I have three closets in my house. I waste so much time and energy (energy I don't have as I am 34 weeks pregnant with my second daughter) on rearranging these closets. I have a closet for myself (it is a descent size but very dark inside.) The other two are downstairs. One is small and we're converting the room to the baby's room. I have Alyssa's clothes in there because she doesn't have a closet in her room. But I do not know where to then put her undergarments and shoes. I have a hanging fabric shelf system in there but it is tight with her clothes.
The best closet I have is the coat closet which doubles as a part linen closet. There are shelves that I store towels on. Don't ask where I keep sheets (in the basement on cheap wire cubicles.) I constantly go up and down to my basement to bring dirty laundry because when I try to keep a laundry basket in that closet, the coats hang too low or the basket fills too quickly. Sometimes I store the vacuum, broom and Swiffer in the closet too but the coats are in the way.
I need to use Alyssa's nursery armoire for the baby but I plan on using her one dresser which is actually a changing table/dresser with three large drawers for Alyssa until we purchase a bedroom set for her. I have access to a smaller changing table for the baby.
I have my pajamas stored in under-the-bed storage bins under Alyssa's bed too! This house is small but we plan to dormer in a few years. Any ideas on how to go about storing a five year olds' clothes? I am driving myself nutty! Thank you.
I would get some plastic rolling carts with drawers. They are cheap and will give you multiple storage uses if you no longer need them for clothes and shoes. There are tall skinny ones, wide short ones, etc. Either that or go ahead and buy another dresser. You could use an underbed shoe storage system for shoes.
Use your wall space:
Hang up your broom and Swiffer (near your kitchen)
Move rarely used toys to shelves on the walls, free up floor space so you have room for drawer space for clothes.
Buy over the door towel hangers. Hang extra towels on the back of the bathroom door. Get rid of excess towels. Store beach towels with beach stuff in the garage. Cleaning towels stay with your cleaning supplies.
Get rid of some linen (everyone has way to much linen). Store an extra set of linen under the bed (in a big bag or basket) in the room it belongs too. So if the sheet fits the master bed, put it under the bed in the master bedroom. No more hiking up and down stairs.
Hang up a fabric shoe holder on the back of Alyssa's door, best if you can find a clear one. (I found a see-thru mesh one with extra large pockets at IKEA. I happen to hang my son's art supplies in it).
I think Ikea has storage solutions for smaller spaces. If I recall, they also used to promote living vertically.
On your own dark closet: you can get a battery-operated light or two at the hardware store without doing too much damage to your budget. It hangs on a wall and, because it works on batteries, it doesn't present any wiring needs. You tap it on, and it gives you - well, not bright light, but adequate light. I have one in the "closet" underneath the stairwell where we store suitcases. The light I have - which is circular, by the way - goes off after a certain amount of time, too, in case I forget to tap it off. It's very helpful.
A.-
With some thought and planning, you can make the most of your space. The three of us live in a 900sq foot apartment, and all of our stuff is neatly away. At 34 weeks pregs, you might want to table the project, but a closet organization/ shelving system can help you make the most use of your space. Things that we have used (hardware store purchases) to make things easier are- hooks, and wire shelves, and dividers.
our dustpans, brooms and mop are all hung in the closet, that leaves more room for shoes on the floor. We have a coat and umbrella stand, which frees room in the closet. we have shelves above the rail in each of our closets and put our less used items up there. we have a bench with cubbys in our entryway for shoes, hats, scarves, gloves etc and more coat hooks. There is also a shelf above the coat hooks with a mail organizer, a potted plant, and a tidy basket for other goodies. our seasonal bedding is in space bags on high shelves in the closet. there are tidy laundry baskets which are designed to fit on stairs.
look up organizers if you don't know how to go about this yourself. they will help you pare down your belongings, put new systems in place and point you to the right tools for your job.
Best,
F. B.
There are LOTS of options. You can set up a bookshelf/cubby wall system and use baskets for items that are folded. There are some really cute rolling clothing racks that I have seen where people leave (neatly hung and arranged by color) the clothing visible. If you have a staircase in your home, you can put storage under it or built into it from the side
http://www.houzz.com/photos/90881/Loft-eclectic-kids-dallas
http://cdn.freshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/storag...
If you look for clothing storage on Pinterest you will find lots of ideas.
Have you tried the plastic containers that roll under the bed ? They are wide and flat and fairly easy to assess
