ORGANIZATION 9 Simple Storage Hacks That Actually Work

Looking for creative ideas for storing items in your home? Here are 9 super simple storage hacks that actually work.

Y’all.

I’m not really sure when it happened.

One minute I was going out with my friends and dancing late into the night and celebrating and thinking that life was never going to get more fun than this.

And then?

Deep cleaning my mattress brought me more happiness than a zillion nights on the town.

I’m not kidding.

Yesterday I spent two hours cleaning my mattress and my bedding and my mattress topper and my pillows. I added a new quilt and made the bed and when I was finished and the bedding and the mattress smelled like it just came back from the spa…

….I sank down into the bed and sighed.

Am I the only one?

I’m serious. Cleaning and organizing and making everything neat and tidy brings me so much joy.

So today I wanted to share some of my best tips for storing all the stuff.

Here are 9 simple storage hacks that actually work.

9 Simple Storage Hacks That Actually Work

// coat rack //

1. Use a Coat Rack To Organize Baskets

I took baskets and added them to a wooden coat rack like this. It’s the perfect way to store baskets and decorate with them in plain sight. Have you tried it before?

It all started (like most really good ideas do) when I saw an inspiration photo in a magazine. It was a collection of vintage baskets hung on a vintage coat rack. I loved it so much and wanted to recreate the look in the craft room with all my baskets.

The challenge is that I didn’t have a coat rack. No worries. I found this one.

I searched on Amazon and found this affordable wooden coat rack that was tall with just the right amount of pegs.

You can see the one I found here. It came in a small box in individual pieces like this one and I put it together myself. It was so easy that I didn’t even need to look at the instructions. (total aside: are you a look at the instructions type of person or a try-to put it together yourself without the instructions type of person?)

Me? I avoid instructions at all cost unless absolutely necessary.

Remember? I’m a Venn diagram married to a spreadsheet.

// coat rack //

After I put it all together, the coat rack looked like this.

You probably even have a coat rack like this in a closet or in the attic or garage.

I put it in the corner of the craft room and added a few baskets to it.

Vertical storage like this is one of my favorite storage hacks.

A woman in a blue dress uses kitchen organizing hacks to arrange plates in a white kitchen cabinet, with a glass cake stand and other kitchenware visible on the counter.

A neat white kitchen cabinet with the door open, displaying rows of neatly arranged white plates and other dishware against a tiled backsplash.

A person holding a stack of white plates in a kitchen organizing hacks, with another person's hand reaching towards a glass dome covering a decorative item in the background.

A neatly organized kitchen cabinet with white plates of various sizes stacked vertically on two shelves. the cabinet door is open, revealing a bright, clean interior.

2. Create faux built-in plate racks

This organizing hack and I go way back.

It all started in the farmhouse when I wanted built-in plate racks like I had seen in the magazines.

Except.

Except I wanted my children to go to college.

And then I found these tall (the key is the tallness) plate racks at the Container Store (make sure you click the TALL plate rack button).

I painted them white and put them end to end inside the cabinets.

When you close the glass door, it looks like the racks are built-in.

(total aside: if you are looking for ideas to decorate your glass cabinets, I got you. Read this.)

// adjustable shoe organizers //

3. This shoe organizer

This shoe organizer is like a high-rise for shoes. You can now put two pairs of shoes where you used to have one.

You can see the adjustable shoe rack here. But let me show you how it works.

There are twenty sets of shoe organizers in the package and they come in two pieces like this. The top just fits into the bottom. There are holes on each side that fit into each other and an adjustable back (kind of like the adjustable back of a beach chair).

Simply clip them into each other like this. Then adjust the height for your shoes. If you have flats, the top and bottom will be closer together. If you have tennis shoes, simply ramp it up slightly to adjust for the height of the shoes.

Then take your shoes and simply slide them into the organizer. I slide the bottom in with the back showing. And the top goes the opposite way. And then?

Your shoes look like this. There’s a little gripper on the top that holds the shoes in place because my shoe shelves are slanted downward. Repeat the same step for the other 19 shoe organizers in the package.

An open drawer overflowing with a variety of household items, including tape, scissors, calculators, and assorted stationery organizing products, exemplifying a common "junk drawer" found in many homes.

// adjustable drawer organizers //

4. Use these moveable plastic drawer organizers

Until recently my drawers looked like the picture above.

But then I found this drawer-organizing hack.

The answer was so easy it was brilliant.

Why not use individual plastic organizers that I could move around to accommodate everything I had in the drawer?

No more searching for scissors.

No more digging through drawers to find a pencil

No more disorganization with all my drawer mess.

These organizers come in a set with rubber stick-on feet to hold them in place.

You can see the drawer organizers here.

A woman in a blue blouse uses her hands to roll up a beige linen tablecloth on a kitchen counter. she wears a gold watch and a ring, with visible red nail polish.

A drawer open showing neatly rolled up fabrics with various patterns, placed against a hardwood floor and white door frame in the background.

A woman in a blue blouse folding patterned fabric on a marble countertop, with baskets and wrapping paper nearby.

A woman with long blonde hair is in a kitchen, wearing a blue dress and smiling brightly. She stands at a counter, holding a cloth and a rolling pin with a rustic basket to her side. In the background, there's a chalkboard detailing kitchen organizing hacks, along with a garland and laundry area equipped with washer and dryer.

5. Roll your linens instead of folding them

The other day I couldn’t even close this drawer.

It was too full of messy, wrinkled, disorganized stuff for your table.

I tried everything. I tried kicking the drawer. I tried pushing all of that wrinkled, unorganized mess down with one hand and shutting the drawer with the other. I tried scooting everything to the back and shutting the front.

And then?

I came up with an idea that was so simple I wasn’t even sure it would work.

I rolled the linens instead.

You can see how I organized this drawer here.

A silver laptop stand with gray rubber grips placed on a blue and white patterned tablecloth. The background includes a wooden tabletop and blurred indoor plants.

A laptop is placed on a white and blue polka dot-patterned tablecloth and is propped up on a stand on a wooden table. The background features blue and white geometric-patterned curtains and a blurred window view.

6. Office storage hacks

I combined these two because one is not really a storage hack, but I love it so much I had to share. On my dad’s desk (which I did not paint and I’m so happy you all convinced me not to) I have this laptop stand.

It is so sturdy and puts your computer at the perfect height for ZOOM calls. I used to prop up my computer on books before I found this stand.

When you aren’t using it—the stand folds flat and fits perfectly in a computer bag.

You can see the foldable laptop stand here.

A white electrical adapter with its cord wrapped around it sits on a blue tablecloth with a white polka dot pattern. The background features blurred indoor plants and patterned curtains beside a window.

// cord organizer //

And then—this is one of my favorite storage hacks. Here’s how I store my computer cord.

It’s kind of next level.

This pull-up cord organizer sticks onto your computer charger to organize the cord and then you can stick the cord through the slots on the side.

You can see the cord organizer here.

LET’S GO.

// similar fabric storage bins //

7. Put matching sets of sheets in bins

This is one of my favorite storage hacks.

I kind of forget about it until we have guests and then I pat myself on my organizing back.

Every. Single. Time.

I already had these bins from another closet, but I found these that are SUPER similar here. The key is you want them to be sturdy with lids.

Upstairs we have three queen/full-size beds and one twin trundle bed.

So in each tote, I put a queen-sized fitted sheet and flat sheet and matching pillowcases. One extra set in each bin for each bed. Then I put an extra set of queen-sized sheets and extra pillowcases in an additional tote (you know for when the circus performers come to town). Usually, I just wash the sheets on the bed and put them right back on. But if I need an extra set of sheets for the bed? I just pull down the tote and open it up and everything is there smelling great (you can add in a little sachet for each tote) and dust-free.

See what I mean? Why would I need more sheets than that?

// expandable drawer organizers //

8. Add expandable drawer organizers

My challenge with this space is that I had these large drawers.

And large drawers?

They have a tendency to get jumbled.

So I found these expandable drawer organizers on Amazon.

They come in a set of four in different colors (I ordered them in white) and they stretch between the sides of the drawer and snap into place.

They really do stay in place and they create compartments for socks and pajamas and other items.

You can see them here.

I also found these taller acrylic dividers here.

A refrigerator shelf with containers of grapes, a tub of chicken salad, a pack of canned drinks, and other food items is brightly lit and well-organized, showcasing the variety of stored foods. Some clear containers display their contents perfectly—an ideal example if you're wondering how to organize a refrigerator effectively.

// extra refrigerator drawers //

9. Add extra drawers

These add-on refrigerator drawers are kind of a game-changer.

They snap in place onto your existing shelves and add extra storage immediately.

You can see them for under $20 here.

I know it’s hard to believe that I live this exciting of a life.

All this cleaning.

All this organizing is LIVING THE HIGH LIFE.

For sure.

And now?

I have to run.

I have a mop and a duster and I’m ready to party.

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Posted On: July 10, 2024

Written By: KariAnne Wood

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