30 Best-Ever Storage Tips

All homeowners face the never ending battle against clutter. And when we find a winning strategy, we share it with fellow readers. Here are some of our best tips!

1 / 30
Mobile Tool Rack

Mobile Tool Rack

If you see an old golf bag at a rummage sale, grab it. It will make a great tote for lawn and garden gear. Plus: Get more tool storage hacks here.
2 / 30
Hang Ladders Low
Family Handyman

Hang Ladders Low

Most people hang ladders high on the wall. But often, lower is better. It makes ladders easier to grab and, since ladders are skinny, this will leave floor space open for parking cars, bikes or the mower. Learn how to organize your garage in one morning here!
3 / 30
Toilet Paper Shelf

Toilet Paper Shelf

Here's a clever idea for a small bathroom shelf. Build or buy a deep picture frame and hang it around your toilet paper holder. It will give you two convenient shelves for small items in your bathroom where every inch of storage counts. Here are more DIY bathroom storage solutions.
4 / 30
More Shower Shelves
Family Handyman

More Shower Shelves

Those shelves that hang from a shower pipe are fine, but you have only one shower pipe. To hang more shelves, mount cabinet knobs on the wall using No. 8-32 hanger screws and screw-in drywall anchors. For more bathroom storage ideas click here.
5 / 30
Pocket Storage
Family Handyman

Pocket Storage

Hang-up shoe organizers are the fastest way to add easy-access storage just about anywhere. Plus pocket storage can organize just about anything. Find them at discount stores. For more easy storage ideas click here.
6 / 30
Kitchen Organization: Racks for Canned Goods

Kitchen Organization: Racks for Canned Goods

Use those leftover closet racks as cabinet organizers. Trim the racks to length with a hacksaw and then mount screws to the backside of the face frame to hold the racks in place. The backside of the rack simply rests against the back of the cabinet. Now you can easily find your soup and check the rest of your inventory at a glance with this pantry storage solution.
7 / 30
Measuring Cup Hang-Up
Family Handyman

Measuring Cup Hang-Up

Screw a couple strips inside a cabinet door, add some hooks and you've got a perfect roost for measuring cups. Just make sure your cups won't bump into the shelves. For more inside cabinet door storage ideas click here.
8 / 30
Add-On Clothes Rod
Family Handyman

Add-On Clothes Rod

Here's an easy way to add space for hanging clothes (or at least clothes that don't require a tall space). Hang a second clothes rod from the upper rod with lightweight chain. Attach the chain to screw eyes directly or use S-hooks or carabiners. Carabiners make adjusting the height of the extra rod a snap.
9 / 30
Closet Bracket Bike Rack
Family Handyman

Closet Bracket Bike Rack

Brackets designed to support closet rods make a brilliant bike rack. Add some adhesive-backed felt or hook-and-loop strips to prevent scratching your bike.
10 / 30
Simple Storage Spools

Simple Storage Spools

Cut up cardboard to make handy spools for holiday lights, string or cords. For more holiday storage hacks click here.
11 / 30
Under-Sink Archives

Under-Sink Archives

Don't file away the manuals and spare parts that came with your kitchen and bath fixtures. Instead, put them right where you'll need them, in zip-top bags hung on hooks at the back walls of cabinets. For more simple life organization hacks click here.
12 / 30
Instant Drawer Dividers

Instant Drawer Dividers

Stick strips of adhesive-backed foam weather stripping to the inside of the drawer. Then cut 1/4-in. plywood strips and wedge them into place. Plus: Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer Organizers You Can Build Yourself
13 / 30
Overhead Ladder Rack
Family Handyman

Overhead Ladder Rack

For those folks who have some height, a rarely used ladder doesn't have to take up valuable storage space on the wall. Build simple racks by screwing 2x4s together, then screw the racks to the ceiling joists. Be sure to position the racks where they won't interfere with the garage door. Secure the ladder with an elastic cord so it can't fall off. Plus: 51 ways to organize your garage.
14 / 30
Hang a Bike on the Wall

Hang a Bike on the Wall

Need to hang a bike but can't reach the ceiling? Bike hooks meant for ceilings work on walls, too. Just drive the hook in at 45-degree angle. Plus:  4 quick and simple DIY storage projects
15 / 30
Preserve Lawn Supplies
Family Handyman

Preserve Lawn Supplies

Lawn products like seed and fertilizer soak up moisture in damp garages. To keep them fresh, store them in giant zip-top bags (available at discount stores). Learn how to grow a lush lawn here.
16 / 30
Cabinet Slots

Cabinet Slots

A metal file organizer is perfect for storing flat kitchen gear like cutting boards or cookie sheets. To keep it in place, set it on a pad of rubbery shelf liner. Plus: 9 Simple Cabinet Repairs
17 / 30
Make the Most of Skinny Spaces
Family Handyman

Make the Most of Skinny Spaces

In a small kitchen with little storage space, you can make even narrow filler spaces work harder by installing a vertical pegboard rollout. Kitchen designer Mary Jane Pappas typically recommends 18- to 30-in.-wide rollout drawers for cabinets: 'Any larger and they're too clumsy. Any smaller and too much of the space is used by the rollouts themselves.' But there is one type of rollout that makes good use of narrow spaces, even those only 3 to 6 in. wide. Pappas says that pullout pantries– single tall, narrow drawers with long, shelves, drawers, baskets or even pegboard – can be an efficient way to put skinny spaces to work. Shown is the 434 Series 6-in. Base Filler with stainless steel panel from Rev-a-Shelf, the perfect pull out drawers for cabinets.
18 / 30
Stay-put balls
Family Handyman

Stay-put balls

Screw flowerpot saucers to shelves so balls can't roll off. Cheap plastic trays come in sizes to suit all kinds of balls. Want more storage tips?
19 / 30
Joist Space Storage
Family Handyman

Joist Space Storage

Don't waste all that space between joists in a basement or garage. Screw wire shelving to the underside of the joists. An 8-ft. x 16-in. length of wire shelving and a pack of plastic clips (sold separately) costs about 20 bucks. Don't forget that wire shelving also shines on walls. Learn the best practices for installing wire shelving here.
20 / 30
Closet Nook Shelves
Family Handyman

Closet Nook Shelves

Don't let the recessed space at the ends of a closet go to waste. One of our favorite ways to maximize the closet space you already have is to install wire shelving to hold blankets, towels or bedding. Find out how to declutter your closet. Wire shelves are available in a variety of widths. Measure the width and depth of the space. Then choose the correct shelving and ask the salesperson to cut the shelves to length for you. Subtract 3/8-in. from the actual width to determine the shelf length. Buy a pair of end mounting brackets and a pair of plastic clips for each shelf.
21 / 30
Tight-Space Shelves
Family Handyman

Tight-Space Shelves

Wire pantry shelves aren't just for pantries. They're perfect for any wall where full-depth shelves won't fit: garages, laundry rooms, utility rooms, etc. The perfect space-saving shelves solution. Need more room for your stuff in general? Here are simple storage solutions for small spaces.
22 / 30
S-Hook Hang-Up

S-Hook Hang-Up

Pick up a pack of S-hooks at a home center and turn wire shelving into a rack for cleaning gear.
23 / 30
Instant Mini Bins

Instant Mini Bins

Plastic junction boxes for electrical work are cheap and easy to mount anywhere. Get them at home centers. Plus: Build your own customizable garage storage wall.
24 / 30
Fast Shelves

Fast Shelves

Those plastic crates sold at discount stores make great (and colorful!) shelves. Mount them on walls, using screws and fender washers at the upper corners. Screw to studs where you can; use screw-in drywall anchors where you can’t. If you want to build your own shelves, learn how to build DIY box shelves here.
25 / 30
Junk Drawer in a Bag
Family Handyman

Junk Drawer in a Bag

Heavy-duty zip-top bags are a versatile solution for miscellaneous junk. Unlike a drawer or coffee can, they let you visibly see and instantly find just the thing you're looking for. To clean-up that junk drawer or any space in your home, here are 18 easy organization tips.
26 / 30
Store on a Door
Family Handyman

Store on a Door

A door that opens into a closet or utility room provides a handy surface for hang-up storage. The trouble is that most doors don’t offer a flat, solid surface for fastening hooks or racks. The solution is to screw 3/4-in. plywood to the door. (On a hollow-core door, use screws and construction adhesive.) Then you can mount as many hooks or racks as you like.
27 / 30
Vertical Cabinet Space

Vertical Cabinet Space

Cookie sheets and pizza pans are easier to store and easier to access if you store them standing on edge. To create vertical space, install a vertical panel and shorten the existing cabinet shelf. Learn how to increase kitchen storage by building under-cabinet drawers.
28 / 30
Glove and Mitt Storage
Family Handyman

Glove and Mitt Storage

This brilliant storage idea can be used for gloves, hats and even lost socks. It's also great for drying out damp items before stashing them in a drawer or cabinet.
29 / 30
Create Secret Storage
via Melina Gillies

Create Secret Storage

Whether you purchase boxes made to look like books or use our instructions for creating your own, carving out a secret hiding spot in your office is perfect for valuable items or smaller office supplies—not to mention chocolate!
30 / 30
Repurpose Old Jars and Containers for Free Garage Storage
Graham Taylor Photography/Shutterstock

Repurpose Old Jars and Containers for Free Garage Storage

Back in the day, it was common for grandfathers to organize their hardware in mason jars. The simple practice entailed fastening the lid to a shelf bottom and simply screwing on the jar. Other useful containers for free storage include laundry soap bottles, shoeboxes and many more. Use your creativity and keep these items out of the landfill. Books can look beautiful as repurposed items like as a knife block, see how.