Savvy Storage Ideas for Every Room At Home

The amount of available storage is an important factor for any home. When it comes to organising and storing your belongings, you will want to ensure everything has its place. However, many people don’t realise that where they habitually store certain items can in fact be causing them unnecessary wear, damage or deterioration. To make you aware of such storage faux pas, we’ve highlighted some of the most common storage blunders.

Bathroom Storage Ideas

The bathroom environment can be a rather unforgiving one for many of your belongings. Between steamy showers and often open windows, this room can frequently fluctuate between damp, hot and cold. Though there are ways to maximise your bathroom storage, here are some items you should reconsider keeping in your bathroom:

• Linen and towels: any fabrics, such as fresh sheets and towels, will absorb the moisture in the bathroom air, leading to the quick development of unpleasant damp and musty smells.
• Makeup and makeup brushes: the damp and humid conditions inside a bathroom  are not good for these items as it can promote bacteria and mould growth. You should try to store makeup in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.
• Medicines: surprisingly, the best place for your medicines is not your bathroom’s medicine cabinet! The humidity and heat of a bathroom can damage and hamper the effectiveness of medicines; look for a bedroom drawer or cupboard to store these items instead.

Bedroom Storage Ideas

Your bedroom should be a relaxing space which you relish retreating to at the end of the day. However, if your space is messy and cluttered, it can become more of an eyesore than a sanctuary. Keep your bedroom organised and clear with these savvy storage tips:

• Shoes: to prevent tracking dirt throughout your home whilst also freeing up storage space in your bedroom, you should keep shoes by the front door.
• Seasonal clothes: for clothes you aren’t currently using – such as jumpers, coats, shorts or other seasonal items – free up valuable wardrobe space by folding them up and storing them in boxes. Under bed storage is excellent for such purposes.
• Closet organisers: if you create a place for everything inside your wardrobe with closet organisers and tailored interior storage solutions, you can keep the rest of your room free from clothes and clutter whilst also suitably protecting your belongings.

Attic Storage Ideas

Having usable attic space for extra storage can be a godsend. However, you should take care to pack your items properly and only store away items which can take the large changes in temperature and resist any potential critters. Avoid storing these items in your attic to keep them in good condition:

• Photos: the heat of your attic will quicken the deterioration of photographs and, should your roof develop a leak, you risk water damage too.
• Tech: if you hope to use old electrical items again – such as laptops, TVs, DVD players and mobile phones – they shouldn’t be exposed to large temperature variations or the harmful humidity of an attic environment.
• Clothes: the changeable, stuffy loft environment combined with potential moths, mites and other pests makes the attic a bad place to keep your clothes in good condition.

Kitchen Storage Ideas

There is a lot of variation in where different people like to store their foodstuffs. Whilst some foods should definitely be stored in the fridge, there are a lot of items that will in fact do well elsewhere. Here are some commonly miskept items:

• Potatoes and tomatoes: these items should definitely be kept out of the fridge as the cold and moisture will reduce flavour and create an unpleasant texture.
• Onions and garlic: for the best flavour and lifespan, these should be kept out of the fridge in a dry place out of the sun and, ideally, with air circulation.
• Condiments: organic and preservative-free condiments should be kept in the fridge. However, other sauces will keep just fine out of the fridge, albeit for slightly less time than if they were chilled.
• Coffee beans: contrary to popular belief, coffee beans shouldn’t be stored in the fridge. Storing beans in an airtight container within a cool, dark cupboard is ideal, whereas a fridge can introduce moisture and reduce the rich flavour of your coffee.