How to Organize your Storage Room

man leaning against storage boxes, thinking about how to organize them

Having a storage room in your home can be a blessing, especially when you have a large family. Being able to store things out of sight helps you keep your house more organized, neat, and livable. 

One challenge many homeowners have is keeping their storage room organized. Let’s face it; wasting 20 minutes every time you try to find something makes having a storage room almost worthless. 

The following tips, tricks, and hacks about how to organize your storage room will help you bypass this frustrating problem. To discover them all and organize your storage room like a pro, read on! (Plus, check out these excellent spare room ideas when you’re finished!)

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Making the Most of your Storage Room

To make the most out of your storage room usually means one thing; using all the available space wisely. That includes, for example, all the wall space, the space near the ceiling, and the space under the stairs. Every square foot of extra space in your storage space is precious, so don’t miss any opportunities to use it. (We’ll tell you how and help you declutter below!)

Steps for Organizing your Storage Room

Below are some simple yet valuable steps to follow when organizing your storage room. 

1. Empty your Storage Area

This step is the biggest and makes a mess, but only for a short time. Emptying your storage area is the best way to see exactly what type of storage opportunities you have. It will also let you place shelves, racks, cabinets, and other storage components exactly where you want them. 

2. Mount, Place, or Set Up Storage Devices

With your storage room empty, you can place shelving units, filing cabinets, clothing racks, etc., where you want them. With the storage room empty, you can take your time and set it up perfectly.

3. Use Clear Plastic Containers

Organizing is one thing, but finding something will still be a chore if you have hundreds of containers. That’s why organization experts recommend putting everything in clear plastic storage containers. This type of container comes in a dizzying variety of sizes and shapes. Tall, wide, thin, long, you name it. The best part, though, is you can see what’s inside. That will make finding something much easier and save you time and frustration.

4. Label Containers

No matter what type of containers you use, labeling all of them can be a big help. That way, you won’t have to open, look inside, move around, or otherwise search for something you need. To label, use a label maker or go old school and use plain white stickers and a magic marker.

5. Put Like Items with like Items

Storing similar items together is another great way to cut down on the time it takes to find something. Sporting equipment, for example, holiday decorations, craft items, toys, games, kitchen items, etc. 

6. Use Storage Ideas from Ikea

Storing things is much easier if you have storage containers, bins, and shelving. You’ll find many of these storage items at Ikea, most of which work like a charm. (Get them when your storage room is empty so you can set them up how you want them.) Ikea also has all sorts of organization tips to declutter your storage room.

7. Use Hooks Everywhere you Can

Hooks are great for hanging things wherever you like and keeping them organized. You can hang hooks from the ceiling, behind a door, and even from the exposed beams in your storage room. (If you have exposed beams, of course.) You can hang so much from hooks and take advantage of all the available space in your storage room. 

What Kind of Shelving should you Use for a Storage Room?

Shelving units with various items on it

The best shelving to use in a storage room is any shelving you can rearrange easily. For example, a bookshelf is helpful, but the shelves are usually fixed. If you have tall things, they won’t fit, and short things will take up too much valuable space. You want a storage shelf unit that allows you to move the shelves up or down. That way, you can accommodate items more precisely and use all available space. 

Metal utility storage shelving units are great for this. You can adjust the shelves easily and quickly to any height you need. Adjustable bracket shelving is also a great choice, although the upright bars need to be screwed to the wall. Whatever you choose, the more you can adjust the shelves, the better.

Organize your Home with Moove-In Self Storage

Storage room or not, sometimes your home still ends up being overstuffed with stuff. If yours is bursting at the seams, consider a storage unit from Moove-In Self Storage. At Moove-In, we offer safe and secure storage all over the northeast. They’re also secure, with 24/7 video monitoring, electronically-controlled gates, and on-site managers. 

You’ll find packing and moving supplies at most Moove-In self-storage locations, plus several different storage unit sizes. Organizing a storage unit is even easier than organizing your storage room at home! Plus, with our extended hours, you’ll have access to your stuff when you need it most. To learn more, and find storage near you, call Moove-In Self Storage today!