracted. Set a timer to remind you to refresh every so often. And work until the timer sounds. Taking short water and stretch breaks will actually help you to finish faster and with greater clarity.

With a few check marks, you will know what’s in each box or bin

If you don’t wish to create your own labels, click here to access pre-crafted labels to get you started. I used Avery 22827 labels. Feel free to modify them as needed or to contact me at sherri@thepracticalsort.com if you would like the Word version.

Your back, knees, and clock will thank you.

A Dozen Ice Cube Tray Uses to Make Life Easy

With every new refrigerator/freezer we purchase, our ice cube tray cache increases. What do you do with the excess trays?

Want to make your life easier? Start by thinking outside the appliances as well as inside. Below are a variety of traditional and non-traditional ice cube tray uses. They can be super organizing tools. And, the best part is repurposing saves you money. No need to buy fancy organizing storage bins for these little bits and bobs. Here are a few examples to get you started.

Kitchen

Release the cubes from the tray and store in stackable containers in your freezer. Take out only what you need for rapid thawing.

1. Flavored and plain ice cubes (well of course). Add extracts, herbs, coffee, chocolate, lemon, spices to flavor your drinks, soups, etc.

2. Freeze soups, home-made baby food, smoothies, and other liquids and semi-liquids for easy thawing. After the cubes have frozen, release them from the tray and place the cubes into stackable containers for efficient storage. For rapid thawing, take out just the amount of cubes you need.

3. Candy-making and frozen dessert treats. You can add wooden sticks to the batter as it freezes, then enjoy the snacks later.

4. Store resealable wine corks and other small doo-dads in the trays for easy locating in your kitchen drawers.

Bathroom

An ice cube tray can help you quickly find health and first aid products in your medicine cabinet

6. Hair accessories

7. Medicines and supplements

Junk Drawers

8. Paper clips, elastic bands, picture hooks, S-hooks, screws, extra keys, safety pins, batteries, spare change, glue sticks

Bedroom

Jewelry: earrings, bracelets, pins are easy to see in your dresser drawer or closet shelf

9. Jewelry: earrings, bracelets, pins

Craft Room

Store sewing and craft supplies in ice cube tray

10. Beads, rubber stamps, buttons, safety pins, straight pins, needles, thread, hook and eyes, bobbins, tape measures, stitch rippers

Office

11. Paper clips, binder clips, rubber bands, USB Drives, staples, mini stapler, Post-It tabs, small Post-It notes, postal stamps, file folder tabs, spare tape rolls

Garage Work Bench

Garage and basement Hardware: screws, nuts, nails, bolts, fasteners, anchors, hardware weights, extra drawer pull are easy to see in an ice cube tray

12. Hardware: screws, nuts, nails, bolts, fasteners, anchors, hardware weights, extra drawer pull

As you can see, the uses for ice cube trays are only limited to your imagination. For more practical tips and applications, follow ThePracticalSort.com.

The Bulk of Bulk Buying

Are you a Sam’s Club or Costco aficionado? Buying in bulk is economical for so many reasons. It saves trips to the store reducing your expenses and costs to the environment. The net price of bulk items tends to be cheaper, and you have backup supplies in a crunch. But what about when your home is too small to house giant packages of bulk products? Here are some facts to consider.

Bulk buying typically makes sense for non-perishable items unless you are hosting a crowd that will consume the food quickly. For tissues and toilet paper, a few extra boxes and rolls as a safety net are always advisable especially during cold, flu and allergy season. For shampoos, soaps, detergents, canned and boxed goods, cosmetics, and pantyhose keep at least one extra to avoid last minute, unplanned trips to the store. You will appreciate the time saved and hassle avoided.

Before your next trip to the store, take stock of what you have so that you limit selections to what you need and not over purchase when storage space is minimal. If bulk items have chewed up all storage and begin encroaching on your living spaces, it is time for a reassessment. If you like to geek out on math and statistics, consider the value of the square footage of your home. Over consumption of space by bulk goods may not be the most effective use of your precious living and work spaces.

If your home is small, watch for sales as an alternative. Discounted products at local stores or online will occasionally outweigh the savings of bulk buying.

If a bulk deal is too good to pass up and the quantity is non-negotiable, see if a friend or neighbor is willing to go in halfsies with you. Use this tactic for perishables if freezing is not an option. In fact, plan your bulk shopping trips as an excuse to spend some time with a friend. Again, this saves on financial and environmental transportation costs, and as you peruse the aisles you can contemplate which products to split. Bring a cooler with you, then afterwards, treat yourselves to lunch or a steamy beverage for a job well done. Multi-tasking at its most fun.

Saving money is important. Saving space in your home for YOU is vital for safety, sanity, and pleasure.

Conveniently store an extra roll of TP nearby

Toilet Paper: Don't Be Caught Short

Have you ever had one of those awkward moments when you reach for the toilet paper and there is only a single shred left and the next nearest roll is in the linen closet down the hall? Running down the hall with your pants at your ankles is no fun. Even less so for a house guest.

Keep an extra roll or 2 of toilet paper in a decorative basket or box nearby so that you or a guest are never caught short-handed.

Over the door hanging sorters have hundreds of uses

Hanging Pocket Sorters

An inexpensive solution to storage needs are hanging pocket sorters. There are so many uses for them to neatly sort shoes, socks, gloves, scarves, umbrellas, sports equipment, jewelry, cosmetics, hair ribbons, hair products and styling appliances, toys, tools, small books, purses, kitchen gadgets and small appliances, bulk food items, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies. The list goes on and on. And best of all, by hanging it on the back of a door, it barely consumes any space. You can choose from a variety of styles, # of pockets, and kid accessibility. Some can even be cut to fit into your car for extra travel storage.

A simple way to get organized and stay organized within easy reach for all family members.

Shoes

Piles of shoes by your front door? Keep a decorative basket or bench with storage near the door for those shoes.

My 2 Cent Tips

Brilliant Storage Optimizing﻿