I have been researching, contemplating and rearranging in my house. What I have succeeded at is making a mess as I haven't properly put everything away, lol.I

• I have put laundry supplies and light bulbs in the laundry closet. 
• I have cleaning supplies, the kids' daily vitamins and meds, first aid supplies, towels, toilet paper, paper towel and dirty laundry in the kids' bathroom closet.

The areas I am still working on are the hall closet and some kitchen cabinets.

The hall closet has extension cords, mop buckets, broom, mops and dust pan. It's a jumble in there and I was hoping to organise it better and still have room for some larger food containers. As it is, I just shove it all in and still am not sure where to put some of the stuff or how to organise it to hold everything and food.

I have the cabinet above the fridge and the top shelf that are still mostly empty. These are cabinets that I need a step stool to reach so they are not useable for every day items. I am considering using them for additional spices, can and boxed goods.

 

 

 

 

It's so hard to figure where to store things.   I was using a large lower cabinet as my pantry until we had a mouse problem....soooo not good!    I live in a raised ranch and use my lower level bathroom for my surplus cleaning supplies, toiletries and paper products (lightbulbs too) - over the toilet and over the washer dryer I have racks.   My kids are 5 and 2 though so I still need to make sure things are very high or locked.   We put a locking doorknob on our linen closet and keep cleaning supplies in there - a bit of a pain to get a clean towel but at least I know things are secure.  I'm assuming that your kids are a bit older so you're comfortable with using their bathroom.   That will be nice when mine get there too!

Since the mouse dilemma I can't figure where to store extra food products (don't like the bathroom idea and just aren't comfortable with the lower cabinets).   However DS is done with bottles and baby food, etc so I'm trying to re-organize some of my upper cabinets as I just gave all the bottles to my neighbor.   Course just when I was feeling a little better about the mice thing we had one run across the downstairs rec room today....sigh....the joys and toils of living in the woods - LOL!

Over the fridge sounds good for seldom used items....I have some holiday dishware up there.   Basically I think I just need to do some purging so I can gain room for the things that are really necessary (unlike 10 old candle holders or bud vases)

 

I'm forever reorganizing and rearranging everything and always looking for new ideas. I go to those online stores (Ikea, the Container Store, etc) that sell organizing stuff just to get ideas, then I find cheaper alternatives and adapt them to my needs. I store a lot of my stash in my unfinished basement on shelves made of cinder blocks and boards. Recently I purchased a kitchen cabinet that was a display model and hauled it down to the basement. I use this to store my dehydrated / dry foods. It keeps items cool, dark and relatively dust free. I don't recommend anything made out of particle board used in a damp basement area. I have cats so rodents aren't an issue. I have two plastic storage units with 3 and 6 drawers with wheels (formally used for crafts) that holds my extra personal care items toothpaste, deodorant, soaps. These were at Wal-mart fairly cheap. Some folks mention that they store items in those low plastic bins under the bed. The catch is remembering what's under there. We also use those hugh plastic bins to hold all the stuff needed for projects like painting a room (drop cloths, paintbrushes, rollers, tape, pans etc.) and another for doing electrical repairs (wires, plugs, plates, instruction booklets). Hope this gives you some ideas.

ArielDawn:

(don't like the bathroom idea and just aren't comfortable with the lower cabinets

 

I agree with not wanting to store foods in the bathroom. 

I have a modern pantry in the kitchen and have used two upper cabinets for food as well. I need more room to put food I want to to stock up on.

 

" I have two plastic storage units with 3 and 6 drawers with wheels (formally used for crafts) that holds my extra personal care items toothpaste, deodorant, soaps"

I have no shortage for bathroom storage. The kids' bathroom has the laundry closet, a linen closet and a cabinet under the lavatory. Our bathroom has a larger linen closet that holds the medication, our towels and my soap and candle supplies. We have double lavorties with a long cabinet. 

I need a better system for the food and the stuff shoved in the hall closet.

 

 

Dear Brandy, Is your bathroom (the one where you are now storing the medications/vitamins) dry, or does ti get mold?  If the latter, please move the meds to a dry place, such as a closet not in the bathroom.  I take so many meds that I have been cautioned over, over, & again abou placement so as not to diminish the strength f the medication, or alter its chemistry.  Yours in Him, Deb

Brandy:

I have a modern pantry in the kitchen and have used two upper cabinets for food as well. I need more room to put food I want to to stock up on.

I would love to have a real pantry closet in or near my kitchen

 

Deborahmichelle:

Is your bathroom (the one where you are now storing the medications/vitamins) dry, or does ti get mold? 

For a home in south Louisiana, it's really dry inside. This is the first time in my life I am not battling dampness and mold/mildew indoors.

That alone makes the higher rent worth it since my family struggles with asthma and allergies. We have felt so much better since moving. But I do keep the meds in the linen closet. It seems any space that is near the pipes might be subject to a bit of moisture no matter how well built everything is.

 

ArielDawn:

I would love to have a real pantry closet in or near my kitchen

 

The pantry I have is certainly functional but not necessarily the best set up for a family of four with frequent add ons who like to stock for 3-6 months.

I am trying to make it work though so that our needs are met with the lay out of this house. We just aren't the average family of today, lol.

 

Could you install hooks (like the 3M ones) in the hall closet so you can hang up the mops, broom, dustpan & extension cords?  That would give you  more floor space.  DB is notorious for bringing home milk crates and other types of square plastic containers from work, but they work really well to make "shelving" in closets when you stack them on their sides.  It might not look pretty, but its functional. The best part about closets is you can shut the door.