This post was written as a sponsored post for Organize-It.  All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

In college I lived on campus for all four years (like 97% of students – read more about the housing system at Harvard here), and then I went from there to a small apartment in New York City.  Suffice it to say that I got very good at using every bit of space possible during those years of living in such tight quarters.

If you saw my house now, you would know that I am far from a neat freak (really, I’m not… some posts may seem to indicate otherwise, but let’s just keep in mind that I straighten things up before taking pictures for all the world to see!).  But I do like to be able to find what I need.  Not much makes me crazier than when I am already late (story of my life), and I can’t find something!

And so, you need a system.  You don’t need to be over-the-top about its perfection, but you do need to create a spot for everything.  And when you don’t have space to allow a spot for everything?  Well, then you need to find some space.

In this post, I will show you how to create space.  That, in turn, will free up space elsewhere, and suddenly, you will find that you can bring order to even the smallest, most cluttered living spaces.  I hope you find some solutions to your mess (literally) among the suggestions below!

If you’re looking for even more ideas to help you get organized, don’t miss this post with 100+ Ideas to Help Organize Your Home and Your Life!

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate/referral links. Please click here for further explanation.

1.  USE SPACE ON THE BACK OF DOORS

There is so much space on the back of every door in your home!!  You can even use both sides of your door for storage when possible.  There are over-the-door shoe racks of all kinds; various types of over-the-door hooks; even over-the-door storage baskets for your kitchen.

USE A CLEAR SHOE RACK TO STORE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING

One of my favorite ways to create space on a door is to use a clear shoe rack like this.  You can use them for much more than shoes, cut them to size if needed, and use a Sharpie to write on them so you know where each thing goes.  For a while we stored all our hats and mittens in a shoe rack that I hung on the inside of a closet door, and I had everyone’s initials written on their slots.

You could also store things like toys, cleaning supplies, medicines, sunblock, arts/crafts, kitchen items/spices, snacks, tools, garage items (put small things into empty tennis ball cans; they will fit perfectly in the slots!), and of course, shoes!  The options are literally endless!  I used to keep a clear shoe rack near our back door with all my kids’ shoes so they were handy as we were trying to get in the car.  No more running up to their bedrooms to find shoes, and it also encouraged them to take them off and put them in the correct slot as soon as they walked into the house.

USE OVER-THE-DOOR HOOKS

I keep an over-the-door coat rack like this on a door just inside our garage, and we hang all our wet beach towels on it.  With two girls on the swim team, we constantly have wet towels coming into the house all year long.  You could also use hooks on the back of a bathroom door for bath towels or robes, or use one near your entryway for jackets and coats that typically take up a ton of closet space.

GET CREATIVE WITH OVER-THE-DOOR STORAGE

There are tons of products out there to help you creatively use space on the back of a door.  Some examples are shown below.

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW TO FIND THAT PRODUCT.

Purse Racks

Wrapping Paper Storage

Cap Racks

Towel Racks

Book & Supplies Organizer

Jewelry Organizer

Wire Storage Baskets

Iron & Board Holder

36-Pair Shoe Organizer

Laundry Bag

2.  USE SPACE UNDER BEDS

Along with the back of each door in your home, you also have a ton of great space under every bed.  You can find even more space under a bed by raising it with bed risers like these or these (both styles had multiple positive reviews with 5 stars).  Shoes, in particular, would store perfectly under a bed… imagine all the space you could open up elsewhere!  We ladies often wear some shoes only once or twice a year anyhow, so those don’t need to be taking up prime space in our closets.  Off-season or less-worn shoes could be kept in an under-bed shoe bag like this, for example (and lose the bulky shoe boxes if you’re still lugging those around).  Or store all your shoes under a bed in an organizer like this.

You could also use under-bed storage for things like bulky sweaters, off-season clothing, linens/blankets, wrapping paper, hand-me-down clothing that’s yet to fit, keepsakes, documents, toys, and holiday decorations.

It’s particularly handy if your under-bed storage has a handle for easy access.  You might be surprised not only by how much space you can find under each bed, but also by how much space you then free up around your home as a result!

TIP:  USE CLEAR STORAGE CONTAINERS OR THOSE WITH A “WINDOW” SO YOU HAVE A VISUAL OF WHAT’S INSIDE.  IF THAT IS NOT AN OPTION, BE SURE TO LABEL YOUR CONTAINERS!  OTHERWISE YOU MAY FORGET WHERE YOU PUT EVERYTHING!

There are many handy products out there to help you make great use of the space under beds.  Find some examples below.

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW TO FIND THAT PRODUCT.

Bed Risers to Create Extra Space

Tweed Under-Bed Storage Box

Under-Bed Drawers

Shoe Storage

Canvas Under-Bed Storage Box

Wrapping Paper Storage Bin

3.  CREATE SPACE INSIDE LINEN CLOSET

You can find so much space inside your linen closet by doing two simple things:  1) use a handy clear shoe rack; and 2) fold towels/sheets as tightly as possible.

USE A CLEAR SHOE RACK TO FREE UP SPACE ON SHELVES

The shoe rack in the linen closet is one my very favorite space-saving tips!  When I started using one, I couldn’t believe how it freed up TWO LARGE SHELVES that used to hold all my medicines, bottles, bandages, and products.  I suddenly had so much more space to use!  Not only that, but I could actually SEE everything in the shoe rack.  Everything had its slot, and I could find what I needed so quickly.  If things are constantly falling out on you, and you can’t find what you need (that’s the worst when someone is sick in the middle of the night and you are digging through bottles!), this system will make a world of difference!  I promise you!!

This door is more narrow than a typical door, but the shoe rack still fits.  I just had to tuck it behind the door handle.

TIPS:  IF A STANDARD SHOE RACK WON’T FIT ON YOUR DOOR, NO WORRIES.  JUST CUT IT!  AND IF IT BANGS AROUND WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR, JUST ADD A PIECE OF VELCRO TO THE BACK OF THE SHOE RACK ALONG EACH BOTTOM CORNER AND ADHERE IT TO THE DOOR TO HOLD THE BOTTOM IN PLACE.  THEN IT WON’T MOVE AROUND ANYMORE.

FOLD TOWELS IN THIRDS TO CREATE MORE SPACE

The picture below demonstrates how much space can be saved simply by folding your towels in thirds.  I swear I didn’t do anything to doctor the pictures.  I simply folded the exact same towels two different ways.

When you fold in thirds, everything stacks more neatly and tightly, and you will find some extra space in your closet for other things!

LEARN HOW TO FOLD A FITTED SHEET TO CREATE MORE SPACE

It was a great day when I finally learned how to fold a fitted sheet!!  Which meant that I would no longer fight with that thing until I ultimately balled it up and shoved it in the closet out of frustration!  Knowing how to fold a fitted sheet can help you find more space in your closet because if the sheet is folded more tightly, it takes up less space.  Simple as that.

Follow the step-by-step below to see what I do.

FOLD SHEETS IN TIGHT BUNDLES TO CREATE MORE SPACE

Once you know how to fold that fitted sheet, you can then wrap your flat sheet around it (and your pillowcases).  Alternatively, you could also tuck your fitted sheet and flat sheet inside one of the pillowcases.  This will not only keep your sheet sets together, but the bundles will stack better, thus allowing more sheets to fit on any given shelf.  When you take an extra two minutes to fold your sheets well (it really doesn’t take that much extra effort!), they will also be smoother and less wrinkled… so when you change your sheets, they will feel that much better to sleep on!  :)

4.  USE CLOSET ROD FOR MORE THAN HANGERS

We all have closet rods somewhere in our house.  Typically we just use hangers on them, but they can be used for so much more if you think outside the box!  I am a big fan of using hanging shelves like these on a closet rod.  I typically leave a few slots open to use as shelves, and then I also like to add some inserts to create extra drawers.  This is particularly handy in a kids’ room where they might not be able to reach the closet rod anyhow!  (See more on that under #7 below.)

Some other ideas:

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW TO FIND THAT PRODUCT.

My husband had a tie rack like the one below for many years (he now has multiple sliding tie racks like this mounted on the side of his closet).  It was really sturdy (it didn’t rock around like some tie holders do), and he couldn’t believe how rarely he had to change the batteries.

Lighted Rotating Tie Rack & Belt Holder

Wrapping Paper Organizer

80 Pocket Jewelry Organizer

6 Shelf Organizer

Closet Rod Purse Organizer

Scarf Organizer

Belt Hanger with Rings

5.  LINE CLOTHES UP VERTICALLY

My sister-in-law gave me this tip, and I cannot even begin to tell you how great this system is!  I love this idea so much that I even wrote an entire post about lining your clothes up vertically.

Not only will you create more space in your drawers, but things will stay neater since you can see everything at a glance.  No more digging for what you (or your kids!) need!  You will probably also find that you wear a greater variety of your clothing instead of what’s usually on top.  I have changed just about every drawer in our house to this system now.  Your kids might need a little help getting things to stand up, but they get better once they get used to it.  As for yourself, I don’t think you’ll ever go back to stacked piles again!

Before:  my daughter had a hard time keeping her piles of shorts neat.

After:  she no longer has to dig for the shorts she wants since she can see them all at one time now.  That makes for a neater drawer, and we also doubled the space available to her!

It works for bras, too!  

(By the way, this is the best bra on the planet.  My friends and I all call it the No Back Fat Bra!  :)  It’s so comfortable and flattering from the front and the back!)

6.  FIND SPACE IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

There are so many handy products that help you create space in places you may not have considered:  on doors, under a sink, inside a cabinet, even on door hinges!

Find some ideas below.

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW TO FIND THAT PRODUCT.

I have the rod below to dry clothing on the back of our laundry room door.  It is perfect to dry things out of the way, and I can dry even the longest dresses without them dragging on the floor!

No more tripping over a drying rack.  Dry everything on the back of a door!

Over-the-Door Clothes Dryer

Who knew there was space on your door hinges?!

Towel Rack for Door Hinges

Use the space under your sink more effectively.

Expandable Under Sink Storage

Mount holders inside cabinets or on the wall to free up space elsewhere.

Hair Care Rack

Mounted Spice Rack

Use over-cabinet storage in the laundry room, kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere to find space you didn’t know was there!

Over Cabinet Deep Storage

Over Cabinet Wastebasket

Two Level Storage Basket

7.  USE ALL VERTICAL SPACE AVAILABLE

Take a look at your closets.  Is there empty space anywhere?  In particular, is there unused space under your hanging clothes?  Chances are, you only have a handful of dresses/long coats that reach all the way to the ground.  That means there is probably prime space that isn’t being used.  How can you use that space more effectively?

Furthermore, find space between cabinets and the wall, next to the washer/dryer, on the back of a door, etc.  There is vertical space everywhere just waiting to be used if you look for it!

Some ideas to better use the vertical space in your home:

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES BELOW TO FIND THAT PRODUCT.

Create an extra clothing rod below the original rod!

If all your clothes are short and you’re wasting space underneath them, create two rods as shown below with an extension piece and hang twice the clothing!  This is very handy in kids’ rooms, too, where children can’t reach the top rod.  You could hang their off-season or soon-to-fit items up high, and then hang everything they use often down at their level.  This also encourages your kids to dress themselves, which makes your life easier and promotes independence from an early age.

Lower Closet Rod Extension

Just like you can create a second bar below your closet rod, you can also create a second bar above your closet rod!  The bar pulls down so you can select a garment, and then the hydraulic assisted hinges lift the rod back into place with a small push. You can make use of the space all the way to the ceiling inside your closet this way!

Pull-Down Closet Rod

Use a shelving system that reaches toward the floor to use every inch of closet space.

I am a huge fan of using a shelving system like the one shown below to make use of vertical space, particularly in kids’ rooms.  I often leave some shelves open, or I will add drawer inserts to make some slots into drawers.  In my photo up above, you can see how I used a shelving system with drawers in our entryway closet.  Each family member was allotted a drawer for things like hats, scarves, and mittens.

Hanging Shelves (or Convert to Drawers with Inserts)

Drawer Inserts – Set of 2

Find vertical space next to cabinets or between the washer/dryer.

Slide Out Storage Tower

Think of all the bulky items you could store on this 3-level cart next to the washer/dryer, freeing up space elsewhere!

3 Tier Slim Laundry Cart

Use all the vertical space possible on the back of doors.

Over-the-Door 26 Pocket Shoe Rack

Use vertical space, even under your sink!

Pull-Out 2-Level Under Sink Rack

Use wall-mount storage when possible.  You can even keep it out of sight by mounting it behind a door or inside a closet.

OXO Good Grips Expandable Wall-Mount

8.  USE SPACE BEHIND DOORS

I have mentioned using the space on a door many times in this post, but you can also make use of the space behind a door.  As shown below, my husband hung a bunch of hooks like this behind his closet door, and he stores belts and hats there.  You can also see that behind our bathroom door, we hung some hooks for long robes and towels.  You could wall-mount a coat rack like this or hang any type of rack to make use of that wall space and keep items out of sight when the door is open.

We have a rack like this for brooms, mops, etc., and it’s so handy.  You just slide the handle up into the ring and it hooks right on.  It releases just as easily.  This would be perfect behind a door to keep these items out of sight.

Mop & Broom Organizer

The options are endless for a storage rack like this!  You could mount it behind a door, and keep everything handy yet out of sight in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry room, etc.

4-Tier Wall Mount Rack

9.  GET THINGS OFF THE FLOOR FOR LESS CLUTTER

If you are always tripping over things under your feet, try to find a way to get them up off the floor.  I used to have what I thought was a great system for shoes near the door to our garage.  Each child had a basket with her name on it, and she simply had to drop her shoes in the correct spot.  But over time I found that the baskets were getting in our way.  So I hung a shoe rack on a door in the hallway as you can see below.  It wasn’t the most beautiful thing since it was on the front of the door, but we were the only ones who could see it anyhow, and it was so functional!!  My kids each knew which slots were theirs (you can label them with a Sharpie if you’d like), everything was up off the floor, and we were no longer digging for matching shoes.

This is such a smart way to keep extra rolls of toilet paper within arm’s reach without taking up any floor space!

Over Tank Roll Reserve

10.  GIVE PRIME SPACE TO MOST-USED ITEMS

As you look around your home, make a mental note of what you see.  When you open a “prime” drawer, do you use every single thing in it almost daily?  What about the closet by your back door, the one you pass by every single day as you come and go… does everything within arm’s reach need to be there?

Oftentimes when we really look around, we realize we aren’t using our space wisely.  If your Christmas decorations are handy yet you need a stool to reach those shoes you wear all the time, you probably need to shift some things around.  Make sure EVERYTHING that is given prime placement is used OFTEN.  

A FEW TIPS FOR USING YOUR SPACE MOST EFFICIENTLY:

1)  Things used on a daily basis should be very handy and stored from eye-level to about hip height.  You don’t need to go on your tippy-toes or bend over to find what you need.  If we’re talking about drawer space, the most-used items should be right in front of you.

2)  Things used semi-regularly can be up slightly higher (where you can still reach) or maybe on the floor where you have to bend your knees.  In a drawer, these things are still handy, but perhaps they are placed toward the back.

3)  Things used once per week or less start to have less precedence.  Place things like this near the front edge under a bed (so everything is still easily accessible) or up on a shelf where you might need a slight boost to reach it.

4)  Things used once per month or less should be fairly difficult to get to when space is tight.  Perhaps these items are under a bed toward the back, on a top shelf, or even in the garage or the attic.

5)  Things used annually or less should be very difficult to get to when your space is limited.  You can keep items like this deep under a bed, on the highest shelf, in the attic, or perhaps even in storage.

6)  Unless you live in a place where your climate is fairly consistent, your needs will change throughout the year as the weather varies.  Take the time to flip-flop your bins seasonally (such as the bins shown below), or move things around a bit as you use things more/less.  Don’t waste the precious prime space you have with things that really don’t need to be there.

And when you need to get to those lesser-used things?  Keep a storage bench nearby or something to (safely!) stand on to reach those items up high.  A bench like this would serve three purposes:  1) extra storage; 2) seat for putting on shoes; 3) acts as a stool to get to those hard-to-reach items.

Bench with Shoe Storage

*** PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ITEMS IN THIS POST CAN BE FOUND AT ORGANIZE-IT.  USE THE CODE HH3368 TO RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE THROUGH 3/31/14.

Well, once again I set out to write a post, and it ended up being much longer than I anticipated!  Sometimes when I start writing, I find that there are so many solutions out there to help make life easier, and I just want to share them all with you so I don’t miss anything that might be exactly what you need!

If you are living in a tight space that’s feeling overwhelmingly cluttered right now, I’m hopeful that this post will give you some ideas to tame the chaos, create space, and get more organized!  In no way do I think our homes should be “museums”, but I do think a lived-in, happy home should still have some order or we simply can’t function without being consumed by stress!

If you’re looking for even more ideas to help you get organized, don’t miss this post with 100+ Ideas to Help Organize Your Home and Your Life!

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This post was written as a sponsored post for Organize-It.  All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.