Max your cupboard space
Hide away your home’s messy horrors with these easy ideas.
Beyond stacking up shelves and filling rails, use floor or wall space in cupboards or wardrobes for super-efficient storage. If larger cupboards don’t have lighting, keep a freestanding torch to hand – it’ll encourage you to stash your mess in an organised way rather than simply throwing your possessions into a dark hiding place!
1. Umbrella stands. For brooms, vacuum cleaning attachments, even rolls of wrapping paper, use narrow, tall holders like an umbrella stand that can tuck easily into any cupboard and free-up floor space.
2. Veg racks. A cheap plastic vegetable rack will give you shelving height without taking up too much width – ideal for shoes, dusters, toys etc.
3. Under-rail boxes. Use boxes at the bottom of wardrobes in the dead space below where clothes hang. Use lidded boxes to avoid shoes etc getting too dusty, and vacuum clean regularly.
4. Hooks. As well as hanging things on the back of a door, in deeper spaces like walk-in attics and under the stairs, position hooks to hang up all kinds of junk. Bagging it all up makes it easier to find smaller objects when you need them, too.
5. Wine racks. These aren’t just handy for bottles, you can turn the rack on its end and keep other items sorted and tidy, eg torches or cans of household cleaner which have a tendency to roll off crowded shelves.
Savvy tip
If you need to get a cupboard to put inside an under-stairs or attic space, consider buying a kitchen cabinet – these come in all shapes and sizes including tall narrow designs which open up smoothly but max your shelf space.
Pass it on – turn small spaces into nice places
If you want to turn dark nooks into something more useful, check out our SuperSavvy tips on how to Glam-up your home’s forgotten corners.