I Need Storage Solutions

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management -> Organizing

1 2 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 10:49 am

I live in a decently-sized 4 room apartment with a few children. We still fit nicely as far as sleeping arrangements and day-to-day storage such as food and clothing. But I need help to figure out where to put other things that I don't necessarily use every day. Can other people who live in small apartments help me out? I need ideas for where to put many things.

My apartment has a dining room (with a three-unit shelving piece, no built-in closets), an eat-in kitchen, a hallway with a coat closet and a linen closet, a small closet in the kids' bedroom and another closet in my bedroom. I have 2 shelves on the wall behind my washer/dryer which is in my bathroom. I find myself putting everything on these 2 shelves, but space has run out! There is no basement or shed for storage.
can you tell me where you keep these things or give me ideas of where I can place these things?

Where do you keep:
1) a sewing machine?
2) cases of water, seltzer, grape juice, etc?
3) air conditioners in the winter?
4) baby items such as swing, exersaucer, bassinet for the carriage, potty for toilet training, training wheels for the bike? I anticipate using them again and again, I just don't need them around always.
5) dh's tools?
6) your sukka?
7) your pesach dishes/pots?
8) children's books? I keep it in the armoire with their clothes, but I don't like it there.
9) printer/fax machine?

I am ready to overhaul my whole place in order for this to work. It's cheaper to organize than to move. Please help!!!

ra_mom

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 11:46 am

amother wrote:

We factor in our apartment size when making purchases.
1. sorry, I do not have a sewing machine
2. I do not buy more than I need for the week
3. I keep my a/c units installed throughout the winter
4. I specifically bought foldable items but still had to find someone to store for me when not in use
5. we bought a toolbox and limit our tools to what it can hold. we keep it on the floor of our coat closet.
6. we bought a compact canvas Sukka - the poles and schach are thin but long and we find a closet that can hold them upright in the corner
7. pesach pots put in a built-in over our bedroom closet - it was a hard space to reach so we kept the once-a-year items there. but we did not buy dishes, we used plastic, until we had room for those
8. we bought a tiny bookshelf for children's books at Staples and limit our books to what it can hold
9. we bought a compact printer/fax machine and kept it in the closet or over a small filing cabinet, depending on our space

oliveoil

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 11:57 am

The container store sells bed risers and underbed boxes. Basically, black boxes that u put under the feet (or wheels) of the bed to lift it up, and then boxes that fit perfectly underneath. That might be a good option for the pesach dishes.

bnm

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 12:06 pm

baby items I lent out or kept in my mother's basement. Exersaucer is at my mil, 2 bouncy seats are at a friend, hand me downs get given away and I keep begging the person not to send it back but since she lives in an even smaller apartment she does.....

we don't have a sukka yet,
ac was kept in the window and covered in plastic in the winter,
kids books where in a pile on their dresser,
seltzer and water in the dining room,
pesach pots on top of the one walk in closet we had,
tools in the little cabinet on top of the fridge and printer was next to the computer on the floor or on a shelve
no sewing machine- I barely have a mini sewing kit.

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 12:14 pm

oliveoil wrote:

I keep my porta crib under my bed and other things under dh's bed. My childrens bed is a high-riser and we push it in every day, so no space there.

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 12:20 pm

OP here.

I can't keep a/c's installed in the window because in the winter its' too cold and the summer/fall I have no access to the window even for fresh air. In the summer I make do without it because a/c is more important but can't live like that whole year.

I don't own a sewing machine but I would love to have one. There are so many times I think if only I'd have where to put it, I would buy one. I could use it very often.

Also, where do you put kids' briefcases? I have hooks in my hallway but we're outgrowing that already...

pearly1

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 12:42 pm

I bought cute individual hooks comes in many colors in the Organicer store in boropark I hung these hooks up in my hallway and in my boys bedroom and are responsible to hang up their coats briefcases on their hook each boy has their own color I also found interesting bins and containers there to fit any empty space in my small apt!

2gether

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 12:55 pm

More storage places:
1)in hanging closet underneath (think sewing machine)
2)my beds pick up (baby items)
3)on top of closet,in boxes,yes unelegant,but nothing to do about it (pesach dishes/pots)
4)hooks and shelves (pottie in bathroom)

Do you have a porch or room for another closet? I have a Keter- it's a life saver!

ra_mom

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 1:14 pm

amother wrote:

I am iyH installing more hooks in the hallway outside for this purpose.
Also, do you have room with good height under beds? We have a bunk bed that has two height options for the 1st level bed (there is room for a hi-riser with the higher height). We have been keeping toys in bins there, but the kids have too much access to the toys so we're moving things around to make room for them in a locked closet Smile

and I will be buying more good size bins for under the bed. I technically have room for a sewing machine down there. Maybe that is an option for you.

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 1:21 pm

Everything in our apartment is function over fashion. We have a bunch of garage type shelves in the kitchen, hall and living room/ dining room.

Iymnok

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 3:35 pm

My sister has a bookshelf, the third shelf extends out serving as a shallow desk. Her sewing machine and serger live there hidden behind a specially designed curtain Wink

she has mini plastic drawers for notions and supplies. The upper and lower shelves have her husbands seforim.

bookie

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 3:54 pm

newperl wrote:

do you have a phone number for this place. I tried searching online. I have a ride into boro park but need to know how early they open. Also where exactly are they located?

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 5:47 pm

My friend put up shelves about 18 inches below the ceiling all around every room in the house. She collected a stack of cartons from the grocery, all the same size, which she covered in attractive self-stick plastic film. In these she stores out-of season clothes, clothes for the kids to grow into, and pretty much anything that isn't needed right now and doesn't weigh all that much. Toys, toilet paper, tissues, gift wrap, art supplies, empty pots and pans, yes; canned goods, china and bottled water, no.

It's tempting to buy in bulk to save money, but if that means you have no room to turn around and you're tripping over each other on the way to the bathroom, buy only as much as you can use in the immediate future. Mental health is important, and therapy costs more than you'll save by buying in bulk. Buy a Sodastream and quit cluttering up your home with cases of seltzer. Buy a faucet-mounted water filter and a bunch of reusable water bottles and quit buying bottled water, which is a colossal waste of money.

My sewing machine,may it rest in peace, lived on top of my dresser. It wasn't the most comfortable way to sew, but I sew in brief spurts, not long sessions, and most of my sewing is by hand. My friend's lives on the floor of her clothes closet, and my sister's lives under her metal-frame bed, no box springs. Tools are in a tackle-style box on the floor of our hall coat closet, with some others in dh closet. We don't own a sukkah and use our shul's or a neighbor's. My neighbor stores hers in her married dd's basement. (That's a switch, huh? Most kids store stuff in their parents' houses.)Some apartments have storage space in the basement that you can use for big items; ask your super.

Our a/c stays in the window year round. Pesach ware in the upper shelves of a bedroom closet, which is built-in and goes up to the ceiling. I'm not getting younger so at some point I want to find "Street-level" storage for these. We never had gobs and gobs of children's books but borrowed gobs and gobs of books from the library. The few children's books we did own were stored in a small combined bookcase/storage cabinet in the children's room, and when the youngest child outgrew them or got bored with them, they were given away. The same for toys and games. We allotted the bottom of the bookcase/cabinet for these, and if we acquired something new, something old had to go out to make room for it. No exceptions. So I can't give my grandchildren their daddy's books or teddy bears, but so what? Kids like new stuff, anyway.

We used to buy cases of grape juice on sale before Pesach, enough to last the whole year. stacked in cartons in a corner of the hall. It looked terrible, but we thought we were saving so much money. Eventually we had so much we were drinking grape juice from 3 years ago. This is too long too keep grape juice as flavor detriorates after about a year, though it's safe to drink. By two years old it's not so great and by 3 years you don't want to drink it. Now I buy only as much as will fit in the bottom of one closet, maybe 2 cases, maybe a drop more that will be used up over Pesach and won't require long-term storage.

While I would love to be able to buy toilet paper by the case the way my inlaws did, they had a house with a full basement and a garage, whereas I have a small apartment. The payoff is that they have to clean a house with a full basement and a garage, and I only have to clean a small apartment. Come Pesach that's an even bigger deal than it is year round. The bottom line is, you have to tailor your stock to your space. Stores hold clearance sales to get rid of what they have and free up room for new merchandise. People, especially those who dwell in small spaces, have to do the same thing. You just can't afford to have as much stuff as a person with more space. This isn't a bad thing. Most of us have many times more stuff than we really need. Have less clothing and launder more often; have fewer groceries and shop more often. It seems like more work, but remember that all that stuff has to be put in storage, moved, dusted, taken out of storage...and this is also work.

HTH.

pearly1

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 6:15 pm

Store Organicer is on 4717 new Utrecht Ave

Rubber Ducky

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 6:20 pm

bookie wrote:

do you have a phone number for [Organicer]. I tried searching online. I have a ride into boro park but need to know how early they open. Also where exactly are they located?

They have a Facebook page: Organicer on Facebook
4717 New Utrecht Ave.
(718) 676-4717
I couldn't find their hours.

chickpea_salad

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 6:34 pm

Hidden storage sounds like it would work well for you.

Put your beds on risers instead of box springs and store out of season items there. If your kids are in bunk beds you can use the end for a small bookshelf.

Hang towels on the back of your bathroom door and put more shelving where your towel rack is. Hang a plastic shoe organizer on the back of the door to a closet. This is a good place for commonly needed items like cleaning supplies or toys for the kids. Less frequently used items go in stackable boxes. (make sure to use the height of all your storage spaces, not just the width + length) Use stackable boxes for under sink storage in the kitchen and the bathroom. This is a good place for tools.

An extendable kitchen table would mean you have more space some of the time. If your kitchen table is near a wall, can you install a diner style bench for seating? You will be able to store a lot under it. Like seltzer. Maybe even a sewing machine.

bookie

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 6:50 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

They have a Facebook page: Organicer on Facebook
4717 New Utrecht Ave.
(718) 676-4717
I couldn't find their hours.

Thanks. I am not on facebook but will call them.

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 8:23 pm

amother wrote:

This was helpful, in practical ideas as well as outlook. Thank you!

The only problem is that I work. So having less but laundering/shopping more often is not worth it. I have a big freezer so that I can work and have homemade meals. But yes that freezer in my childrens room takes up lotsa space.

amother

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 8:25 pm

amother wrote:

A freezer is one thing. Everyone has to prioritize what is important to them. But if you want a small space to stay clean then other possessions and bulk groceries would have to be reduced.

zaq

Sun, Oct 26 2014, 11:16 pm

amother wrote:

A freezer is one thing. Everyone has to prioritize what is important to them. But if you want a small space to stay clean then other possessions and bulk groceries would have to be reduced.

This. Everyone's resources are limited in some way, whether it's time, space. or money, and they're all in a sense interchangeable. You have to decide which is the most critical to you. You can save money and time by buying in bulk but it will cost you in terms of space. You can save space and time by ordering deliveries just-in-time but it will cost you in terms of money. These are decisions only you can make.

But make sure that you really need everything you are storing and you are not storing it just because you can. buying more "junk bunkers"-- devices that let you cram more stuff into the space you have--is not a solution. Streamlining so that you have what you need, not more than you need, in an accessible form, is.

Here is an example. Let's say you bake challah from scratch. You really want a he-man mixer, but the only place to put it would be smack in the middle of your kitchen floor. Not good, so you forego the super mixer and continue hand-kneading the challah because you just do not have the space. But then you develop carpal tunnel and hand kneading is out. Because you need gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, salt-free challah, you must make your own, so now a super-mixer is a must. You may decide that a cramped kitchen is worth it and buy a small cabinet to fit under the kitchen table to store the mixer -or you decide that cholent can be made on the stovetop and if you jettison your crockpot there will be room in the cabinet for the mixer . OR you decide that you will order gluten-free , soy free, etc. challah flown in from Hunkapoo, Minnesota once a month because you are anyway underutilizing your huge upright freezer and challah is the only thing you would use a mixer for.

There is no one right answer--it all depends on what your priorities are. As these change over time, so will your strategies and the look of your household.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next