So just what can we do to organize our closets a little better? Well the answer to that, is everything from extra hanging storage, to a full tear out and insert a complete organizer system. Here are a few different styles listed so we can see what might work best for you.

Hanging organizer system – These types of systems are designed to hang off of the existing close rod in the closet. They will still provide places to hang shirts and such but will also give you extra cubbyholes and even smaller drawers and compartments for other items that would normally either be on the floor or somewhere else. This is the cheapest and easiest method to get some better organize storage in your closet but is also one of the least efficient. Since the organizer has to hang off of your existing close rod it will balance on the center of that rod and you may lose valuable storage area in the rear of the closet.

A static closet organizer – This type of system will replace your existing shelf and rod with a completely new system of shelves and drawers and still have places to hang up your nicer dress clothes. Custom kits are available for many different sizes of closets and this can be one of the best ways to get the best organization possible out of your closet. Drawbacks to this system are that once it’s in, it’s pretty much there as any future changes will require rebuilding or redoing the organizer insert. Also this might be one of the most expensive ways to go but is probably the most efficient out there.

Movable closet organizer system – This is much like a static closet organizer but can be much more adjustable. You might have a row of shelves on one side of the closet that you can move up and down and put where you want. This will come at some cost of some of the storage space as the extra brackets and area needed to support this type of storage will take up some of the space. But also this type of storage is not as closet dependent is a full insert closet kit.

The common closet is one of the first places in the home to look at and try to change and improve to get some better storage. Since this is a pretty common problem there a lot to storage solutions out there available and you should be able to find one that will work for you.

A full-blown storage shed – This can be about the best type of Yard storage you can get. Storage sheds can come in many different shapes and sizes and can be built out of many different things. From the cheap metal storage kit, all the way up to a nicely designed wooden storage shed, the sky is pretty much the limit. These can be great for storing larger items such as riding lawn mowers and other lawn and garden tools. The only drawback to this type of storage is that you need the room to place it. If you have a smaller lawn then this may not work for you. Also, this can be the most costly form of Yard storage and it may just simply not be in your budget.

A small garden shed – This type of storage shed is much smaller than a standard shed. It may only be a few feet deep and maybe 4 feet wide. The idea is that you can slide it up against the side of your house or even the fence to get some good upright storage that can keep your items out of the weather. They can come with places to hang your rakes and your shovels and can have some type of shelf system in it also. These types of smaller sheds will generally have their own bases to them so you can simply set them on an existing deck or patio. It also is much cheaper than the larger shed but will not be a little old as much and maybe not even a regular lawn mower.

A deck box – these are like storage trunks that are built to take the weather elements with no problems. Newer ones are generally built out of plastic or rubber and can be had in all kinds of sizes. Smaller ones may not be used much more than just storing your hose and in larger ones can be used for much more. They are built to be more portable than anything else but are large enough that they were pre-much stay where you decide to put them.

Well here are three options ranging in size and cost for some Yard storage. Depending on your budget and what size of Yard you have an especially when you’re planning to store will depend on which Yard storage ideas will work for you.

Dumping the climate controlled storage – Sometimes you need to store sensitive items and storage that controls the humidity and the temperature can really make sense. Other times it’s not worth the cold temperatures. Clothing does not like humidity so you can store it sealed up in plastic containers, for example. Or if you do need some climate control but cannot afford it, maybe you can keep that stuff at home and put something else in storage to get the room that you need.

Storing in a common area – If you are not storing a bunch of smaller personal items but are looking at putting a car away or something like that for some time, then opt out of the individual storage unit and go for a common storage area. Older warehouses that have been converted to storage are great places for this. You can get some indoor, secured storage for less than half of what an individual unit may cost. For an even cheaper rate, if your stored item can stand being outside, such as a camper or a covered boat, than a common area outside or even in a partial shelter might be the cheapest option yet.

Getting a less secure storage unit – This can be a bit of a gamble but in most cases is fine. Instead of getting a storage unit with a live-on-site person with an outside fence and such, go for a cheaper setup where the storage buildings are more exposed. You will have less security but that extra security comes with a price tag attached to it. If you storage items really are not that valuable, buy a really nice lock, buy some real cheap storage insurance and don’t worry about it.

Piling it all in the backyard – The backyard is a great place to shove those old cars and boxes and things. Just don’t move next to me and do it! I’m just kidding, don’t do this as it looks horrible and attracts bugs, mice, and the code enforcement if it’s real bad.

So you can get some storage but it’s like everything else, you sometimes don’t need all of the fancy options to get what you need. So just pay for what will work for you.

Throw out what you don’t need - I know this is easier said than done, but if you have had things sitting down there for years that you have never touched, it might be time to rent a dumpster and start going through it and deciding what you really need and want to keep and what can get trash canned. This might possibly be the largest and worst part of the job in getting your basement storage set up better, but it really needs to be done is there’s no point storing things that you just don’t need or want anymore.

Get everything up and off the floor – Piling everything up on the floor can be a pretty bad idea. It blocks airflow that can help keep things dry and it can also seal up parts of the floor that dust, dirt and bugs can gather in. Not to mention that if you have any type of water leak in your basement, whatever you have sitting on the floor is going to get soaked. To try to raise everything up a few inches up off the floor either using shelves or at the very least pieces of wood, like cheap 2 by 4’s, to get very thing up off the ground.

Ditch the cardboard boxes – Cardboard boxes can hold all of your stuff together but that’s about it as it does not protect against moisture, dust or different types of bugs. Using cardboard boxes is also a great way to lose stuff unless you have carefully labeled each box. So ditch the boxes and get some clear plastic storage containers as they will seal better against everything and you will be able to see inside of them. There are usually built to stack on top of each other for real easy storage.

Keep your basement dry – Humidity is a great way to ruin your stored items over time. Extra moisture in the air allows mold and other things to easily grow over time. Mold loves damp cardboard so storing your items in a soggy cardboard box is probably worse than just throwing them all over the floor. So if you live in an area that has high humidity invest in a dehumidifier.

Organizing what you store – You will most likely have different types of items that you want to store down in your basement and how often you access these items will depend on how you store them. Things that will be down there for years can sit in the back of the basement on storage shelves and out of the way that you would normally be. Other things such as dry food storage will want to be near the stairs as you will be in and out of that stuff much more often. It’s also not a bad idea to separate seasonal things such as sports equipment or winter sleds and items like that.

So to make better use of the storage in your basement, you need to keep it dry, you need to keep it sealed up, you need to keep it up and off the floor, and you need to get rid of things that you just don’t need or want anymore. With a little bit of time and planning you can get your basement organized, cleaned up, and a lot more worthwhile to you as a storage area.

Ceiling storage racks – if you have the room upon ceiling in the garage, a storage room, or anywhere else for that matter, a storage rack that mounts the ceiling might be the easiest method for you. This is simply a shelf with four supports that go straight up to the ceiling. Think of a table with four legs flipped upside down with the legs mounted to the ceiling. The bottom of the table now becomes a shelf. This is nice as you can mount these out in the middle of a room or an area that is the way from a wall. If you do have tall ceilings you can open up quite a bit of storage room using this method.

Ceiling storage racks on cables – this is pretty much the same idea as a regular ceiling storage rack, but comes with the option of you being able to lower the rack down to a height that you can load or unload it. This is great in situations where the ceiling is rather tall and getting up to it is not convenient or very feasible. The only drawback to this is extra cost of the system and the fact that you may not build store as much weight on this type of system as it will be up to you to pull it back up into the air.

When you have a low ceiling but exposed joists – most basements in older homes do not have very tall ceilings but the ceiling is unfinished you might be able take advantage of the room in between the supports for the floor on the main level. Here are couple examples of methods that you can use to utilize that room.

Multiple shelves – you can simply nail some wood across the bottom of the floor supports to get some quick and dirty shelves. This is one way they can make some easy bookshelves or some spots to put some clear plastic containers that will fit in there. Be sure to use clear containers so you do not have to pull each one down to see what’s in them.

Sliding storage racks – if you get the correct size clear plastic storage containers you can put some slide rails up in between the floor supports to where the plastic containers will hang off of them and slide back and forth. The only drawback to this method is if you need to get something that’s eight containers deep you have to pull them all out the end to get to them. This is another situation that you either want to use clear plastic containers or label each one so we need to get that one item you’ll have to play Easter egg hunt for the afternoon.

So if you run out of all the easy storage if you have available, take a look up at the ceiling and see if you got some room to hang a ceiling storage rack or use some other method to suck up some of that dead space and make some use of it.

The whole idea of properly storing your firewood is to get it as dry as possible before you use it. Dry firewood will burn hotter and produce less smoke and leave less ash in your fireplace that you need to clean up later. Also, dry firewood will store longer before it starts to decay and less ash in your fireplace is just less times that you need to clean your chimney which is always a good thing.

Many times when you purchase or go cut your own firewood it is not already dry, so you will need to store it in a way that it can get dry. So it becomes very important how you stack your firewood and how you cover it from rain and snow. When you stack of firewood next to some type of wall or barn or whatever does not place it directly against it, you want to leave a few inches of room in between the firewood and whatever it is you’re stacking it against so that the air can flow through and help dry out the wood. You also want to leave a few inches of room between each stack for the same reasons. Also moisture can come up from the ground so unless you are stacking it on cement pad or something like that, lay down a couple of rows of two by fours or wooden pallets to get the wood up off of the ground.

To keep the elements off of the woods some type of lean to shelter without any sides works great. However, this is not always practical so in a pinch a tarp can be used. But you do not want to cover the entire pile up with the tarp as this might seal up any moisture that is already in the wood. Just cover the upper part of the pile so that there is still air movement around the wood. The parts of a wood pile that is exposed and will get wet should be able to dry back out relatively fast.

Stacking your word against your house is not always recommended as firewood is a fantastic attractant to all kinds of bugs and mice. You can spray down your firewood with some bug killer, but this may not be the best approach. So if you can find a way to pile up your firewood away from your house but still the convenient spot now might be the best route. You can keep a smaller amount next to the house or even in the garage as long as it turns over through the winter as you burn it so that your favorite wood time critters don’t move in and set up residence.

Follow these simple firewood storage guidelines and you should end up with nice dry wood to burn all winter long while the snow blows outside.

Using your current insurance – if you’re currently driving a car or have it insured already at some level then call your insurance company and let them know that you’re planning on storing the car. Most insurance companies will be able to drop the level of coverage down to a point where you will not be covered if you drive the car but if anything happens to it you will be covered. My own insurance agent use the example if a person were to drop something on it in a common storage unit, and then it would be covered. Or in a worst case scenario, the building would happen to burn down with your storage card in it; the storage insurance would kick in and cover it. So give them a call if it is currently insured and see if they can do anything for you, it might be the cheapest and easiest way.

Insurance from the storage facility – many larger storage facilities that are built to store multiple vehicles under one roof may have an option to buy a storage policy from them. See what they have to offer, and to protect yourself take multiple pictures inside and out of the vehicle that you are planning on storing. This is to prove that any damage that did occur in storage actually did occur in storage so that you can get a settlement. Usually these storage policies can be had rather cheaply as in most cases absolutely nothing at all will happen to your car in storage. When selecting this type of storage insurance read the fine print carefully as some of these policies will only cover the deductible of your regular insurance coverage or will be limited by the amount that they will cover. So keep this in mind when looking over one of these storage policies.

Dedicated storage insurance – this is a storage only policy that can be had through most insurance companies specifically for the idea of storing a car. For example, if you currently have a car sitting in your driveway with no insurance waiting for your kid to come home from his backpacking trip in Europe or for when his sentence is up, you can ask your insurance agent for specific storage policy if you’re looking to get the car out of your way until it is needed again.

If you’re still making payments on your car then you might want to check with the lender on what kind of insurance will be okay with them on a vehicle to be stored. Lenders generally require full coverage on a loan to protect their interests in the money lent. A good storage policy might be enough for them for when the vehicle is not being driven.

So depending on how valuable the car is will depend on what kind of storage insurance you should get. If the car is not really worth anything and you’re just getting it out of your way for a while, then it may not make sense to put any insurance on it at all. However, even for a cheap car it might be worth it if the cost of the insurance is relatively low. Because, you never know what might happen to your car while sits in storage.

The gas tank – gasoline over time will absorb moisture and this can cause it to go bad. One of the ways to get around this problem is to reduce the amount of air that can come into contact with the gas that is still in the tank. The simple solution is to just top off your tank before storing your car. Without any air left in the tank there isn’t much moisture there for the gasoline to absorb.

Tires – older tires are notorious for developing flat spots would be in part for a longer period of time. This would cause such joys as a vibration below 20 mph; getting worse the slower you went. Newer tires, such as radials, are not as bad as older tires. One easy way to get around this problem is to overinflate the tires about 10 more pounds than the manufacturers recommended pressure. You can get away with this as you’re not driving down a hot freeway or anything. Just be sure to restore the pressure to the correct level when you pull the car out of storage. You can also jack the car up in the air and set it on jack stands to take the load off of the tires. If you do put the car on jack stands, put the stands at the ends of the suspension so that the suspension components are not sitting in an extended state. This can also simply be a pain to do when storing and removing a car from storage, so just over inflating the tires is the easiest and effective solution.

Engine oil – engine oil also has the ability to absorb moisture from the air in this can help promote some rusting on the inside of the engine. Before storing the car, do a fresh change of oil and then run the car so that it gets up to full temperature.

Car covers – car covers can be an effective way to keep the dust off of your car’s finish. Car covers should only be used inside where there is no wind. The reason behind this is that when will flap a car cover around and beat the snot out of your paint. This gets even worse if any dust or anything else gets blown up in between your paint in the car cover. So only use a car cover when a car is stored indoors.

Brakes – brake fluid is another great fluid on your car that has a fantastic ability to suck the moisture. This can cause rusting out of your brake lines from the inside. If your car is going to be stored for a long time then it is a good idea to flush out your brake system with new fluid. They should be done every year or so anyway. Also top the brake fluid reservoir all the way off so that there is less moisture in less air available for the brake fluid to absorb.

Battery – there are two ways to approach this, if you have an older car just pull the battery out and take it home and store it in a semi-warm place occasionally putting a charger on it to keep the battery topped off. If you have a newer car and the storage time is not going to be that long then you are better off leaving the battery in the car due to the electronic systems that require some power to contain information such as your seat settings, radio, and any settings that the computer needs. If you can put a small battery charger/monitor on it to keep it topped off and ready. Some of these can be solar charged and you can simply plug it into your cigarette lighter and set it on the dashboard.

Guarding against mice – if you can set mouse trap’s underneath your car and also clog any holes up with steel wool. It seems that mice can get into just about anything. So take some time and see if your car has a drain hole for the heating and cooling system and stuff some steel wool in that. That drain hole may look small but a mouse can go right up it and then it will build a nest in your nice interior.

Engine compartment – to keep some surface rust off the engine simply take a can of WD-40 and spray it around the engine compartment. The WD-40 will leave a protective covering over everything it hits stopping surface rust in its tracks.

Hopefully these tips and tricks for long term vehicle storage would help you out when you’re looking for information on how to store a car.

Decorative Storage Trunks – These types of trunks are more for looks in a nice setting that are not moved around on a common basis. Mostly because they can be heavy when loaded up, but also as the surface is more akin to fine furniture. This type of trunk would look best in a formal living room, sitting room and could match the furniture in a bedroom. This model even comes with an extra storage drawer. Click this link to learn more about it: Decorative Wood Leather Treasure Box

Wicker Storage Himaymay Trunk – This is a great storage trunk for those extra pillows in the bed room or a place to hide the kid’s toys when they’re not being played with. This style of trunk has a lid that lifts strait off so it does not need to be spaced away from the wall to make room for a hinged lid. It is a wicker trunk to keep it light and have a good look to it. For strength, this truck has a wire frame that it inside the woven strands of the wicker so they are not obvious. This would also look great in a bedroom. Himaymay Trunk

Cocktail Storage Trunk – When you need two pieces of furniture in one, a storage trunk that looks good, has a flat top makes easy sense to add to your home. This particular storage trunk requires a bit of assembly for the final version but it looks great and stands up on legs to make it easier to move around. You can also get a matching end table truck to go with it. Nailhead Cocktail Table Trunk

With so many different style of storage trunks that are available, it might take some time but you should be able to find something that will work great for you and match you home perfectly.

Fortunately, since bicycles are pretty popular things to own and ride, there are also a bunch of different solutions to store them. They range from hanging them from the garage ceiling to specialized sheds to store your bicycle in. Let’s take a look at some of the options and see if we can save the bumper on my car (and my life!). Click on any of the pictures or section headings for more information.

If you have a garage, this is one of the most obvious ways to store your bike both long term and short term. However, room can be tight at times so here are a few solutions:

Freestanding Bike Stand – This is a rack that will hold two bikes up off the ground and supports itself so no wall mounting is needed. It could also be used inside of an apartment or shed and can be easily moved. Benefits include getting two bikes up and off the ground and drawbacks would be that it does need some floor space for it to work. If you have the floor space and do not want to mount anything to the wall or ceiling, this would be the way to go.

Vertical Bike Rack – If you are not afraid of tapping into the studs in your wall and are looking for a simple solution, then a single bike wall rack is a fast answer to hanging up a bike. This will get the bike up off the floor but it will hang the bike out by how high the bike is standing on the ground. If you do not have a bunch of room to walk around it, then this may not be the best way.

Dual Bike Storage Stand – This bike stand will also hang up two bikes for storage and will keep them flatter against the wall. It will need to mount to the floor and ceiling but some stands use compression so take care on the mounting. This is an excelent solution for bicycle storage.

Bicycle Storage Hoist – If you have the room up high them hoisting you bike up and out of the way completely might be the best approach. A bicycle hoist doesnt need to be used only in the garage, it can be used anywhere that you can attach it to.

Bicycle Storage Racks – There are a few different ways to hang your bike up and out of the way and one of the most common is to get a dedicated storage rack. These racks can hang off of the wall and also the ceiling. Ones that hang off of the wall will grab the frame of the bike and put it up in the air and out of the way. They can be stored a few deep and if you have the wall height, can store them two high for even more storage. Racks that hang off of the ceiling tend to grab the wheels of the bike and the bike hangs there upside down. This is great if your ceiling is tall enough to get them up and out of the way and still leave room underneath it.

Bicycle Storage Shed – This is along the lines of more outside dedicated storage for bicycles. Sometimes a storage shed dedicated to just bikes will not be very deep but will have a nice wide door to easily get the bikes in and out. They will racks to hang your bike off of and may only be about three feet deep or so to tuck in under a deck or just right next to the house.

Garage Bicycle Storage – The most common place to put your bike, if you have one, is in the garage. However, a bike can take up a bunch of space when not in use so there are a few options. This can be a great place to hang different styles of bicycle storage racks. One good spot for some garage ceiling storage is to hang some bike racks above the area where you park your car. Stick them out over where your car hood ends up for some decent room. The drawback to this setup is that you might need to pull your car out of the garage when you want t get to your bikes. Hangers off of the wall or even a few hooks to hang a bike from the garage ceiling might be the best approach.

Portable Bicycle Storage – This is the idea of taking your bikes up camping or getting them to your favorite trail. For a car, there are bike rack systems that go around your trunk lid or off the rear bumper that will hang a few bikes for taking them somewhere. For a truck or a camper, there are similar systems that are built to slide into a receiver hitch under the rear bumper.

There are many different options for bicycle storage solutions and a little thought and planning on what room you do have and how often and even how many bikes you plan on storing and using will help you determine what kind of bike storage you need.

For some mor informations, check out our article on Bicycle Storage Ideas.

Corner Storage Cabinet – This is a cabinet that can either sit on the floor or hang from the wall and is purposely build to fit into a corner. Regular cabinets are basically square things that you hang from the wall and they stick out giving you room to store things in. Well, a corner cabinet is more like a triangle that fits into the corner and gives you a flat surface for the cabinet door. They can be great to get ones with glass doors for dish display in the dining room or just plain cabinets for the storage room. If you do not need to floor space, get a unit that sits on the floor and goes up close to the ceiling to get the most benefit out of the area. If not, get a unit that you can mount up high and then hang a show rack and some pegs for coats for some great mud room type of storage for outdoor clothes.

Corner Storage Bench – This type of piece has the dual purpose of giving you some storage under the bench and giving you a place to site. Perfect for near the front door or the garage door. These can be to serve a purpose and be ruggedly built or can look great completely finished and in a nook in the living room or even the bedroom. Storage options to look for include open shelves on the front, a cabinet door on the front, or a seat the lifts up allowing access to the inside.

Corner Storage Shelves – If room is really tight, then some type of corner shelving might be the only option available. These are basically a triangle with supports to fit into the corner. They can be a single unit for a potted plant or picture to a system of shelves providing a few different layers of shelves or different things.

Bathroom Corner Storage – One option to get a little more storage out of a tight bathroom would be a set of corner wire shelves to stack some extra towels or washcloths on. You can also get a set of clear plastic drawers that tuck into a corner for a good cost effective storage idea. This wouldn’t be something that you would have out in the living room but back in the bathroom, where it seems that storage is always tight, it can go a long way.

There are all kinds of corner storage units that are available but it really depends on what you are planning on storing and where you will be doing to the storing that will determine what you do. But take some time and give it some thought as that dead space that you normally lean the broom in may be used for much more.

Hanging Storage Bags – These are a pretty basic type of hanging storage what can work great to get a little extra room in a small bathroom or closet. Picture a line of kangaroo pouches stacked on top of each other with a hanger at the top. You can hang them off of whatever you can find and use the individual bags to separate things out. For travel hanging storage, the top of the bag system can fold over and the whole thing can zip together. When you get to your destination hotel, just simply unzip the bag and re hang and all you need is right there.

Hanging Storage Shelves – Picture an upright row of canvas cubes with a hanger at the top. Hung from a closet rod, it gives you a great place to stack up some shoes or socks or other closet items. They can be had in different sizes, shapes and colors to match your closet size and décor.

Hanging Storage Baskets – This type of storage can be handy to store fruit in the kitchen among other uses. One example of a hanging storage basket is those thin wire baskets with little chains that suspend them below each other. The baskets start larger on the bottom and then get small as they go up. Usually three or four baskets are the configuration but you can get more. Also hand again in a small bathroom.

Overhead Hanging Storage – These are racks or baskets that hang from the ceiling. This is perfect for the garage or storage room where you need some space and you have a dead area above the car but are not sure how to use it. Garage hanging storage can be really beneficial as you can get some decent storage room but still be able to park your car inside that garage. This type of rack system has hangers that attach to the ceiling and suspends a shelf or rack underneath it. You can get different sizes and shapes and be mindful of the weight limit for these systems. You don’t want you old Commodore computer collection to land on the roof of your car.

These are just some of the more common storage solutions that hang down and hold something. There are more elaborate systems that are designed to take up most of the space in a closet but will keep things better organized and are more portable then most closet inserts. The only drawback is that you will lose some hanger space but there are other solutions for that.

Clothes Storage Bag – There are a few bag options to store your clothes in and it depends on the clothes. For example, if you are storing nice dress clothes, a bag that goes over the clothes and zips up only leaving a hole for a hanger has the purpose of keeping out the dust while letting them hang to help prevent wrinkles. This would be for clothes that are seldom worn and need to stay wrinkle free. Another type of clothes storage bag is the vacuum bag. This is a bag that you load your clothes in and using a vacuum cleaner, suck out most of the air leaving a much more compressed bag of clothes. We tried this out on a bag with a few pillows in it and it worked out great. The pillows sucked up real tight and became stiff in the bag. Then it was tossed onto the top shelf of the closet making a bunch of room. All you need is the bag and a vacuum cleaner to make this work. Since piles of clothes are made up of a bunch of air, it can make a huge difference when that air is sucked out. To get your clothes back out of the bag, simply open the seal and they pop right back up when the air can get back in. This is great for seasonal clothes that you can put up in a storage room or other type of storage.

Clothes Storage Boxes – The entry level of these types of boxes are those portable moving boxes for clothes. They are made out of rugged cardboard and have a metal or plastic hanger built into the top of them to hang your clothes off of. If you’re on a budget, pick one up from the U-Haul store and stick it in the corner of your room for some quick and cheap extra clothing storage. If your budget allows for more then there are nice portable closets that you can get in different sizes and with different accessories. The most basic would be a cabinet with doors that you open up with your clothes hanging inside and some room at the bottom for shoes. Nicer units will have storage cubes at the bottom or even storage drawers for a real nice hanger and folded up clothes storage option.

Hanging Clothes Storage – This type of storage can come in many forms and sizes so we’ll discuss a few of them here. One of the simplest and cheapest options is a clothes hanger system that hangs off of the bedroom door. It simply slips over the top of the door and sticks out and gives you a place to hang a few hangers. This is a quick solution that will give you a little more space. Another step up from that is a rod that goes between the floor and the ceiling and has hangers that stick off of it in various places and lets you hang some hangers off of each section. There are other hanging clothes options that are designed to stick out of the closet if you’re not worried about closing the closet door and even ones that are designed to mount on the wall for a little extra cloth hanging.

The need to find some room to hang more clothes is a common one so there are many solutions that are available. Look at the options and see what might work out the best for you.

Modular Storage Cubes – These are the most basic kind of modular storage and are a great entry level storage unit for the home or apartment. These types of storage cubes are basically boxes turned on their sides and have some type of lip that allows you to stack them up in different patterns and different ways to get the overall shape that you are looking for. There are many different styles and sizes so take care that you will be able to purchase more of these cubes in the future in case you decide to add more.

Modular Storage Units – These are a step up from modular storage cubes in that they come with many more options for them. You can get each unit as shelves, or drawers, or even an open area with a clothes hanger rod with drawers below and shelves above like a closet. You can get as many of a certain unit as you like and they can stack on top of each other or be tall enough that they will go side by side. With a little thought, you can get a storage setup just by purchases the certain units and arranging them to how you like.

Modular Storage Systems – This is a step up from individual units as it is an entire system designed to work together. Depending on the size that you are looking at, you could get several individual units with shelves and drawers with a desk for example. How it comes out in the end is up to you and how you put it together. What you get is a nice matched set of matching units that you can rearrange as you see fit.

Modular Storage systems can be a great way to finish up a kids bedroom as the units can be arranged around existing furniture already there and you can get the amount of options that you are looking for. Shop around and see what kinds of modular storage are available to you.

Wooden Storage Cubes – This is the simplest approach to a storage cube. Think of a simple wooden box that is turned on its side with the open section facing you. You now have a storage cube. It’s basically an enclosed shelf that you can put things in and then on top. They can come in single units or multiple units as part of a whole (they cannot be separated). They can also come in many different sizes and shapes and it’s very easy to build your own for a simple and cheap storage idea.

Modular Storage Cubes – Also known as stackable storage cubes, these are single units that are designed to be put on top of one another and held in place. Either they are heavy and friction will keep them in place or there is some type of channel or latching that will hold them together. This way you can stack them as high as you want and even create designs to fit in an area or to fit around a window opening or just for fun. Individually they can be very cheap so you can pick them up as you decide to expand them or they are also available in sets.

Wire Storage Cubes – Wire storage cubes are the same idea as wooden storage cubes but made out of wire. This makes them very light and opens them up much more to see though them and that will make them a better display for pictures and other things that you would like to show off. They would not work as well as a book shelf compared to wooden storage cubes but they are great for other uses. They too can also be modular with some being sets or others being individual cubes. They also come in large pieces where you might have eight cubes but its all one piece.

Storage cubs can be a great, cheap way to add some simple storage to any room. With the options out there in build material, style, color and the ability to make them modular, they are a great storage option.

Wicker Storage Chest – While a wicker storage chest may not be the strong of the options they can look fantastic with the right finish. Wicker is woven organic material such as long grasses, pieces of thin wood and even bark so it doesn’t seal as well as other type of materials. But if you are set on a wicker chest and need it to be decently sealed up, they do come with different types of liners. These liners can be canvas, more wood, plastic and you can even get paper liners for a better seal and containment of your stored items. They can help keep out the dust and the dirt that seems to gather on everything it can. Since wicker is made out of organic materials, it can come in many different finishes and looks so look around and you will easily be able to come up with a fit and a finish that will fit your room with style.

Wooden Storage Chest – This is the most common type of storage chest there is. When you think of a wooden storage chest, visions of Pirate treasure filling up a wooden box with a curved lid come to mind. These types of chest have been around for literally thousands of years. They can also look great in the home and can be built sturdy yet not be very heavy at the same time. Sources for these chest are anywhere from the nice downtown antique store to the cruddy uptown pawn shop. Look for a chest that has an insert that drops into the chest after your things go in. this insert sits on top and will have small compartments or even small drawers for your smaller items such as jewelry. Some will even have a top insert that will open up as you open the lid in one motion. They are part of the chest and cannot be removed but still leave the bottom of the chest open for storage.

Outdoor Storage Chest – An outdoor storage chest can be for looks but as most of them are made from wood, they will need care to last through the years in the elements. A nice storage chest on a covered porch is a great place to store pillows and extra cushions for outdoor furniture or even BBQ supplies. They do make them out of plastic to withstand the elements better but I would think that would fall more into an outdoor storage box then a storage chest.

In a way, storage chests are much like storage trunks except that trunks generally do not have the traditional rounded top that comes to mind when thinking of a storage chest. But in either case, storage chests and trunks have many uses and will look great in any setting.

Once you have an area or a room set aside for some storage, you will want to set it up so that you can take advantage of the area as much as possible. Instead of just piling up the boxes and the extra clothes and other items, let’s take a look at some storage room ideas that you can use to take advantage of the storage room that you do have.

Storage Room Shelving – the first and most common addition to any storage room is a set of shelves. Now, how you approach getting a set of shelves and what kind of shelves really depends on what and how much you are going to store. A nice set of shelves that hang off the wall will be great for the extra toilet paper or emergency food storage but it won’t work at all if you are storing, say, extra transmissions or some other huge and heavy item. If that is what you are planning on doing then a set of free standing shelves is what you should be looking at. Free standing shelves are shelves that support their own weight and are independent of any type of wall. They are also great to use in the middle of a storage room or area where there is not a place to hang any shelves. Since storage is such a huge business, any decent hardware store should have plenty of options for both. If you are looking for a set of heavy duty, free standing shelves, then look in the garage storage area or look for garage storage shelving.

Storage Room Divider – A storage room divider is a type of portable wall that will let you hide your storage area for a nicer look. If you are using part of the garage or part of the family room, a room divider can break it up and make the whole room look nicer. They can back up to a set of free standing shelves or stand alone. Options include hangers on the wall for racks to also store items on. Take care that you don’t load it up too heavy as generally the walls are more for sectioning off an area then to take a heavy load. They come on all kinds of shapes and sizes so pick one that will work the best for you, or better yet, build your own. For only a few two by fours and some wall covering, you can easily set up a storage room divider for the cheap and get the exact size that works for you.

Storage Racks – Storage racks are a lot like shelves but are broken up into sections that are different sizes and have sides on them. Almost like having a row of storage baskets that share the same bottom part. Racks can be real handy for storing multiple smaller items like gloves or large dog treats and other items like that. They can hang off the wall by themselves or be a set that simply sits on an existing shelf. You can get wire storage racks or solid storage racks if you are looking to store nails or something else that wire will not work out with.

It really doesn’t take a whole lot of work put into a storage room or area through picking up a set of shelves or racks, but do take a little bit of time and you will be rewarded for years every time you need to dig through it all for something.

Plastic Storage Boxes – These are some of the most common type of storage boxes and with good reason, they are cheap to make and cheap to buy. Plastic has been around for about 130 years and in the last 50 years it has really come into the main stream as a very common material. It can be injected easily into molds and press formed while it’s still hot and easy to shape. Because of these easy manufacturing methods, they can be made in mass and cheaply. They can be made rather strong and pretty much in any shape size and color you could wish for. One huge advantage to a plastic storage box is that you can get a clear plastic storage box. The ability to see inside a storage box without the need to open the lid is a huge advantage. Also plastic is pretty weather durable and will keep the dust and the moisture out of whatever you have stored inside the storage box as long as you get a one with a good lid. If you get matching storage boxes with lids, you can get them so they stack up on top of each other and stay stable.  There are some disadvantages to plastic storage boxes and that is they are more for storage out of site than anything. They are not something that you would want to display in your living room. But if that’s what you need, there are other options.

Wooden Storage Boxes – Wooden storage boxes also have their advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages would be that they are heavier than other kinds of storage boxes and they will not seal as good as a plastic storage box. What they are good at is strength and looks. A wooden storage box can be made very strong for shipping or other uses. If you have a fragile item and need to ship it, packing it into a wooden storage box is a great way to protect it from the mysteries of the shipping chain. Also if you are looking for something that you can display in the living room, a wooden storage box can be built and finished to look fantastic and even match your living room décor. A wooden storage box may not be as cheap or light as other options, but they can be very strong and look great at the same time.

Cardboard Storage Boxes – Cardboard storage boxes would be the cheapest of all the options and they also have their advantages. These types of storage boxes are basically a “use and throw away” type of box. They are great for moving or hauling things around a bit and you can also use them for long term storage but they are not as desirable. Since they are cheap, they do have some drawbacks that make them not so great for long term storage. Cardboard boxes can start out pretty strong but with some abuse they will start to fall apart. Water and other types of moisture will also kill a cardboard storage box pretty fast. They can be sealed up with a lot of duct tape but the box itself will start to degrade over time and will get your contents inside dusty. So while they may not be a good idea for long term storage, they can be great for short term storage such as moving from one house to another.

There are many different kinds of storage boxes and it depends on how you are going to use it and what you are going to store that will really determine what kind of storage box you should get. Look at the different kinds and see what kind of storage box will work the best for you.

The Simple Approach – You don’t need to tear out your entire closet and spend tons of money to make a difference. If you’re on a budget, you can start small with just some extra shelving. Take a look at your closet. Traditionally they have a shelf that runs across the top of the closet with a hanger rod that runs along right below it. Look above and see how much room that you have above the shelf. In most cases, there is wasted space between the shelf and the ceiling and you can make use of this space. The simplest approach is to simply add in another shelf closer to the ceiling. This can double you shelf storage space in just a simple upgrade. Most large hardware stores will have some type of shelf kit on hand. Measure the space that you have and see what you can come up with. Just buying a 12” wide board cut to length with some shelf hangers will also work great and not cost very much at all. Another easy space to gain is the area below the clothes that hang on the clothes rod. This is an area where you might put your laundry basket and pile up the shoes. This is another area where you can hang another shelf to gain a little more storage. You can get a box shelf that holds itself up in the air and just slides in there, or you can hang another shelf completely. Either way can be a nice chap way to really add to your storage space in most closets and keep the costs down.

The Closet Insert – A closet insert is a closet system where you tear out the shelf and existing rod or whatever you have in their completely and start with something new. The something new is a system of shelves and hangers that is sized to fit into your closet space. The nice thing about this system is that the design part of it has been done for you and you simply select a setup that looks good to you and install it. There are tons of options that will cater to your needs for example, you have a lot of clothes that need to be hanged but not very many shoes to storage cubicles are less and hangers are more. This is a great way to totally redo your closet and make it look great. They are available in sizes for your small hallway closet to a walk in closet.

Closet Design Software – Software is available for when you are real serious about redoing your closet. And once you have decided to get some closet design software, you can redo all closets in the house and anybody else’s you feel like taking on. The real benefit to going this route is that you can get exactly what you want. This will cover any type of closet or storage area from the small hallway closet to the large walk in closet.

If you are just looking for some closet design ideas or looking to get walk in closet ideas for your house, the closet inserts are great to look at and get some ideas from. Also if you know any builders or finish framers, talk to them as they might a have some good suggestions or know people that could give you some ideas. In either case, when you are ready to take that old closet into the next century, the sky is really the limit.