More Ideas for Storage in Your Living Space

• Under Bed Storage
  There's a lot of floor space under a bed, even if it's just a twin. Think of all the room under a queen- or king-sized bed!

  Measure the height from the floor to the bottom of your bedframe, looking for support legs. Find long, flat storage boxes to slide under. They're great for shoes, out-of-season clothes, sports equipment, holiday decorations, or wrapping paper. Place a label on the end of the box, listing the contents.

  Raise your bed even higher by "building" taller legs using plumbing pipes (a threaded base piece to sit on the floor and short threaded pipes that will hold the caster pin on the bed frame). Or you can buy a ready-made product such as BedRizer.

  Remember that if you raise your bed, you'll need a deeper, longer skirt to cover the frame and riser hardware.

• Maximize Your Shelf Space
  If your bookcases or cabinets have adjustable shelves, make sure they're space to house what you have. If all the shelves are arranged at 15" but your books are 8" high, you're missing out on about 6" of space. Take the time to reorganize this existing storage space. Add shelf supports and new shelves where they can serve you best. (Measure the items you need to store to determine the most useful shelf heights for your particular situation.)

• Use Your Closet Space to Maximum Advantage
  If you have 15" of extra closet space, consider alternatives to simple hanging. A filing cabinet fits easily into most closets. A 2-drawer filing cabinet can help to keep loads of papers organized and the space above it can hold short clothing or shelves of books.

  If you're really determined to get organized with what you have, look around your own home to find some unique storage solutions.

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