Suggestions for Organizing a Small Home

[MickeyMomOfThree]

13 years ago DH, DD (then 2) and I were in a bad rental situation. The house we rented was nice but the landlord was not. A few situations included him climbing on a ladder and holding a hose into a window and soaking my daughter's crib and all her belongings, and also (second floor as well) peeping in the windows and seeing me get out of the shower. We called the poice but it was a his word against ours but the cops told my husband to get us out ASAP because they suspected we would keep having issues. So, we quickly bought our house with very little thought. Basically we could afford it and we could move right in, so we bought it.

We thought of it as a starter home but 13 years later we are still here because it is worth so little (tried to sell 4 years ago and in 6 months didn't even get one offer and that was taking a loss on it.) I never liked this house, layout, location, you name it, but I have accepted that it is our home and we are far more fortunate then many others who would love to have a home. But here is my delimma.

When we bought ths house we were a family of 3 and 1200sf was roomy. We are now a family of 5. We have 3 daughters and all their clothes and stuff. I am an organized person but because of space issues can't seem to keep some things organized and it is really getting to me. My biggest issues are clothes and shoes. So, I am wondering, how do people who, like me are outgrowing their spaces, keep things organized. We have very limited closet space and the kids spots like under the beds are where we store their toys. (DD15 has her own room so this isn't really for her much.) DD10 and DD8 share a room, it's not small but it's not big. I just don't know where to put things anymore. Anyone have any great systems for organizing clothes and shoes (in small spaces) that they are willing to share? Thanks...

 

[dimimi]

I don't know if this will help. We just moved into a different house. The house is a little bigger, but the master closet is a lot smaller. We bought a closet organizer that was inexpensive and hangs from the clothes rod in the closet. It has given me a lot more room. We also use larger dressers. I hope it helps.

I know my sister has very small closets and she puts her winter clothes away in the summer and summer clothes away in the winter. She uses her attic. We do store our clothes that we rarely use in large plastic tubs in our basement.

 

[abdmom]

The house where I grew up with my 2 sisters wasn't any larger. Off season clothes went in the attic. If you have space in the basement, maybe get some shelving or build some cupboards. I've seen some great divided shoe organizers that are meant to slide under beds.

I just moved into a smaller home a few months ago. On top of that, it's being renovated and we have access to about 2/3 of the house. I rented a storage unit. Not a long term solution, of course. But, they do have containers that are about the size of a walkin closet.

I wish I had brilliant ideas, but the above's what I got.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Use every space! Stuff your off season clothes in luggage. Build boxes to fit under end tables and coffee tables. Make sure everything has a place and everyone knows where everything goes. Tops of cabinates are great for storing seasonal items, or good glasswear. Use empty cloth bags to store offseson gear (hats, mittens....),use space under selves to store shoes. shoes also work great in shoe bags on the door. Shoe bags are also wonderful for holding small toys or beauty products.

 

[SnowWhite607]

What about those Space Bags? I have been thinking of getting some myself for my linen closet to put blankets and quilts in.

 

[Silent1CB]

Start with purging first.

Use vertical space.

Have only furniture that doubles as storage. Couch that has storage under it. Tables with storage. Beds with storage.

Install storage cabinets above beds. Something like an upper kitchen cabinet but deeper.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/hot-or-not/hot-or-not-overhead-overbed-storage-050781
http://images.google.com/images?hl=...inet above beds&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi


Similar to how boats & RVs use every inch of space.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I have avoided storing out of season in the basement because it is so dusty and damp, but I think I may have to deal with it and do it. That is a good suggestion. The attic is just a crawl space so I don't think we can get anything up there, but I will have DH investigate a little more.

I LOVE the idea of containers under coffee tables and end tables, problem is we have only one table and that is the dining table, so that won't work but gosh that is a great idea and may help someone else.

Space Bags were, I thought, my lifesaver till I spent a fortune on them, organized everything and before too long (like a week) all the air had returned. Anyone else have better luck with them? I tried a few times but maybe there is a trick?

I LOVE our rooms that have organization. When places have a special spot it is so much easier to keep things in their place, cleana nd neat and know where they are which is why I need to get a handle on their clothes.

The cabinets over beds are really cool. I wish DH was more handy and the kids didn't have bunk beds, but wow, that would be great if we could buy some for on the other walls. I will have to do some research on this. Wonder if they are expensive. I'm interested though...

Thanks for the ideas so far, probably going to use the crypt...I mean basement more.

As for shoes, I don't know why I have not used over the door shoe things. I think that I will have to go get some tomorrow. We don't have an entry to the house, the door goes right into our family room and I hate piles of shoes right there so this shoudl make a big difference in how I feel right when I walk in to my house!

 

[Silent1CB]

Shoes. There are bedskirt shoe bags like these.
http://www.amazon.com/Shoes-Hidden-Organizer-Skirt-Style/dp/B002LKWLJU

There was one type that I really liked but can't find the link right now. The pockets had flaps to keep the dust out.

You can store other stuff besides shoes in them.


I use an over the door shoe pocket thing near the front door. ITs hung on the wall behind our coats & we have hats & gloves in it.

 

[swald91]

Good ideas here-Any of you want to come & organize my house?

 

[Silent1CB]

Found it.
https://shoe-skirt.safetvshop.com/

You cover it with a decorative bedskirt.

 

[abdmom]

Our attic was only a crawl space too. Off season clothes went in large black garbage bags and were tossed/shoved/stuffed up there. It's amazing what adding a floor, walls and ceiling will do to a basement.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Oh My Gosh, Silent1CB...
I can't thank you enough. I will be ording that as soon as I am done THANKING YOU!!!

 

[cuethemusic]

My first suggestion is to sort through your clothes and if you haven't worn it in the last 5 years at most, donate it (unless it has sentimental value). It can be a grueling task, but I do it once a year and end up freeing up a decent amount of space. Consider the layout of your furniture- is it placed to optimize space? Is there a way you can allow for more room? You might want to evaluate the set up of your closet as well- is the space being used to it's potential? Is there space for shelving to be added?

Also, I cannot stress how great space saver bags can be, especially if you live in a location with all 4 seasons. When it's hot out, put your winter weather clothes in space savers, and vice versa. There's really no reason to have those clothes taking up so much space all year long when they are only used for a portion. As far as shoes, although they are up there in price, I have found those shoe wheels to be the best way to store your shoes without taking up a great deal of space. Also over the door shoe racks are great.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Myself I have almost no clothes or shoes for that matter. (I have a pair of boots, a pair of flats and a pair of tennis shoes, summer I will replace the boots with flip flops.) DH has more then me though not too excessive, he has everyday clothes and work clothes.

The girls are the problem. And because I have 3 girls, we are all about hand me downs. So, clothes get saved till DD8 outgrows them and then they get dumped or donated, depending on how they look after 3 kids.

I don't have much in the centimental department. I used to have more, but when we put the house on the market we gave away almost all of them. I feel bad about some of them, but the realator said we'd sell the house if we got rid of it and I was so desperate I just did it. Since then I have been better about getting rid of, plus the kids are older, not too many centimental outfits now.

 

[Silent1CB]

Oh My Gosh, Silent1CB...
I can't thank you enough. I will be ording that as soon as I am done THANKING YOU!!!

LOL, I think they are so cool. I would buy one myself, but our bed has built in drawers underneath, so no bedskirt.

Glad to help. I used to really enjoy organizing at one point. Not sure where it went lately.

I was trying to find you some good "small places" websites, but still looking.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

These are great and come in different sizes. They sell heavy plastic bins that fit right in the squares for smaller items, you can put them in some of the slots if you like.

Another idea is to see if there's anywhere in your house you can add built in shelves. They hold a lot and can be decorative as well. We hired a local carpenter to build some for us and they've are beautiful and very functional.

I agree with purging! You have to get rid of things now and then when you live in a small house, especially all the junk kids bring home.

Here's something else that helped me with purging: Feng Shui and Clutter

 

[yoopermom]

I'm not one to talk since I spend $40/month for a storage unit (a condition I put on living in OUR 1200 sq. ft. house with no basement/attic!). Do you have a relative who would be willing to store totes in their drier basement? My mom did this for me for awhile, and I promised her that I would keep them neat/organized, and only there temporarily . Can you possibly raise the legs of the beds higher to fit more underneath them?

Good luck and good for you for having a good attitude about it!
Terri

 

[ferris198]

Since you were asking about storage, why would you bring up the past reference in terms of the landlord and what he had done ?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Since you were asking about storage, why would you bring up the past reference in terms of the landlord and what he had done ?

She was explaining why she bought it hastily and hasn't moved.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Nope, no family in the state. And very little outside the state. Raising our bed is a possibility though, thanks.
PP is right!!! Kids have so much stuff. Papers from school make me crazy too but I am making progress there.
I used to be really good at organizing, but I DO know what happened. I have 2 tornado kids. My middle one though is like me and I am doing this as much for her and for me. It's making her crazy especially since she has to share a room with one of the toradoes!
You guys all have such great ideas. When I posted this to my friends on Facebook, they seemed to think I just needed a bigger house. And while that may be true, it is unrealistic right now and don't want to go crazy in the mean time.