Organization in a small house

Discussion in 'Other Conversation' started by rutsgal, Jan 17, 2013.

  1. rutsgal

    rutsgal New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2012
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    I don't know if there is a recent thread about this.... sorry if there is.

    If you live in a small house how do you stay organized? Or even if you have a modest house.... how do you use your space efficiently and remain organized?
    Any sure fire tips that have helped you combat a problem area?

    We live in a small single story house , 2 bedroom /1 bath. No bells and whistles in our house like a pantry for kitchen stuff or storage of items , no mud room for all our shoes and jackets .Wall space is little because we have LOTS of windows ( I love natural light and I am not complaining , just forces me to be creative I guess ). My linen closet is SMALL ! We have to fold our towels just right to get them all to fit .
    I have a new goal... we are busting at the seams - some is due to clutter and just not using space efficiently. I sacrificed some of our hard earned money to this because we were starting to go crazy with stuff everywhere. I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and bought quite a few under-bed storage items, I bought a big plastic tote for all my gift wrapping & some collapsible fabric boxes that do not take up much space when not in use. I even decided to assign our 2 kiddos a specific towel color - I got tired of asking who's towel was left on the floor.
    I stored as much stuff that doesn't get used often under our bed ( like extra pillows and blankets for guests.
    I am wishing we had stackable washer/dryer. That would alleviate some space in the laundry room for a shelf unit.

    I would love to hear some ideas... get your thinking caps on and brainstorm with me.

    Jamie
     
  2.  
  3. Samantha

    Samantha New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2011
    Messages:
    362
    Likes Received:
    0
    Do you have room in the laundry room to install shelves above the washer and dryer? That could solve the space issue more frugally than buying a new washer and dryer.

    I don't consider our home small but I am always struggling to find space for everything a family of six requires. I find papers to be my biggest issue that and homeschool stuff. It just multiplies while we sleep at night. I'm certain of it!

    We don't have a mudroom and though we have a largish laundry room we don't come in that door EVER. So I created a "mudroom" entry area at our front door. I got some of those cheap three shelf shelves (I got mine at a yard sale) and one holds our shoes and the other holds small baskets with our socks. We each have a basket, except my oldest two who wear the same size socks so they share a basket. Dh has a basket for dress socks and regular tennis shoe socks. Rather than having the kids hang their jackets that never stay on the hooks anyway I put a basket in the corner by the front door where jackets can be tossed. Right now our tub of winter coats and pants and boots is sitting next to it, but come summer our swim bag and outdoor stuff will take it's place.
     
  4. ABall

    ABall Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2005
    Messages:
    10,663
    Likes Received:
    0
    can you purchase a sturdy outside storage space... not as big as a shed, but some people use them to put pool stuff in, or store outdoor stuff in..... anyway, you might be able to use one to keep seasonal items in (we just put our christmas decorations and wrapping paper -- in a wrapping paper keeper,.. our shed is really small, but we do have a freezer outside in it.
    useless space here is used for things in the kitchen that I don't use much, like cookie cutters, special serving bowls--- in the space over the cubbords and the ceiling ( about 6-8 inches). See if you can add a shelf in your closet, maybe you already have one shelf, and you you have a bit of space, just see if you can divide that space (over the clothes rack) by adding a second shelf, so you can store blankets and boxes of things you want to keep like baby clothes or baby keepsakes (you can use shoe boxes to make things stack better).
     
  5. ABall

    ABall Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2005
    Messages:
    10,663
    Likes Received:
    0
    I must say, we don't have much space near our front door for anything, we just have a very unsightly bin of shoes (it actually sets infront of a book shelf) but if I let the kids keep thier shoes in thier rooms, we know from experience........ we can spend an entire day looking for one shoe. (our bin is an old milk crate)
     
  6. rutsgal

    rutsgal New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2012
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Samantha our laundry is wide enough to fit the washer & dryer with about 2 feet between them for the vacuum , mop etc. There is a rather large window right above the dryer so nothing can be stored directly above it but.... on the side to the right of the dryer would work. The quick fix would be 1-2 shelves to the right above the dryer . The BIG fix would be to spend some $$ for stackable washer / dryer and position them where the washer is now then I would have floor to ceiling on that one wall plus 3 -4 feet below the picture window. But that's probably out of the question right now. That's an expensive fix , but heck it's cheaper than adding on another room right?
    We also have a big basket by the door that we keep our "clean" shoes in , the rainboots , muck shoes and anything with mud on it is on our front deck in a bin. We live on 2 acres with a large garden , chickens , dogs , cats etc. so we have varying degrees of what's "dirty" . We spend a lot of time outside, which I guess is the trade off for having a small house-- without a garage. I will admit , when I go to friend's houses I covet their garages - it seems as though they have room for everything and it's all neatly tucked away.
    Our big chest freezer is also out on our front deck.... looks kinda silly but it's the only workable spot for now.
    A ball - we have as many shelves as possible in our closets. But I did think about these small woven baskets from cost plus that are made to hang on the wall. I could put some of those up on the side walls of our closets for small misc. items that still need a home.

    Hmm.... I wonder if I look at pictures from IKEA if that will give me some pointers for small spaces.
    Thanks for any and all ideas that you can offer!

    Jamie
     
  7. azhomeschooler

    azhomeschooler New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2010
    Messages:
    985
    Likes Received:
    0
    I do not have organizational skills at all, but a few ideas may be shelves in the bathroom. We put some up and use it for toilet paper rolls, wash cloths, extra toiletries. We put our shelves up in our area with our toilet (kind of a small room separated from the bathroom), but have also considered putting more above the towel bar. An over the door shoe holder (fabric kind) can be used for extra toy storage. That is all I can think of for now, like I said, I am horrible at organization. I just sort of stack and shift stuff around.
     
  8. Samantha

    Samantha New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2011
    Messages:
    362
    Likes Received:
    0
    Ikea rocks for small space solutions. And if it makes you feel any better we don't have a garage either. We did when we moved in but the rental inspector said it either needed to be repaired or torn down and our landlord tore it down with promises to build a new one. It's been two years since they tore it down and still no garage. It's frustrating not to have one - and we couldn't care less about parking in it, but for storage.
     
  9. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2004
    Messages:
    5,379
    Likes Received:
    0
    Our house and land is very much like yours. We have a basement we use for storage and laundry, though. We have baseboard heat so it limits our space, too.

    My mom gave me a free-standing wire rack that goes over the top of the washer and dryer. Not sure how much those cost, but I bet it is less expensive than stackable washer and dryer!

    I also make use the the space above my cabinets (between cabinet and ceiling) to store large kitchen items like my roaster and canner.
     
  10. Meg2006

    Meg2006 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2010
    Messages:
    1,775
    Likes Received:
    0
    I usd the back of my doors for everything. The back of the door for shoe storage, purse and diaperbag storage, and craft storage.
     
  11. JosieB

    JosieB Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2010
    Messages:
    3,285
    Likes Received:
    0
    Our first house was a tiny 2 bed, 1 bath. Fine when we got married, not fine after the 2nd kid! LOL

    One of the BEST things I did for storage was the over the door shoe organizers like this. It was a life saver in our tiny bathroom. I kept the kids brushes and stuff in the lower ones, my hair ties and deodorant and such in the middle one and hubby's stuff in the top rows. I've seen people use them for all sorts of stuff.

    Use spaces most people ignore, like over the toilet storage for your towels so your linen closet has more room.

    Over time, if you plan to stay where you are, start investing in furniture that does double duty and creates space and storage. (I know that doesn't help you this week, but one of my best money saving tips is thinking ahead and investing in the important things!) Beds like this in the master bedroom are great for creating storage without taking up any extra space.

    Do you have a coffee table or end tables? If they are this style you are wasting space. Ones like this do double (or triple) duty. Serving as a table and storage and even seating.

    A bedside caddy frees up a night stand for other storage ideas or get rid of the night stand and put in a tall chest of drawers or book shelf for even more storage.

    Lots of windows, not problem, put shelves over the windows. My initial idea was something like this http://www.houzz.com/photos/344862/our-house-contemporary-kitchen but then I saw this http://www.houzz.com/photos/25157/Mt--Baker-traditional-kitchen-seattle not sure how I feel about that one though... lots of ideas here... http://www.houzz.com/shelf-over-window

    Make sure closets are well organized. double hanging bars, shelving units, shoe racks, etc

    They also make bed risers so you can have MORE under bead storage.

    Not sure how your windows are but can you fit hooks between them? Maky you could hang some things on hooks, even if you have to hang say a basket and then store light items in the basket.....either wall baskets or just regular baskets

    These are cute filled with rolled towels and washclothes, maybe you could hang them with some big, pretty ribbon? https://s-media-cache-ec6.pinimg.com/upload/178314466465962758_1aLmuwlp.jpg ??


    Search for dorm stuff. Dorms are small and you have to make the most of your space, so some of that market will work for small housing as well. Ideas you dont' normally see in decorating magazines like this for example. It adds storage space....
    Downsize. I wish sometimes we had a smaller house again. We have accumulated so much stuff in our bigger house. I wish we could be they type of people that owned 7 outfits each and 2 pair of shoes each. Ya know? LOL
     
  12. rutsgal

    rutsgal New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2012
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    You all shared some great ideas !! Josie thanks a ton for all your tips and the references of pictures was awesome. I want a shelf above the kitchen window now !! And I the two cabinets that are beside the window having nothing on top of them... but they soon will !! Thanks Brooke!
    I was sitting in bed last night just staring around our room. We do not have closet doors in the 2 bedrooms and I had strung up tabbed top curtains so at least we could pull them shut if we desired. We never do that so... If I take down the curtains on the front of my closet it will give me a strip of wall on one side about 1 foot wide - big enough to hang some baskets that I saw at Cost plus.
    The bathroom is the hardest room. There is a window directly above the toilet that goes to the ceiling. The mirror is the same length as the double sink vanity and goes to the ceiling, The back of the door is the only spot for towel hooks for our family. So i don't want to give that up for an over the door organizer b/c then we wouldn't have a place to hang our towels. I did scrounge up some ribbon from my gift wrap stuff and tacked it to the small area by the medicine cabinet - I put all of my daughter's hair clips to it so they are lined up nicely and easy to find.
    Our dining area has an 8 ft long window that goes about 6 inches from the ceiling. The window basically is the dining area it's so big. There is about 3 feet of wall space under it so I went to home depot and picked out some nice hooks. We got 6 hooks in under the window for the kids jackets and backpacks. Right now their jackets are small so they totally fit .
    I think I will head to Cost Plus today and Marshall's to see what I can find. I am going to brainstorm some more and thanks so much for your guy's input ! :) It has gotten my creative juices going again.

    Jamie
     
  13. JosieB

    JosieB Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2010
    Messages:
    3,285
    Likes Received:
    0
    Could you put towel hooks in peoples rooms instead of the bathroom? Hang them on the shower curtain rod? Hooks inside the shower stall?
     
  14. azhomeschooler

    azhomeschooler New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2010
    Messages:
    985
    Likes Received:
    0
    Or, use the other side of the door for the over the door organizer since you cannot use the inside of the bathroom (not sure how public of a place your bathroom is or if you care if others see your items)
     
  15. sloan127

    sloan127 Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2006
    Messages:
    9,514
    Likes Received:
    0
    I bought one of the canvas shoe holders at GOODWILL. It was brand new. I hung it on the kitchen wall in a space that was pretty much wasted space and now I use the pockets to hold my gadgets I like but don't have lots of drawer space for. I even put part of my rolling pin collection in different pockets. It turned out to be cute and useful.
     
  16. rutsgal

    rutsgal New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2012
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hey gang how do I attach a photo to my post?
    I was thinking about just taking a picture of a problem area and attaching it for you all to see so you can get an idea of what I am dealing with or how I am lacking inspiration / creativity.
    Josie - that is a possibility to have the kids hang their towels in their bedroom instead...hmm that may work.

    I will be back later I gotta run for now.

    Jamie
     
  17. rutsgal

    rutsgal New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2012
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    I have had a few days to stew on some things and had a revelation . I condensed some things , shifted some things around. I feel way better about using our space in this house efficiently and more practically. Thanks again!
     
  18. JosieB

    JosieB Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2010
    Messages:
    3,285
    Likes Received:
    0
    I always upload to TinyPic.com for quick, easy, painless resizing. (If I don't have it hosted elsewhere.) Select the one called 'Message Board'

    [​IMG]

    TinyPic will let you grab the code quickly and easily so your pics do not blow up a thread so it's too wide and then hard to read from that point on.

    [​IMG]

    Your code will look like this once pasted in the reply, once you post, it'll turn into a picture....
    [​IMG]
     
  19. vantage

    vantage Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2006
    Messages:
    1,888
    Likes Received:
    2
    Consider getting rid of your box springs, putting wooden platforms under the mattresses and putting risers under the legs of the beds. This give you room for alot more under the bed.

    In the closets, put a riser on the floor of the closet. This way you can put boxes under it, and shoes on top and all will still be beneath the clothes hanging in there. YOu might need to keep a foot or two open for dresses.

    Go into the bedrooms and bathroom and close the door. Look above the door. Is their a shelf there yet? why not.

    Ditto the closet. Get in youor closet, close the door and look up over that door. Their is likely enough room to put a shelf in their just below the ceiling and still have it above the one over the clothes.

    What about the garage if you have one.

    Can you put a hanging pan rack in the kitchen to free up cabinet space?
    Is there a space over the kitchen window that has no shelf?

    Can you put some Ikea type cabinets on the walls over the beds?
     
  20. Ohio Mom

    Ohio Mom New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2006
    Messages:
    5,131
    Likes Received:
    0
    I will be moving into a small house in the next 2 weeks and these ideas have helped me a lot. We will be cutting our square feet in half. I will suggest that you check your local Goodwill or second hand shops for baskets. They are really reasonably priced, cute and they have about any size you need, great for organizing. If toys are a problem, plastic tubs are great and stackable.
     
  21. MilkMaid

    MilkMaid New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2011
    Messages:
    146
    Likes Received:
    0
    One idea that I am trying to use is a shelf above doorways or windows or across windows. Maybe for trophies, books, etc...
    Make sure things like foot stools serve a double purpose, like a storage ottoman for a blanket or magazines.
    My niece has a small upright chest of drawers in her kitchen for stackable dishes(cute) & a tall book shelf for food.
    Behind bedroom doors, we are putting hooks (the kind that is a strip of 4 or 5 on it) in 3 sections for coats, purses, etc..One close to the ceiling, mid way down the wall & one closer to the floor for hats or small bags.
    Pants hangers that hang like 5 pair of pants on one hook.
    Ironing boards that hang on wall or door.
    Inside cabinet doors place hooks for pot holders, etc..
    Inside cabinet doors use chalkboard paint for notes.
    Hooks inside cabinets for measuring spoons & cups.
    Use top of fridge for food/small appliance storage.
    On top of cabinets for food storage or minimally used dishes rather than pretty things(I place my jars from canning up there, full & empty)
    Detergent shelf that sits on top of washer or dryer against wall.
    Go up with evertything possible like tall book shelves, anchor them to the wall.
    Use ribbon tied to a door hinge or knob for hairbows to clip to.
    Hooks inside bathroom vanity doors for curling iron, flat irons to hang by the wrapped cord.
    I know some of these are minor things but sometimes every little bit helps.
    Good luck & God bless....Love grows best in little houses.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2013

Share This Page

Members Online Now

Total: 71 (members: 0, guests: 66, robots: 5)