6 Secret Storage Spots You Forgot Your Home Has
We just can't keep these to ourselves.
Whether it’s clothing, kitchen supplies, or makeup, we all have too much stuff. Even if you declutter regularly, most of us struggle to find spots to fit everything. You might think you've filled every nook and cranny of your home—but you might not realize there’s more storage than you thought. Here are six secret storage spots you probably forgot that your home has.
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Empty Luggage
Kat Green, ADHD organizing specialist, coach, and founder of Badass Homelife LLC, tells her clients to pack their bags even if they aren’t going away on a trip. “I often advise my clients to think creatively about their luggage usage beyond travel purposes,” she says. “By repurposing it to store seasonal clothing, utilizing vacuum bags for organization, and ensuring accessibility when needed for travel, we optimize both space and functionality within their living areas.”
This is especially helpful for people who live in apartments or lack adequate closet space. Just store off-season clothing in your suitcase and swap out when the weather changes.
Related: 16 Steps to Finally Declutter Your Home Once and for All
Under the Bed
If you’re really short on space, don’t discount all of that room under the bed. “This space can be effectively utilized for housing smaller exercise equipment such as weights and yoga mats, as well as extra bedding and linens, provided they are properly protected from dust,” says Green.
Hillary Forst and Jamie Andrieu, professional organizers and co-founders of Sorted & Styled, suggest using clear totes specifically for this area. “Clear totes are ideal because they’re compact and have a shallow height which conveniently fits under most beds and sofas.”
The Top of the Closet
According to Green, the top shelves of closets frequently go underutilized. “These shelves, with their generous height, offer an ideal storage solution for luggage, keepsake boxes, and other items that are not accessed daily but still require a designated place within the home.”
Related: How to Arrange Your Closet Like a Pro Organizer for Maximum Storage
Walls
Briana and Erica Spruille, professional organizers and founders of Just BE LLC, tell me they are big proponents of wall storage. “Installing wall hooks, floating shelves, and short steel rods maximize space in the areas where you may need to hang bags or purses, kitchen towels or mitts, umbrellas or hats, or even your keys. These may be placed in your entryway, bathroom, kitchen, or closet.”
Walls are useful for storing items you need easy and frequent access to. To make wall storage more aesthetic, opt for stylish hardware over stick-on hooks.
Doors
The Spruilles tell me doors provide lots of storage opportunities, especially bathroom doors. “Hang your robe, or for a hook-on shelf that contains towels, toiletries for guests, or cleaning supplies. Inside of a bathroom cabinet is the perfect location to attach a clear adhesive bin to store a hair dryer, hair supplies, or cleaning supplies.”
They also recommend placing a hook inside of a kitchen cabinet to hold things such as dish towels or cleaning brushes.
Forst and Andrieu share that one of the best ways to take advantage of door space is to use over-the-door shoe organizers. “We recently organized a family of five, who live in an RV full time and they love this hack of using an over-the-door shoe organizer for storing the kids' arts and crafts. Instead of putting shoes in the pockets—we filled it with crayons, markers, glue, scissors, and pipe cleaners.”
Under the Stairs
You might not think much about that space under your stairs (if your home has it), but Forst and Andrieu have been helping homeowners convert these odd-shaped nooks into storage spaces. “We built a custom mudroom complete with a drop zone for purses, bags, and backpacks, a cabinet for shoe storage, and hooks for jackets and umbrellas. We finished this space off with cubbies filled with hyacinth baskets that we filled with warm-weather accessories including gloves, hats, and scarfs.”
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