12 Tips to Create An Organized Storage Room of Your Dreams!

I’ve been meaning to share this blog post with you since I shared a peek into my organized chaos, also known as our storage room. It came to mind as we were packing up from one of our shoot days, I asked Rachelle to just snap a few photos, and we didn’t stage this space for a shoot… can you tell? LOL. Trust me, there is a method to my organizing madness and today, I’m so excited to share with you how we keep our storage room organized. I’m talking about how I store everything from Leo and Annie’s hand-me-downs to all of our holiday decor and more. While this may look organized to some, it is by no means something you would see on Marie Kondo’s Instagram account. 🤪

Let’s get right to it!

1. Use clear bins

One of the things that have been a lifesaver when it comes to keeping all our sh*t organized is clear bins! The solid-coloured storage bins look pretty and all, but my biggest pet peeve is you can’t see what is in them. It may sound simple, but how many times have you had to ruffle through multiple bins just to find what you are looking for? Clear bins will solve all of your organizing (and sorting!) problems, as soon as you walk into your storage room you can see all of the items in each bin at a quick glance.

2. Purchase matching bins from the same brand 

Find your favourite tote bin brand and stick with it! Not only will this help you plan out and measure how many bins will fit in your designated space, but everything will look more cohesive and organized.

3. Use smaller containers for nick-nacks

If you’re someone like me that loves saving handwritten cards, your kid’s letters to Santa, or magazines that I refuse to let go of for whatever reason, store these items in smaller containers that match your big totes for cohesiveness.

4. Organize keepsakes by stage of life

Whether you’re organizing items from when YOU were a baby or collecting keepsakes for your kiddos, try to keep these organized by stage of life. Not only will this make finding things easier, but it also might help you limit the number of things you feel the need to hang onto.

5. Invest in wreath bags

I’ve used wreath bags before but it’s been a while since I’ve had them on hand. So, while reorganizing everything in our storage room and coming to the realization that I was just tossing my wreaths on top of totes, I decided to invest in some again. Not only do they make storing your wreaths SUPER easy but they also add a layer of protection which ultimately prolongs the life of your wreaths!

6. Use a label maker

Having clear bins will be a life-saver, but if you want to level up your organizational skills a notch, get a label maker. I have to admit I sometimes get a little carried away with them, but there’s just something so satisfying about printing labels and getting REALLY organized! 🤪

7. Store bags within bags

While I don’t have many purses lying around, I do have my fair share of backpacks, clutches, make-up bags and so on. When I’m not using them I like to store my bags within bags. I’ll find the biggest bag (that I’m not currently using!) and fit as many smaller bags as I can within it. It’s a simple and easy tip, but ends up saving you a ton of space!

8. Organize by season 

I LOVE decorating for almost every season, and I have at least one clear bin dedicated to each holiday. In these bins, you will typically find any holiday-themed table wear and linens, cushion covers, smaller nick-nacks, books and accessories. It makes it super easy when it comes time for a specific holiday, grab your bin, and get decorating.

9. Storage room shelving

Now, if you have a room dedicated to the items you need to store, I will briefly walk you through our shelving set-up. All of the shelves are supported by L brackets that are approximately 14 inches deep, a few brackets go underneath the shelf to provide support. If this is a DIY that you are planning on tackling please make sure that the brackets are secured into the stud!

10. Bin storage and organization

You might have already thought of this tip, but for any items that I am not reaching for as frequently, I will store them on the upper shelves. Anything I am reaching for more consistently I will store on the lower shelves, it makes my life so much easier!

11. How to store your items in clear bins

When placing your items in clear bins instead of throwing everything in there and hoping for the best, strategically place items on the side of the bin that will help remind you of what you put in them in the first place!

12. Store costumes by size, not theme

And last but not least, when it comes to costumes, I like to organize them by size, not by the theme or holiday. This way, whenever Justin, Leo, Annie, myself or even the dogs are in need of a costume I know exactly where to look.

There you have it, while I’m by no means Clea or Joanna, the owners of The Home Edit I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that will help you achieve the most organized storage room yet!

xo

Jilly